Randsland Farms takes some of the prep work out of healthy eating

by Alain Bossé

What would you say if I told you that I have come across a salad that is extremely healthy and more importantly, exceptionally flavourful? It’s chockful of so-called superfoods such as kale, broccoli, red and green cabbage, green onions, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds—and there’s a packet of dressing included, too. This delightful salad is pre-bagged, and the only thing you need to do is put it into a bowl, add the dressing and serve it. What if I went on to tell you that buying this salad support a local Maritime company? Wouldn’t that be great news?

Well, guess what, fellow foodies: it’s out there, it’s on supermarket shelves now, and it’s really, really good!

Randsland Farms, located near Canning, in the heart of Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley, has been marketing their own SuperSalad mix since April of 2017 and if you haven’t sampled it yet, you really need to give it a try.Randsland is the only Maritime company to offer the convenience of a pre-bagged salad. The third-generation family farm operation is both the grower and processor of the product meaning that they control every aspect of the process from seed-to-salad. The vegetables are grown in the fertile Valley soil, harvested and processed and bagged at the peak of freshness.

Because they are local, the salad arrives on grocery store shelves in Atlantic Canada in a far shorter time period than a Californian product would—typically where other pre-bagged salads originate. This guarantees thatthat it’s on your table in a timely manner from the time of harvest. The Rands selected vegetables for the salad mix that have a long shelf life, and are quite hardy; meaning that the salad remains crisp and fresh from farm to table.

Andrew and Lise Rand are understandably proud of the feedback that they’ve received from consumers who try their product and the couple are especially impressed by customer ingenuity in using the salad mix in different applications.

“We are always amazed at how many different ways the SuperSalad Kit is being prepared,” Andrew says. “It’s not just a salad—it’s been used as a soup mix, in omelets, fish taco topping, stir fry, Japanese style yaki soba noodles… and we even had a customer add it to their spaghetti sauce!”

If having a delicious, ready-to-use salad isn’t incentive enough to purchase it, consider also the impact on the local economy. The salad production at the Randsland facility keeps a minimum of 15 local people employed year-round—and that number is increasing.        

Andrew, Lise and the team at Randsland definitely advocate eating healthy and as close to nature as possible, while making your own food when able. However, in our time-starved lives, people often resort to fast-serve, pre-prepared items. Their goal is to give local consumers the healthiest, most convenient, and ready to eat options available. They are always working on new product development and ways to create convenient, healthy, farm-fresh ideas for their customers. A plan is in place to introduce at least two new salad blends to create a “family”of products.   

Randsland SuperSalad can be found year round in the produce section of most Atlantic Canadian grocery stores and some farmers markets, too. It comes in two size formats; 340gram and 1-lb. They’ve recently begun shipping a food-service version of SuperSalad in a 3lb format to meet the need of restaurant owners and chefs seeking a way to incorporate a local, fresh, green salad option to their menu.

Okonomiyaki—Japanese Style Pancakes

Serves 4
Recipe courtesy of Randsland Farms

¼          cup (50 mL) flour

4          eggs

2          cups (500 mL) Randsland SuperSalad mix (vegetables only)

1          cup (250 mL) shrimp, cut up in bite size pieces

1 ½      tbsp (23 mL) vegetable oil

4          tbsp (60 mL) Worcestershire sauce

4          tbsp (60 mL) ketchup

Mix flour, eggs, SuperSalad and shrimp to make batter. Heat some oil in a large frying pan, and pour batter on it. Cook as if you were cooking pancakes. Serve warm. Mix Worcestershire sauce with ketchup. Brush on top of pancake and serve. 

Wilted SuperSalad with Bacon and a Maple Curry Dressing

Serves 2-4

1          bag supersalad

1          cup (250 mL) sliced button mushrooms

½         cup (125 mL) diced double smoked bacon

½         cup (125 mL) Red Curry Maple Dressing

Sauté bacon till crispy then add SuperSalad and mushrooms and sauté until warmed. Pour warm dressing over top and serve.

Maple Curry Dressing

Makes 1 cup (250 mL)

½         tbsp (15 mL) sesame oil

1          clove of finely chopped garlic

1          tbsp (15 mL) red curry paste

1          tbsp (15 mL) sesame seeds

1          tsp (5 mL) hot chili sauce Asian style

1          cup (250 mL) maple syrup

¼          cup (50 mL) fish sauce

Place all ingredients in a pan, whisk to bring ingredients together, bring to a boil then let simmer on low heat for 5 minutes or so and let cool before serving over greens.