Get away without leaving your house with gorgeous new cookbook County Heirlooms: Recipes and Reflections from Prince Edward County, by Natalie Wollenberg and Leigh Nash, drawing on the amazing flavours of Prince Edward County to celebrity the culinary spirit of the place. 

This recipe for kohlrabi slaw (it's seriously delicious: my kids ate it!) comes from Ed and Sandi Taylor of Honey Wagon Farms, which grows regular & specialty vegetables without the use of herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides.

One of the most interesting things about County Heirlooms is that it's more than just recipes, and tells the stories of the chefs and farmers who've contributed them—scroll down to learn more about Ed and Sandi Taylor, and how and why they do the work they do.

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Salad

1 large kohlrabi, peeled, stems trimmed off, grated

2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

1⁄2 red onion, sliced
4 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

1⁄4 cup golden raisins or dried sweetened cranberries (optional)

Dressing

1⁄4 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, unfiltered

1 tbsp maple syrup
(adjust quantity to desired taste)

1 tsp salt

Directions

In a large bowl, combine the kohlrabi, carrots, onion, cilantro, raisins or cranberries (if using).

In a smaller bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, cider vinegar, maple syrup, and salt.

Pour the dressing over the slaw and mix fully to coat. Chill several hours before serving.

*By substituting celeriac, this can also double as celeriac slaw. The dressing has a bite, and a combo of sweet syrup and tart vinegar; adjust the ingredient quantities to suit your own taste.

From Ed & Sandi Taylor

Farmers, Honey Wagon Farms

A farm run by retirees focused on growing regular & specialty vegetables without the use of herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides.

I’ve always been impressed that seeds will produce all the food you need to live. It’s miraculous. A carrot seed is so small you can’t really hold it in your fingers. And then a hundred days later it produces this beautiful, nutritious, lifesaving thing. ¶ There’s so much going on in the field. And when the food’s ready, it’ll just sit there and wait until it’s harvested. If you leave it long enough, it will freeze and die and then turn back into earth. Or, in the case of parsnips, they just get better, because they can stay in the field all winter and they’re actually tastier first thing in the spring. ¶ It’s challenging to get chefs or owners to think in January and February about what they might need in August, September, and October. But that’s the timeline we have. With that said, we have a pretty good idea of what they’ll want. I don’t cook in the kitchen with them, but I might as well, because I pay close attention to their ordering patterns. ¶ I really like chefs to come to the farm and walk in the field with me. I don’t say too much, just have them walk by my tomatoes, okra, purple cabbage, savoy cabbage. They don’t have to commit to it, but I’ll earmark produce for them so that I can be ready. ¶ We only do greens for personal use. We’re heavy on potatoes, heavy on squash, and we do pretty well a bit of everything else. French filet beans and snap peas and broccoli and cauliflower. ¶ Our idea of local is that Prince Edward County is local. When we’re at the Kingston market and someone asks if our produce is local, we say, “No, it’s not, it’s from Prince Edward County.” It’s just an hour away, but for us, local means the community where the food is grown. ¶ Sandi and I do almost everything ourselves. We only hire when we absolutely need another person. People are surprised to hear I’m seventy-five. But I used to work as a vice-principal. Sandi was a kindergarten teacher. We don’t want to supervise people again. And I don’t want to grow and sell more stuff to pay the extra expense. We do hire, but only when we absolutely have to, because someone has to ride on the machine behind the tractor and someone has to drive the tractor. So we just do selective five-hour slots here and there with people we know can do it. And we pay them well because we want them back. ¶ What’s closing in on me is the reality of time. Our farming practices may have to evolve to accommodate our age. We don’t use any sprays or chemicals or anything to kill weeds, except physical labour. When we have an 800-foot row of beets, well, we both weed it. ¶ Sandi’s been actively involved really since the start. She’s great at the farm stand and the markets. And if anything is finessed in regard to the farm, all the signage, how we lay stuff out, all the seasonal decorations, that’s all Sandi. ¶ We weren’t lucky enough to have kids, so we divert a significant amount of profits to charities. Kingston General saved my life twelve years ago, so we give to them. We donate to local food banks and other organizations. And we give away food too. Last year, we ended up growing way too much, and we must’ve given close to 4,000 pounds of potatoes and squash to food banks.