ALTHOUGH VERENA VARGA AND AMY SMITH ARE NOT TRAINED CHEFS IN THE TYPICAL SENSE, THEIR STORY IS JUST AS DESERVING. Varga and Smith started Heart Beet Organics, a certified organic mixed- vegetable farm, in 2010—and so began their education in how to cook with what they grew and eating in season. As their farm grew, so did their crew; preparing lunch for the entire crew became part of their daily “to do” list. Menu-planning often happened while wandering through the field, seeing what was beginning to ripen. Lunches were created with whatever Varga and Smith happened to put their hands on—often with one or two special treats, like the very first of the baby carrots, sugar snap peas, or cherry tomatoes, or a bowl of charred shishito peppers or garlic scapes picked and fried just before eating. Meals were always vegetarian, and the two quickly learned how to adapt recipes to make them gluten free and/or vegan to accommodate people’s food allergies or sensitivities and preferences. “We discovered delicious food doesn’t have to be complicated, especially when you’re working with fresh ingredients picked at the height of ripeness,” explains Varga. In 2014, the pair had a bumper crop of cucumbers, but didn’t have the time or desire to spend hours standing over a pot of boiling water making pickles. Then they came across a recipe for
fermented cucumbers, and their lives changed. They quickly realized that covering cucumbers with a salt-water brine was way faster and easier than pickling them with vinegar in a hot- water bath. And the more they read about fermented food, the more they learned about its health benefits—high probiotics, Vitamin B, and complex flavours made fermenting a very appealing way to preserve the crops. In fact, “It [fermenting] is actually a better way to preserve the nutritional content of fresh produce, while making these nutrients easier for our bodies to absorb and digest,” advises Smith. “It is also the oldest and safest food- preservation method around—safer than water-bath canning!” Varga and Smith started experimenting by fermenting every vegetable they grew—some of which did better than others. The next year, they changed their crop plan to grow more veggies that fermented well, like napa cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, daikon radish, kohlrabi, and celery, to name a few. Their love of fermented foods expanded into making kombucha, tempeh, hot sauce, and sourdough bread, and the list continues to grow with their ever- evolving menus. In 2019, the pair opened the Farmacy+Fermentary—Prince Edward Island’s first Kombucha Taproom and Vegetarian Café, featuring their fresh produce and artisanal fermented products. You can also find a fresh vegetable market and retail store at the Farmacy+Fermentary. While neither Varga nor Smith have any formal training as chefs, they’ve honed their skills in the kitchen over the last 10 years since cooking lunch for their crew of hungry farmers.
They’ve also landed on a few tried- and-true recipes that quickly became farm favourites, especially the Dragon Bowl, Kale Caesar Salad, and Tempeh Reuben. Their lunches are packed with fresh veggies and ferments made from vegetables grown on their farm, and often other Island farms, with the guaranteed freshness that comes with harvesting within hours of being put on the plate. When asked what the pair’s favourite vegetable is, Varga replies without hesitation, “The vegetables are always changing, and that’s the excitement of eating and cooking with whatever is freshest right now. Heirloom tomatoes are our favourite vegetable to grow and eat.” Smith and Varga’s menu coincides with the seasons. When tomato season is on, dishes like Heirloom Tomato Caprese Salad, a simple zesty tomato sandwich with farm-made pesto, or a freshly made batch of pico de gallo have their customers’ attention. Sadly, tomato season on the Island is short— but, when the weather cools, they get excited about all the different root crops and storage vegetables that will get turned into hearty, warming soups and vegetarian stews. The pair’s goal with their cafe is to make delicious, healthy food that everyone can enjoy, using the highest-quality organic ingredients that they can grow or source from as close to home as possible—which is good for the customer, and good for the farmers! Real good food made from simple, organic ingredients nourishes the mind, body and soil.
Farmacy+Fermentary 152A Great George St,
Charlottetown 902.626.1375 www.heartbeetorganics.ca
◄ (L-R) Amy Smith, Verena Varga By Jackie Herbert, Food & Drink Editor Photo Story Thorburn
SPRING 2022 www.pei-living.ca
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