CSA 2013 Partial Share #8
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch leeks
- 1 bunch beets
- 1 bunch carrots
- 1 Japanese eggplant
- 1 Walla Walla sweet onion
- 1 head lettuce
- 1 zucchini
Winner: Japanese eggplant! Cause they're damn tasty (in moderation) and they're purple! :) Alternatively, leeks, because leek soup.
Challenge: basil. It's like the world is mocking me. Look! Giant, fresh clumps of basil with green leaves from plants that happily live in the soil outside with real sunlight! Ha ha, looks nothing like the spindly four-leaf plants pathetically scrabbling to survive in your window garden box, surrounded by mushrooms that SHOULD NOT BE HERE. My basil sprouts, by the way, have four leaves on them after a nearly 6 week struggle to grow. Sad.
P.S. I changed my mind about zucchini. Kind of like the stuff sliced into super thin coins and fried in butter. But that could just be the butter talking.
Showing posts with label basil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label basil. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
veggie triage
Late night at work
+ vegetables from last week on the verge of rotting that I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT (eek)
+ a new share
+ gone for the weekend
= stress
I was a super ninja and triaged the shit out of my fridge and cursed myself for forgetting about the basil and frisee hidden in the back that I forgot about. See, when frisee starts to go bad, it goes bad at the very tips and it goes bad unevenly. At least, mine did. So when I was picking out all the slimy leaves, I literally had to pick through each little tendril and pluck off the slimy bits to salvage what was left. Sure, I could have thrown it out, but I'm stubborn like that (though I do feel a little scared to eat it now after having gotten all up close and personal with the rotting tips). Besides, I felt vaguely guilty about tossing my kale salad and squash from last week. So I plucked. And plucked. And plucked some more.
Same thing with the basil, except basil starts to go bad where the leaves meet the stem, which means plucking each leaf off before stripping out the slimy part. Sigh. Fortunately, the parsley was in good shape. There were no other orphaned leftovers from last week's share to handle and I promised myself to be better about handling my CSA shares going forward.
I have to say, neglectfulness aside, I'm really impressed with myself. In under two hours, I managed to handle everything. In fact, I'm so impressed, I'm going to write down my triaging thought process so I can marvel at my ability to think on my feet later.
- Cabbage and napa cabbage: these keep forever ish. Take two seconds and store those suckers in fridge.
- Onion and fresh garlic: semi-long lived creatures. I lopped off their pretty green tops, rinsed those and tossed them in my "odds and ends" soup bag in the freezer. Tossed the bulbs in the fridge. Done. (Pro-tip: fresh garlic can be stored in the fridge for a week. Cured/dry garlic should NOT be stored in the fridge or in a plastic container, as it will sprout or mold. Store those outside in a dark location, like a paper bag or covered, ventilated basket.)
- Green beans and wax beans: Rinsed, admired their prettiness for a few moments, and stored them in ziploc bags as snack food. No prep, no cook, just rinse and store.
- Cucumbers: Washed, peeled, and sliced them into snackable sticks. No cooking (notice a trend?)
- Frisee and parsley: I debated cooking these together, but was too lazy after all that plucking, so I just googled "parsley frisee" and discovered that the internet says you can eat these together as a salad. Boom, done. I also chopped up a bit of parsley to sprinkle on some leftover hummus. I've discovered that I rather like the taste of fresh parsley on hummus and pasta. Those flecks of green are so surprising when you come across them, unlike their dried counterparts, which bear an uncanny resemblance to green paper.
- Basil and zucchini: arguably the most time consuming part of my evening. I basically followed the recipe for marinated zucchini, but spent a lot of time picking out the edible parts of the basil :/ I left the zucchini to marinate in a ziploc baggie and I made the basil-garlic-lemon dressing in advance. I'll give it a taste tomorrow and see how that went. My fingers are crossed. For once, I'm actually really excited to eat zucchini.
And that's it! My share(s) are packed into bags or containers or are safely in storage, and I am ready to face the rest of my week. Oh, I also got another chicken. I now have three chickens in my freezer and I'm running out of room. I should butcher one or roast one early next week so I have something to feed my brother when he gets here. That boy will eat you out of house and home. One time, I had to go to the grocery store twice IN ONE DAY to feed him. When you live in a five floor walkup, this is no laughing matter.
TL;DR: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, avoid cooking like the plague, and google has all the answers.
Side note: I feel like this is a weird thing to admit, but I really like the way zucchini feels when you cut it up with a super sharp knife. It's really soft, almost buttery, in texture and it looks so clean and fresh. And it's so much less messy than chopping up, say, a chicken.
+ vegetables from last week on the verge of rotting that I TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT (eek)
+ a new share
+ gone for the weekend
= stress
I was a super ninja and triaged the shit out of my fridge and cursed myself for forgetting about the basil and frisee hidden in the back that I forgot about. See, when frisee starts to go bad, it goes bad at the very tips and it goes bad unevenly. At least, mine did. So when I was picking out all the slimy leaves, I literally had to pick through each little tendril and pluck off the slimy bits to salvage what was left. Sure, I could have thrown it out, but I'm stubborn like that (though I do feel a little scared to eat it now after having gotten all up close and personal with the rotting tips). Besides, I felt vaguely guilty about tossing my kale salad and squash from last week. So I plucked. And plucked. And plucked some more.
Same thing with the basil, except basil starts to go bad where the leaves meet the stem, which means plucking each leaf off before stripping out the slimy part. Sigh. Fortunately, the parsley was in good shape. There were no other orphaned leftovers from last week's share to handle and I promised myself to be better about handling my CSA shares going forward.
I have to say, neglectfulness aside, I'm really impressed with myself. In under two hours, I managed to handle everything. In fact, I'm so impressed, I'm going to write down my triaging thought process so I can marvel at my ability to think on my feet later.
- Cabbage and napa cabbage: these keep forever ish. Take two seconds and store those suckers in fridge.
- Onion and fresh garlic: semi-long lived creatures. I lopped off their pretty green tops, rinsed those and tossed them in my "odds and ends" soup bag in the freezer. Tossed the bulbs in the fridge. Done. (Pro-tip: fresh garlic can be stored in the fridge for a week. Cured/dry garlic should NOT be stored in the fridge or in a plastic container, as it will sprout or mold. Store those outside in a dark location, like a paper bag or covered, ventilated basket.)
- Green beans and wax beans: Rinsed, admired their prettiness for a few moments, and stored them in ziploc bags as snack food. No prep, no cook, just rinse and store.
- Cucumbers: Washed, peeled, and sliced them into snackable sticks. No cooking (notice a trend?)
- Frisee and parsley: I debated cooking these together, but was too lazy after all that plucking, so I just googled "parsley frisee" and discovered that the internet says you can eat these together as a salad. Boom, done. I also chopped up a bit of parsley to sprinkle on some leftover hummus. I've discovered that I rather like the taste of fresh parsley on hummus and pasta. Those flecks of green are so surprising when you come across them, unlike their dried counterparts, which bear an uncanny resemblance to green paper.
- Basil and zucchini: arguably the most time consuming part of my evening. I basically followed the recipe for marinated zucchini, but spent a lot of time picking out the edible parts of the basil :/ I left the zucchini to marinate in a ziploc baggie and I made the basil-garlic-lemon dressing in advance. I'll give it a taste tomorrow and see how that went. My fingers are crossed. For once, I'm actually really excited to eat zucchini.
And that's it! My share(s) are packed into bags or containers or are safely in storage, and I am ready to face the rest of my week. Oh, I also got another chicken. I now have three chickens in my freezer and I'm running out of room. I should butcher one or roast one early next week so I have something to feed my brother when he gets here. That boy will eat you out of house and home. One time, I had to go to the grocery store twice IN ONE DAY to feed him. When you live in a five floor walkup, this is no laughing matter.
TL;DR: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, avoid cooking like the plague, and google has all the answers.
Side note: I feel like this is a weird thing to admit, but I really like the way zucchini feels when you cut it up with a super sharp knife. It's really soft, almost buttery, in texture and it looks so clean and fresh. And it's so much less messy than chopping up, say, a chicken.
Marinated Zucchini Salad
This looks promising, especially since I still have a ton of basil and a half lemon living in my fridge. I'll give it a go and see how it tastes. If not, I'll stock up on baking ingredients and toss all my future zucchinis into a loaf pan.
Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 small spoon sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 spoon lemon juice
- 1 spoon olive oil
Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into long ribbons (not coins).
3. Marinate zucchini strips overnight.
4. Blanch garlic and basil. Reserve a spoon of the liquid.
5. Chop garlic and basil finely and mix with the reserved cooking liquid, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Drain zucchini strips and top with the basil mixture. Serve!
Ingredients:
- 2 zucchini
- 1/4 cup vinegar
- 1 small spoon sugar
- pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 garlic clove
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 1 spoon lemon juice
- 1 spoon olive oil
Directions:
1. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt. Stir until sugar and salt dissolve.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, cut the zucchini into long ribbons (not coins).
3. Marinate zucchini strips overnight.
4. Blanch garlic and basil. Reserve a spoon of the liquid.
5. Chop garlic and basil finely and mix with the reserved cooking liquid, lemon juice, and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Drain zucchini strips and top with the basil mixture. Serve!
Monday, July 22, 2013
CSA 2013 Partial Share #6
CSA 2013 Partial Share #6
- 8 oz green beans
- 4.5 oz baby salad greens
- 1 bunch Japanese turnips
- 1 head frissee
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 patty pan squash
Winner: green beens (yes, beens. It looks cuter like that.) Why? Because they are tasty and most importantly, they require little to no prep. Rinse and eat. Boom.
Challenge: Basil and parsley. I wish I had a food processor so I could make pesto T_T I did manage to use up half the parsley in some delicious buttered pasta. Apparently, even my drunk self knows that using up perishable things in the fridge is a Key Priority. I'm proud, but I'm not sure I should be.
I'm starting to wonder how long I can keep cooked veg in the fridge without making myself sick. I've been eating the maneul jjong jangachi in small quantities and so far, so good! But I have definitely been testing the limits with some of my other creations. I sauteed patty pan squash with basil and spring onions and a hefty dose of lemon and dried lavender. It was delicious. I left it in the fridge for about a week and got scared though, so I threw half of it out :/ Ditto for some massaged kale salad :/ :/
I have a bit of frissee, the herbs, and some spring onions left. I'm simultaneously excited and nervous about tomorrow's share. meep.
- 8 oz green beans
- 4.5 oz baby salad greens
- 1 bunch Japanese turnips
- 1 head frissee
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 patty pan squash
Winner: green beens (yes, beens. It looks cuter like that.) Why? Because they are tasty and most importantly, they require little to no prep. Rinse and eat. Boom.
Challenge: Basil and parsley. I wish I had a food processor so I could make pesto T_T I did manage to use up half the parsley in some delicious buttered pasta. Apparently, even my drunk self knows that using up perishable things in the fridge is a Key Priority. I'm proud, but I'm not sure I should be.
I'm starting to wonder how long I can keep cooked veg in the fridge without making myself sick. I've been eating the maneul jjong jangachi in small quantities and so far, so good! But I have definitely been testing the limits with some of my other creations. I sauteed patty pan squash with basil and spring onions and a hefty dose of lemon and dried lavender. It was delicious. I left it in the fridge for about a week and got scared though, so I threw half of it out :/ Ditto for some massaged kale salad :/ :/
I have a bit of frissee, the herbs, and some spring onions left. I'm simultaneously excited and nervous about tomorrow's share. meep.
Saturday, July 13, 2013
basil mint vodka lemonade, maneul jjong jangachi and chicken soup
A weekend of cooking!
Light Chicken Stock
Straightforward, easy, just takes a little time.
In a pot, saute onions, carrot tops/peelings, and whole garlic cloves (leave skins on!)
Add chicken and cook until meat begins to brown. Add a little salt.
Add water and simmer for a while (20 min?).
Skim foam off the top. Remove chicken pieces and let cool.
Remove chicken meat from bones and return bones to the pot. Reserve meat.
Remove vegetables when the carrots and onions start becoming mushy. Keep whatever looks edible (including garlic!) and snack on them :D.
Add herbs/seasoning of choice (I used a mix of lavender, thyme, fennel, chives).
Simmer the bones for as long as you want (1 hour?).
Salt to taste. Remove bones, discard, and let the soup cool.
Store the soup in little ziploc bags and freeze for later use.
Maneul jjong jangachi update!
Had to adjust seasoning but everything is all complete and looks and tastes yummy :) I think I have enough to last me for a full year now... 밮도독 ㅋㅋㅋ
Basil Mint Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 lemon
- 2 heaping spoons sugar
- water and ice
Directions:
1. Chop lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Pick out the seeds and toss them.
2. Add 2-3 spoons sugar. Stir until somewhat dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh mint and basil and muddle at the bottom of the glass.
4. Add chilled vodka and ice, stir.
5. Add cold water to taste. Garnish with lemon peel and mint/basil sprigs. Enjoy!
Light Chicken Stock
Straightforward, easy, just takes a little time.
In a pot, saute onions, carrot tops/peelings, and whole garlic cloves (leave skins on!)
Add chicken and cook until meat begins to brown. Add a little salt.
Add water and simmer for a while (20 min?).
Skim foam off the top. Remove chicken pieces and let cool.
Remove chicken meat from bones and return bones to the pot. Reserve meat.
Remove vegetables when the carrots and onions start becoming mushy. Keep whatever looks edible (including garlic!) and snack on them :D.
Add herbs/seasoning of choice (I used a mix of lavender, thyme, fennel, chives).
Simmer the bones for as long as you want (1 hour?).
Salt to taste. Remove bones, discard, and let the soup cool.
Store the soup in little ziploc bags and freeze for later use.
Maneul jjong jangachi update!
Had to adjust seasoning but everything is all complete and looks and tastes yummy :) I think I have enough to last me for a full year now... 밮도독 ㅋㅋㅋ
Basil Mint Vodka Lemonade
Ingredients:
- Fresh basil
- Fresh mint
- 1 lemon
- 2 heaping spoons sugar
- water and ice
Directions:
1. Chop lemon in half and squeeze out the juice. Pick out the seeds and toss them.
2. Add 2-3 spoons sugar. Stir until somewhat dissolved.
3. Add a few sprigs of fresh mint and basil and muddle at the bottom of the glass.
4. Add chilled vodka and ice, stir.
5. Add cold water to taste. Garnish with lemon peel and mint/basil sprigs. Enjoy!
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
CSA 2013 Partial Share #5
Multiple post Tuesday! Cause I got behind. Woops.
CSA 2013 Partial Share #5
- 1 bunch lacinato kale
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 4.5 oz salad mix
- 3/4lb shelling peas
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch mint
Winner: This is tough. My first instinct is to freak out about the peas, because OMG peas and I haven't had fresh peas in years. But then, the kale. And the basil and mint! So many cool things to choose from :D This is the first time Free Bird Farm has tried growing mint and shelling peas, so I'm very excited about that. When we were up at the farm, Ken was telling us how another farmer had told him to grow some shelling peas, because us city folk go crazy for them. Ken didn't understand why, since the volume of edible food per square foot of soil is quite low (you can't even eat the pea pods!), but he figured why not? Make the city people happy with some novelty items. This is why I love my CSA. <3
Challenge: On the bright side, there's no garlic scapes or multiple heads of lettuce! I'm not the hugest fan of Swiss chard, so when I saw that someone had left a half dozen eggs in the swap box, I jumped on that and swapped out the chard for some free-range eggs. They look so lovely, all brown and different sized. :)
Today was a fantastic haul for me. I love everything in my share and I even got my hands on some eggs! I got another chicken too, so I'm planning on butchering the chicken this weekend and making some soup stock. I'll use a bit of the stock to make some light summer soup with the pea pods and garlic scape trimmings. The pea pods are pretty delicate, but the garlic scapes are also mild, so I think everything will balance out nicely. I'm thinking about throwing in the mint as well. Mint-pea soup sounds so summery and fresh :)
CSA 2013 Partial Share #5
- 1 bunch lacinato kale
- 1 bunch Swiss chard
- 4.5 oz salad mix
- 3/4lb shelling peas
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 bunch mint
Winner: This is tough. My first instinct is to freak out about the peas, because OMG peas and I haven't had fresh peas in years. But then, the kale. And the basil and mint! So many cool things to choose from :D This is the first time Free Bird Farm has tried growing mint and shelling peas, so I'm very excited about that. When we were up at the farm, Ken was telling us how another farmer had told him to grow some shelling peas, because us city folk go crazy for them. Ken didn't understand why, since the volume of edible food per square foot of soil is quite low (you can't even eat the pea pods!), but he figured why not? Make the city people happy with some novelty items. This is why I love my CSA. <3
Challenge: On the bright side, there's no garlic scapes or multiple heads of lettuce! I'm not the hugest fan of Swiss chard, so when I saw that someone had left a half dozen eggs in the swap box, I jumped on that and swapped out the chard for some free-range eggs. They look so lovely, all brown and different sized. :)
Today was a fantastic haul for me. I love everything in my share and I even got my hands on some eggs! I got another chicken too, so I'm planning on butchering the chicken this weekend and making some soup stock. I'll use a bit of the stock to make some light summer soup with the pea pods and garlic scape trimmings. The pea pods are pretty delicate, but the garlic scapes are also mild, so I think everything will balance out nicely. I'm thinking about throwing in the mint as well. Mint-pea soup sounds so summery and fresh :)
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
project sprouts
omg so.
Over the weekend, temps in NY were a blistering 80 to 90 degrees. Blistering is a poor choice of words, it was more like meltingly sweltering. I was a small, sad, damp puddle, too overheated to even consider dragging my sorry self anywhere except to the shower to cool myself. No AC unit, so I finally decided I'd had enough and hauled myself off to Home Depot. I was too hot to even bother putting makeup or real clothes on (I was in my pj's/gym clothes).
All this lethargy, but I perked right up once I stepped inside Home Depot. Partly because HD was about 30 degrees cooler, partly because I was thinking about how much I adore the new sandals I'd gotten myself as a reward for attempting to do something productive like fetching myself some AC (whoever put a shoe store next to HD is a genius), but mostly because I saw green things! Cute, little green things! In the basement level of HD, they have their semi-nursery and growing tools and seeds and I couldn't help myself.
I checked the boxes of AC units piled high in the front of the store and made sure there was no danger of them running out of units while I had a look around, and hopped onto the escalator going down. I didn't come back up for another hour, I was so taken by all the fun things I found.
Limited space, limited resources, but I decided that it didn't matter. I was going to have sprouts and pretty green things in my apartment this summer, dammit!
So I grabbed the smallest window box I could find, a plastic liner, some soil, and a packet of seeds marked "container herbs." I realized that was maybe a poor decision because I can barely drag an AC unit around with two free hands and now I definitely had less available hands than that, but luckily I am a small girl and the HD employees were very kind and they carried the AC unit all the way through the checkout line and onto the street for me. And the taxi cab driver was very sweet and told me "Don't touch the box! You hurt yourself!" in broken English, and hoisted it into the trunk for me. And my roommate carried it up the stairs for me once I got home. Profuse thanks to all, a big tip for the cabbie, and a returned favor for my roommate absolved my guilt and I set to work on my makeshift garden. What I really should have done was install my AC, but I was too hot and tired from all that work (that I didn't actually do myself lol).
I filled the container with soil, dampened it carefully, scattered half the seeds, and tucked them in with another quarter inch of soil. Swept up all the dirt off my floor and carefully set the box in full sunlight. I kept watching that box, checking it every few hours, hoping something would happen. Like a pot set to boil, nothing happened while I was watching it. But I went to sleep last night and woke up and SURPRISE! Little white pins reaching up out of the soil, some of them with tiny green berets. I counted four sprouts this morning and I said my goodbyes tenderly as I hopped out the door for work. I can't wait to come home and see how many more little seedlings have popped up in the last twelve hours. I'm so excited. I need to probably calm down but...eek! They're so cute!! <3
Over the weekend, temps in NY were a blistering 80 to 90 degrees. Blistering is a poor choice of words, it was more like meltingly sweltering. I was a small, sad, damp puddle, too overheated to even consider dragging my sorry self anywhere except to the shower to cool myself. No AC unit, so I finally decided I'd had enough and hauled myself off to Home Depot. I was too hot to even bother putting makeup or real clothes on (I was in my pj's/gym clothes).
All this lethargy, but I perked right up once I stepped inside Home Depot. Partly because HD was about 30 degrees cooler, partly because I was thinking about how much I adore the new sandals I'd gotten myself as a reward for attempting to do something productive like fetching myself some AC (whoever put a shoe store next to HD is a genius), but mostly because I saw green things! Cute, little green things! In the basement level of HD, they have their semi-nursery and growing tools and seeds and I couldn't help myself.
I checked the boxes of AC units piled high in the front of the store and made sure there was no danger of them running out of units while I had a look around, and hopped onto the escalator going down. I didn't come back up for another hour, I was so taken by all the fun things I found.
Limited space, limited resources, but I decided that it didn't matter. I was going to have sprouts and pretty green things in my apartment this summer, dammit!
So I grabbed the smallest window box I could find, a plastic liner, some soil, and a packet of seeds marked "container herbs." I realized that was maybe a poor decision because I can barely drag an AC unit around with two free hands and now I definitely had less available hands than that, but luckily I am a small girl and the HD employees were very kind and they carried the AC unit all the way through the checkout line and onto the street for me. And the taxi cab driver was very sweet and told me "Don't touch the box! You hurt yourself!" in broken English, and hoisted it into the trunk for me. And my roommate carried it up the stairs for me once I got home. Profuse thanks to all, a big tip for the cabbie, and a returned favor for my roommate absolved my guilt and I set to work on my makeshift garden. What I really should have done was install my AC, but I was too hot and tired from all that work (that I didn't actually do myself lol).
I filled the container with soil, dampened it carefully, scattered half the seeds, and tucked them in with another quarter inch of soil. Swept up all the dirt off my floor and carefully set the box in full sunlight. I kept watching that box, checking it every few hours, hoping something would happen. Like a pot set to boil, nothing happened while I was watching it. But I went to sleep last night and woke up and SURPRISE! Little white pins reaching up out of the soil, some of them with tiny green berets. I counted four sprouts this morning and I said my goodbyes tenderly as I hopped out the door for work. I can't wait to come home and see how many more little seedlings have popped up in the last twelve hours. I'm so excited. I need to probably calm down but...eek! They're so cute!! <3
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
CSA Share #19
Days flying by. Is it just me, or is there tons of great music out there all of a sudden? Taylor Swift, Tristan Prettyman, Zedd, Christina Aguilera...
It seems the flood of great music has been accompanied by an equally overwhelming flood of lettuce. I have four different heads of lettuce, one head of frissee, a lovely mess of arugula, and bunches of swiss chard waiting in my fridge for me. #deathbylettuce
CSA Share #19
- 6.5 oz arugula
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch opal basil
- 3 leeks
- 5 medium potatoes (2lbs)
- 3/4lb purple string beans
- 1 bunch swiss chard
- 1 head frisee
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 head green leaf lettuce
- 1 head red leaf lettuce
CWTC: potatoes!!! :) potatooooooooes :D
TAV: purple string beans, because they are purple
WTF: lettuce. I am adorable and cute and lovable, but I am not a rabbit. This is a veritable flood of green leafy things. I don't know how to handle this. I was so stressed by all the green that I ate half a chicken yesterday, just to reassure myself that I am not a cow or other ruminant. The farm apologizes for the cubed lettuce, which is the result of a packing mistake that was only realized after the truck was packed.
I am very excited to get potatoes, but sadly, it seems potatoes struggled this year with the heat and drought. 90% of the crop was lost at Free Bird Farms :/ This is the only planned potato week. And there was a frost this week, so the farm lost "the best bean crop" they had all season. I do love green beans, so this is pretty tragic.
We have broccoli and cauliflower to look forward to in the coming weeks. (bleh, broccoli, but yay, cauliflower!) Just a few weeks left now...can't believe the growing season is almost over. Then again, every time I step outside, the frosty air nips at my cheeks and reminds me that it's nearly winter. Scary.
Oh, I also found a new friend in my string beans last night. An skinny little earthworm about an inch long. Not quite sure what to do with him, I herded him into a cup with some decomposing lettuce and let him chill for a while as I sorted my vegetables. I couldn't just kill it, like I had with the caterpillar and grub I discovered earlier this season. I've always had a soft spot for earthworms, given how beneficial they are in the garden and on the end of a fishing line. No fish to catch, so I decided to let this little guy live to see another day. Besides, I'd already gone to the trouble of fishing him out of my veggies and making him a little home. I'd feel like a terrible person if I disposed of him now.
My burst of compassion and humanity translated into a trek down five flights of stairs to a patch of moist dirt, where I gently shook him out and make sure he burrowed away safely under his lettuce scrap. Since I had to take five flights of stairs down, this meant I needed to climb back up five flights of stairs to get home, which, by the way, is no small feat for an out of shape person like yours truly. At 3am.
I have done my gym and civic duty for the day (week?)
It seems the flood of great music has been accompanied by an equally overwhelming flood of lettuce. I have four different heads of lettuce, one head of frissee, a lovely mess of arugula, and bunches of swiss chard waiting in my fridge for me. #deathbylettuce
CSA Share #19
- 6.5 oz arugula
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch opal basil
- 3 leeks
- 5 medium potatoes (2lbs)
- 3/4lb purple string beans
- 1 bunch swiss chard
- 1 head frisee
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 1 head green leaf lettuce
- 1 head red leaf lettuce
CWTC: potatoes!!! :) potatooooooooes :D
TAV: purple string beans, because they are purple
WTF: lettuce. I am adorable and cute and lovable, but I am not a rabbit. This is a veritable flood of green leafy things. I don't know how to handle this. I was so stressed by all the green that I ate half a chicken yesterday, just to reassure myself that I am not a cow or other ruminant. The farm apologizes for the cubed lettuce, which is the result of a packing mistake that was only realized after the truck was packed.
I am very excited to get potatoes, but sadly, it seems potatoes struggled this year with the heat and drought. 90% of the crop was lost at Free Bird Farms :/ This is the only planned potato week. And there was a frost this week, so the farm lost "the best bean crop" they had all season. I do love green beans, so this is pretty tragic.
We have broccoli and cauliflower to look forward to in the coming weeks. (bleh, broccoli, but yay, cauliflower!) Just a few weeks left now...can't believe the growing season is almost over. Then again, every time I step outside, the frosty air nips at my cheeks and reminds me that it's nearly winter. Scary.
Oh, I also found a new friend in my string beans last night. An skinny little earthworm about an inch long. Not quite sure what to do with him, I herded him into a cup with some decomposing lettuce and let him chill for a while as I sorted my vegetables. I couldn't just kill it, like I had with the caterpillar and grub I discovered earlier this season. I've always had a soft spot for earthworms, given how beneficial they are in the garden and on the end of a fishing line. No fish to catch, so I decided to let this little guy live to see another day. Besides, I'd already gone to the trouble of fishing him out of my veggies and making him a little home. I'd feel like a terrible person if I disposed of him now.
My burst of compassion and humanity translated into a trek down five flights of stairs to a patch of moist dirt, where I gently shook him out and make sure he burrowed away safely under his lettuce scrap. Since I had to take five flights of stairs down, this meant I needed to climb back up five flights of stairs to get home, which, by the way, is no small feat for an out of shape person like yours truly. At 3am.
I have done my gym and civic duty for the day (week?)
Thursday, October 4, 2012
CSA Share #17
Let us have more lettuce. Sigh.
Oh well. I'm tackling the last of the red oak leaf lettuce from CSA Share 15. Dinner tonight? A colorful salad of crisp lettuce and raw beetroot chips topped with oven-roasted chicken. The sweet crunch of the beets contrasts nicely with the chicken. Both the beets and the chicken are low profile with a delicate flavor. The oak lettuce is light and crisp and manages to provide an unobtrusive background that allows the flavor of the beets and the chicken to shine through. Extremely simple (and perhaps plain, by some standards), but delicious. I always tend to like simpler fare anyways. Yum.
Notice that I said "crisp" and "CSA Share 15." That is not a mistake. I kept the lettuce head in the crisper and used one leaf at a time in an effort to keep it as fresh as possible for as long as possible. Last night, I took inventory of my fridge and realized the eggplant and yellow bell pepper from CSA share 16 were a bit wrinkly and the lettuce was starting to wilt in spite of my heroic preservation efforts. To revive the lettuce, I washed the lettuce and let it sit in a tupperware container overnight with a bit of extra water clinging to the leaves. Voila, re-crisped lettuce.
I did have to throw out a leaf or two though - they were so far gone that extra moisture might have led to rot, not rejuvenation. I also didn't wash the lettuce well enough...I can taste gritty sand specks here and there >.<
Oh well.
I sliced up the yellow bell pepper for a snack and sauteed the eggplant with some gorgeous opal basil, which was, incidentally, the same deep rich aubergine shade as the eggplant. I wasn't sure if it would keep its color during cooking, but it did! I also wilted the arugula with some garlic, as it was starting to yellow a little bit.
Having taken care of the veggies-in-danger, I cleaned up the 17th share and stored it away in my fridge for later use. Resplendent with rich fall-themed colors, this was a beautiful share worth admiring.
CSA Share 17
- 1 bunch beets
- 1 bunch carrots
- 2 bunches curly leaf parsley
- 1 bunch opal basil
- 1 bunch red Russian kale
- 1 bunch bok choy
- 1 head red Romaine lettuce
- 2 red bell peppers
CWTC: This might come as a surprise, but...carrots! More specifically, carrot tops! See the below post for a full explanation. I washed up the carrot tops along with the celery leaves from last week and tossed it all in a ziploc bag to freeze for later. I have a whole chicken from dinner that I'm working my way through, so I should have a nice bag of chicken bones for stock by the end of the week. I'm hoping that freezing the carrot and celery tops for a few days won't damage them too much. These will have to replace the onions that I usually throw in my soup pot, as I've run out of onions. :(
TAV: Red romaine lettuce. Lettuce is lettuce and this is the same as any other...but the color! It's so beautiful,with a dark green heart gradually shading out to deep shades of red masquerading as purple along the edges. I might cook this. I'm so tired of salads.
TAV alternate: Color isn't really adventurous. I just wanted to wax poetic about my lettuce. My vegetable adventure for the week will be another foray into herb-drying. Normally I would look at my parsley, think very hard about how to eat it, and despair. I am not very partial to the strong taste of fresh parsley. I recall feeding some to my pet rabbit years ago, but sadly, I do not have a pet rabbit anymore. I do like sprinkling dried parsley on my pasta and potatoes for a little color though.
Emboldened by my success in air drying my leftover sprigs of dill, I decided to dry my two large bunches of parsley as well. Why not? But I wanted to avoid perfuming the apartment with the smell of drying parsley, so I decided to expedite the process a bit. I washed and dried the parsley and popped them in my warmed oven on a paper-towel lined cookie sheet. I realized I needed to de-stem them halfway through, in order to fully dessicate the parsley but keep the leaves from burning. After I popped them back into the oven, I forgot about them and went to bed. I did turn off the oven before I put the parsley in, so I'm hoping when I get home tonight, that the parsley will have dried nicely instead of burning to a crisp. I hope. We'll see. This is an adventure, right? One cannot expect perfection when being adventurous.
WTF: I have plans. I am prepared. I can tackle what would ordinarily be a WTF contender (carrot tops, parsley). The carrot tops will be turned into a soup stock ingredient and the parsley is being crisped and dried. So...the WTF vegetable of the week will actually be the more mundane bell pepper. Mostly because this week's bell peppers came in a wider variety of sizes than I have ever seen before. I literally picked out one bell pepper the size of my head and another that was smaller than my fist. You could totally make Russian dolls out of these bell peppers. Or a rather plain, red Faberge egg.
Oh well. I'm tackling the last of the red oak leaf lettuce from CSA Share 15. Dinner tonight? A colorful salad of crisp lettuce and raw beetroot chips topped with oven-roasted chicken. The sweet crunch of the beets contrasts nicely with the chicken. Both the beets and the chicken are low profile with a delicate flavor. The oak lettuce is light and crisp and manages to provide an unobtrusive background that allows the flavor of the beets and the chicken to shine through. Extremely simple (and perhaps plain, by some standards), but delicious. I always tend to like simpler fare anyways. Yum.
Notice that I said "crisp" and "CSA Share 15." That is not a mistake. I kept the lettuce head in the crisper and used one leaf at a time in an effort to keep it as fresh as possible for as long as possible. Last night, I took inventory of my fridge and realized the eggplant and yellow bell pepper from CSA share 16 were a bit wrinkly and the lettuce was starting to wilt in spite of my heroic preservation efforts. To revive the lettuce, I washed the lettuce and let it sit in a tupperware container overnight with a bit of extra water clinging to the leaves. Voila, re-crisped lettuce.
I did have to throw out a leaf or two though - they were so far gone that extra moisture might have led to rot, not rejuvenation. I also didn't wash the lettuce well enough...I can taste gritty sand specks here and there >.<
Oh well.
I sliced up the yellow bell pepper for a snack and sauteed the eggplant with some gorgeous opal basil, which was, incidentally, the same deep rich aubergine shade as the eggplant. I wasn't sure if it would keep its color during cooking, but it did! I also wilted the arugula with some garlic, as it was starting to yellow a little bit.
Having taken care of the veggies-in-danger, I cleaned up the 17th share and stored it away in my fridge for later use. Resplendent with rich fall-themed colors, this was a beautiful share worth admiring.
CSA Share 17
- 1 bunch beets
- 1 bunch carrots
- 2 bunches curly leaf parsley
- 1 bunch opal basil
- 1 bunch red Russian kale
- 1 bunch bok choy
- 1 head red Romaine lettuce
- 2 red bell peppers
CWTC: This might come as a surprise, but...carrots! More specifically, carrot tops! See the below post for a full explanation. I washed up the carrot tops along with the celery leaves from last week and tossed it all in a ziploc bag to freeze for later. I have a whole chicken from dinner that I'm working my way through, so I should have a nice bag of chicken bones for stock by the end of the week. I'm hoping that freezing the carrot and celery tops for a few days won't damage them too much. These will have to replace the onions that I usually throw in my soup pot, as I've run out of onions. :(
TAV: Red romaine lettuce. Lettuce is lettuce and this is the same as any other...but the color! It's so beautiful,with a dark green heart gradually shading out to deep shades of red masquerading as purple along the edges. I might cook this. I'm so tired of salads.
TAV alternate: Color isn't really adventurous. I just wanted to wax poetic about my lettuce. My vegetable adventure for the week will be another foray into herb-drying. Normally I would look at my parsley, think very hard about how to eat it, and despair. I am not very partial to the strong taste of fresh parsley. I recall feeding some to my pet rabbit years ago, but sadly, I do not have a pet rabbit anymore. I do like sprinkling dried parsley on my pasta and potatoes for a little color though.
Emboldened by my success in air drying my leftover sprigs of dill, I decided to dry my two large bunches of parsley as well. Why not? But I wanted to avoid perfuming the apartment with the smell of drying parsley, so I decided to expedite the process a bit. I washed and dried the parsley and popped them in my warmed oven on a paper-towel lined cookie sheet. I realized I needed to de-stem them halfway through, in order to fully dessicate the parsley but keep the leaves from burning. After I popped them back into the oven, I forgot about them and went to bed. I did turn off the oven before I put the parsley in, so I'm hoping when I get home tonight, that the parsley will have dried nicely instead of burning to a crisp. I hope. We'll see. This is an adventure, right? One cannot expect perfection when being adventurous.
WTF: I have plans. I am prepared. I can tackle what would ordinarily be a WTF contender (carrot tops, parsley). The carrot tops will be turned into a soup stock ingredient and the parsley is being crisped and dried. So...the WTF vegetable of the week will actually be the more mundane bell pepper. Mostly because this week's bell peppers came in a wider variety of sizes than I have ever seen before. I literally picked out one bell pepper the size of my head and another that was smaller than my fist. You could totally make Russian dolls out of these bell peppers. Or a rather plain, red Faberge egg.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Fresh soybeans and creative uses for CSA vegetables
Remember the soybeans from CSA Share #13?
Well, I cooked them. It was incredibly easy too.
1. Wash soybeans.
2. Place in pot and cover with water.
3. Add salt.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil. Let the soybeans boil for 5-10 minutes.
5. Test a soybean - if they taste nutty and tender, they're done.
6. Drain and salt, if desired.
I found a random soybean that escaped the pot and I was curious what raw soybeans might taste like. I figured I might not get another chance to try, so I went ahead and took a nibble. They tasted like a larger, rawer version of green beans, if that makes sense. Probably won't try that again, but it was interesting!
Alas, I lost my basil from CSA Share #13 to negligence. I kept thinking I'd use it for something and then it grew moldy. Tears.
But I did manage to use up a bunch of my other vegetables for the week!
Exhibit A: Arugula
I managed to toss a bunch of arugula into some late night shin ramen for late nightt post-drinking munchies. Mostly, I'm really really really impressed with my commitment to my vegetables. After all, drunk people normally don't think about vegetables as a first concern. I even washed the arugula before dumping it in my ramen! For the record, it was really delicious and it totally hit the spot. I demolished an entire pot of ramen singlehandedly. Yeah. Uhhhh....next.
Exhibit B: Cilantro + turnip greens
In my efforts to avoid wasting two weeks of herbs in a row, I thought what the hell why not, and tossed several healthy sprigs of cilantro into my sauteed garlic-turnip greens. This was a very flavorful preparation, as I accidentally peeled more garlic than I thought I could use. Eight cloves of garlic in one sitting. I was a little concerned, but it turned out just fine. This was actually not a bad combination at all! But then, I always did have a soft spot for cilantro.
Exhibit C: Basil
I did manage to use up a bit of my basil. I tossed them on top of a fried egg, which added a nice, herby touch. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything else to put the basil on before it went moldy, but better luck next time, I suppose.
Well, I cooked them. It was incredibly easy too.
1. Wash soybeans.
2. Place in pot and cover with water.
3. Add salt.
4. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a low boil. Let the soybeans boil for 5-10 minutes.
5. Test a soybean - if they taste nutty and tender, they're done.
6. Drain and salt, if desired.
I found a random soybean that escaped the pot and I was curious what raw soybeans might taste like. I figured I might not get another chance to try, so I went ahead and took a nibble. They tasted like a larger, rawer version of green beans, if that makes sense. Probably won't try that again, but it was interesting!
Alas, I lost my basil from CSA Share #13 to negligence. I kept thinking I'd use it for something and then it grew moldy. Tears.
But I did manage to use up a bunch of my other vegetables for the week!
Exhibit A: Arugula
I managed to toss a bunch of arugula into some late night shin ramen for late nightt post-drinking munchies. Mostly, I'm really really really impressed with my commitment to my vegetables. After all, drunk people normally don't think about vegetables as a first concern. I even washed the arugula before dumping it in my ramen! For the record, it was really delicious and it totally hit the spot. I demolished an entire pot of ramen singlehandedly. Yeah. Uhhhh....next.
Exhibit B: Cilantro + turnip greens
In my efforts to avoid wasting two weeks of herbs in a row, I thought what the hell why not, and tossed several healthy sprigs of cilantro into my sauteed garlic-turnip greens. This was a very flavorful preparation, as I accidentally peeled more garlic than I thought I could use. Eight cloves of garlic in one sitting. I was a little concerned, but it turned out just fine. This was actually not a bad combination at all! But then, I always did have a soft spot for cilantro.
Exhibit C: Basil
I did manage to use up a bit of my basil. I tossed them on top of a fried egg, which added a nice, herby touch. Unfortunately, I couldn't think of anything else to put the basil on before it went moldy, but better luck next time, I suppose.
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
CSA Share #13 and Radish Greens
Slow on the updates in spite of a long weekend... I have a few posts in reserve and will update accordingly when I get the chance.
In the meantime, this week's share:
- 2 red bell peppers
- giant lovely mess (10oz) of arugula (or rocket, as it's known in the UK)
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch Italian basil
- 3/4lb green beans
- 1 bunch radishes
- 1/2lb soybeans!
- 2 large tomatoes
CWTC: soybeans! I don't think I've ever had fresh soybeans before. Only frozen. This should be interesting, and fun.
TAV: Radish greens. Typically something that gets thrown out, but I was determined to make them edible in my quest to reduce food waste.
WTF: Arugula. I love it. But what do I do with this much of it? Maybe I can saute a plate of arugula and top it with a fried egg?
Radish Greens
Wasn't sure what to do with these, as they didn't look very appealing, especially with bug holes eaten through nearly all of them. After washing them very well and chopping them into small pieces, they looked considerably more appetizing.
I chopped up and froze the green portions of the scallions for later use, but I reserved the bulbs for my radish greens. The scallion bulbs were about as big across as a quarter, so they probably were more like onions than scallions at that point.
I sliced two cloves of garlic, the reserved onion bulbs, stray basil leaves, and sauteed them in a pan over medium heat. I added the chopped radish greens fairly quickly. I used a dash of fish sauce, rice vinegar, and a drizzle of sesame oil to finish off the dish, which actually turned out quite nicely. I think it was the seasoning that did it. Sesame oil is a nice counterpoint to root vegetable greens, with the nutty flavor balancing the bitterness of the greens. It's similar to using bacon when cooking turnip greens, but more subtle.
Pretty pleased with myself :)
In the meantime, this week's share:
- 2 red bell peppers
- giant lovely mess (10oz) of arugula (or rocket, as it's known in the UK)
- 1 bunch spring onions
- 1 bunch Italian basil
- 3/4lb green beans
- 1 bunch radishes
- 1/2lb soybeans!
- 2 large tomatoes
CWTC: soybeans! I don't think I've ever had fresh soybeans before. Only frozen. This should be interesting, and fun.
TAV: Radish greens. Typically something that gets thrown out, but I was determined to make them edible in my quest to reduce food waste.
WTF: Arugula. I love it. But what do I do with this much of it? Maybe I can saute a plate of arugula and top it with a fried egg?
Radish Greens
Wasn't sure what to do with these, as they didn't look very appealing, especially with bug holes eaten through nearly all of them. After washing them very well and chopping them into small pieces, they looked considerably more appetizing.
I chopped up and froze the green portions of the scallions for later use, but I reserved the bulbs for my radish greens. The scallion bulbs were about as big across as a quarter, so they probably were more like onions than scallions at that point.
I sliced two cloves of garlic, the reserved onion bulbs, stray basil leaves, and sauteed them in a pan over medium heat. I added the chopped radish greens fairly quickly. I used a dash of fish sauce, rice vinegar, and a drizzle of sesame oil to finish off the dish, which actually turned out quite nicely. I think it was the seasoning that did it. Sesame oil is a nice counterpoint to root vegetable greens, with the nutty flavor balancing the bitterness of the greens. It's similar to using bacon when cooking turnip greens, but more subtle.
Pretty pleased with myself :)
Monday, August 27, 2012
Tomato Sauce from Scratch
This weekend ended up being a little less domestic and a lot more crazy than expected. I need a month long detox. But I did manage to get around to making my tomato sauce!
My roommate, his friend, and yours truly, were bumming around the apartment on Saturday evening with no energy left for going out to eat dinner. We debated ordering takeout, but I really needed to use up my tomatoes, so I told the boys I'd cook pasta. They seemed skeptical, but they took a leap of faith and agreed to eat pasta for dinner. They even offered to help in the kitchen :)
The tomato sauce was sort of improvised, but I was pretty happy with it.
Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 onions
- 6 medium tomatoes
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 package pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- a bit of olive oil
Recipe:
1. Peel and chop onions. Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Toss in onions and garlic.
3. Wash and chop tomatoes into small chunks.
4. Stir the onions and garlic occasionally until the onions turn slightly translucent.
5. Add tomatoes to the pan.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the pan simmer, stirring occasionally.
7. Put a pot of water on to boil.
8. When water reaches the boiling point, add pasta.
9. Boil the pasta for 10-12 minutes, or until al dente.
10. Drain pasta and set aside.
11. Chop up the jalapenos and basil leaves. Add to the pan.
12. Stir the tomato sauce and let it simmer until most of the liquid has boiled off. If the sauce is too thick, add water.
13. Ladle sauce over the pasta and serve. Garnish with extra basil leaves if desired.
Note: Be careful with the jalapenos! We were informed by my roommate's friend that the peppers "weren't that hot." Turns out, they were. If you're worried about making the sauce too spicy, remove the seeds and the white pith (this is the spiciest part of the pepper) or just omit the jalapenos altogether.
The boys were impressed, especially since there was no meat in the pasta. We were all happily fueled up for a night out, I used up a lot of my leftover CSA share, and I didn't even have to do the dishes afterwards! I'd say it was a success.
My roommate, his friend, and yours truly, were bumming around the apartment on Saturday evening with no energy left for going out to eat dinner. We debated ordering takeout, but I really needed to use up my tomatoes, so I told the boys I'd cook pasta. They seemed skeptical, but they took a leap of faith and agreed to eat pasta for dinner. They even offered to help in the kitchen :)
The tomato sauce was sort of improvised, but I was pretty happy with it.
Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 jalapeno peppers
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 onions
- 6 medium tomatoes
- 1 bunch basil
- 1 package pasta
- salt and pepper to taste
- a bit of olive oil
Recipe:
1. Peel and chop onions. Thinly slice the garlic cloves.
2. Heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Toss in onions and garlic.
3. Wash and chop tomatoes into small chunks.
4. Stir the onions and garlic occasionally until the onions turn slightly translucent.
5. Add tomatoes to the pan.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let the pan simmer, stirring occasionally.
7. Put a pot of water on to boil.
8. When water reaches the boiling point, add pasta.
9. Boil the pasta for 10-12 minutes, or until al dente.
10. Drain pasta and set aside.
11. Chop up the jalapenos and basil leaves. Add to the pan.
12. Stir the tomato sauce and let it simmer until most of the liquid has boiled off. If the sauce is too thick, add water.
13. Ladle sauce over the pasta and serve. Garnish with extra basil leaves if desired.
Note: Be careful with the jalapenos! We were informed by my roommate's friend that the peppers "weren't that hot." Turns out, they were. If you're worried about making the sauce too spicy, remove the seeds and the white pith (this is the spiciest part of the pepper) or just omit the jalapenos altogether.
The boys were impressed, especially since there was no meat in the pasta. We were all happily fueled up for a night out, I used up a lot of my leftover CSA share, and I didn't even have to do the dishes afterwards! I'd say it was a success.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
CSA Share #11
The drought is really hitting Free Bird Farm pretty hard...
...but the tomato, I am pleased to say, is alive and well!
This week's share:
- 1 bunch basil
- 3/4 lb green beans
- 4 large tomatoes
- 3 lbs salad tomatoes
- 3 red bell peppers
CWTC: all of it? If I had to pick one, I'd probably pick the large tomatoes. They look like they'd be amazing on a piece of foccacia with basil and olive oil drizzled on top.
TAV: bell peppers. These are ordinary peppers, but I think I'll experiment with charring them over my open gas stove to see if I can get the equivalent of a roasted bell pepper.
WTF: none! I like it all :D
I'm really excited about the green beans too. They're such a treat when they're as fresh as they are in my CSA share.
Free Bird Farm purposely put a bunch of basil with the bumper tomato crop this week in the hopes that some of us would get proactive and make some tomato sauce. If you recall, we've been getting a LOT of garlic and onions in the last few CSA shares, so this really is a great suggestion on their part. I could even make a batch of spicy tomato sauce with the jalapenos! Yum.
I need a break from all the partying, so I think I might devote my weekend to tomato sauce and soup making escapades. Both tomato sauce and soup freeze well in ziploc bags and they'll be welcome additions to my winter meals when CSA shares become a distant, wispy memory. I'm already excited. I really need to get some ground pepper though. Tomato sauce without ground pepper just seems wrong. It's like wearing sneakers without socks. >.<
...but the tomato, I am pleased to say, is alive and well!
This week's share:
- 1 bunch basil
- 3/4 lb green beans
- 4 large tomatoes
- 3 lbs salad tomatoes
- 3 red bell peppers
CWTC: all of it? If I had to pick one, I'd probably pick the large tomatoes. They look like they'd be amazing on a piece of foccacia with basil and olive oil drizzled on top.
TAV: bell peppers. These are ordinary peppers, but I think I'll experiment with charring them over my open gas stove to see if I can get the equivalent of a roasted bell pepper.
WTF: none! I like it all :D
I'm really excited about the green beans too. They're such a treat when they're as fresh as they are in my CSA share.
Free Bird Farm purposely put a bunch of basil with the bumper tomato crop this week in the hopes that some of us would get proactive and make some tomato sauce. If you recall, we've been getting a LOT of garlic and onions in the last few CSA shares, so this really is a great suggestion on their part. I could even make a batch of spicy tomato sauce with the jalapenos! Yum.
I need a break from all the partying, so I think I might devote my weekend to tomato sauce and soup making escapades. Both tomato sauce and soup freeze well in ziploc bags and they'll be welcome additions to my winter meals when CSA shares become a distant, wispy memory. I'm already excited. I really need to get some ground pepper though. Tomato sauce without ground pepper just seems wrong. It's like wearing sneakers without socks. >.<
Thursday, July 12, 2012
CSA Share #3 and #5
Wow. Between traveling home for some (much-needed and much-appreciated) vacation time and a million other life-events, I just haven't had time to do much beyond pick up my CSA share and try to figure out ways to incorporate more veggies in my life.
Quick recap of the last few weeks...
CSA Share 3
- garlic scapes (picked by yours truly :D)
- patty pan squash
- romaine lettuce
- swiss chard
- kale
- arugula
- basil
CWTC: Patty pan squash. They're just so cute!
WTF: None. I like all of these :)
TAV: None. THese are all pretty garden-variety (haha). And I got so up close and familiar with the garlic scapes after spending an hour picking them that I don't really consider them adventurous fare anymore.
I picked up this share, dropped it off at home, grabbed my luggage, and ran like crazy to catch my flight back to Arizona. But...this share was too cute and I couldn't help but pack a few veggies into a bag and carry them with me. I imagine a lot of the passengers on the plane were a bit confused. I know security at JFK was certainly a bit bewildered. As I was collecting my shoes and laptop from the plastic buckets, I overheard one security person whisper to another as they examined the x-ray screen, "Are those...vegetables?"
Haha. My parents were very impressed by my dedication and even more impressed that I cooked a lovely lemon-basil pasta with summer squash for dinner the next night. Most of all, they were impressed that I did the dishes (voluntarily!) and kept my room clean. I feel like they think I'm still 16 years old sometimes.
As an added bonus, the basil kept my air-sickness at bay. Every time I felt a bit nauseous, I just snagged a leaf from my bag and took a quick sniff of my basil. Mmm.
CSA Share 4
Skipped - out of town :/
On the bright side, I was having the time of my life at home, so I could care less. Plus, my CSA donates leftover vegetables, so it's not wasted!
CSA Share 5
- 1 head fresh garlic
- broccoli
- purple basil
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 Cousa-style squash (aka Korean hobak/zucchini)
- 2 golden zucchini
- red leaf lettuce
- carrots
- beets
CWTC: Carrots! They're so adorable :)
WTF: Broccoli. I like vegetables. I do. But not this one. Sigh...I still packed some for lunch, but I'm not thrilled about it.
TAV: Golden zucchini - zucchini itself is pretty standard stuff. But the color! So pretty! :)
Not sure what to do with this share yet. Very happy there is hobak in there. Apparently people didn't know how to cook/eat it, because this week's newsletter included a request for ways to prepare it. I EAT THIS ALL THE TIME. GIMME MOAR. 호박전, 된장찌개, 호박 무침...omg. More korean-style veggies are popping up in my CSA share than I expected. Plus points!
I might just pack some of my share and bring it with me to the BBQ my friend is throwing this weekend. Zucchini and beets will probably grill nicely. Lettuce on a burger? Cucumbers for snacks and cucumber water! Basil and cucumber for making mixed drinks? Mmm.
Quick recap of the last few weeks...
CSA Share 3
- garlic scapes (picked by yours truly :D)
- patty pan squash
- romaine lettuce
- swiss chard
- kale
- arugula
- basil
CWTC: Patty pan squash. They're just so cute!
WTF: None. I like all of these :)
TAV: None. THese are all pretty garden-variety (haha). And I got so up close and familiar with the garlic scapes after spending an hour picking them that I don't really consider them adventurous fare anymore.
I picked up this share, dropped it off at home, grabbed my luggage, and ran like crazy to catch my flight back to Arizona. But...this share was too cute and I couldn't help but pack a few veggies into a bag and carry them with me. I imagine a lot of the passengers on the plane were a bit confused. I know security at JFK was certainly a bit bewildered. As I was collecting my shoes and laptop from the plastic buckets, I overheard one security person whisper to another as they examined the x-ray screen, "Are those...vegetables?"
Haha. My parents were very impressed by my dedication and even more impressed that I cooked a lovely lemon-basil pasta with summer squash for dinner the next night. Most of all, they were impressed that I did the dishes (voluntarily!) and kept my room clean. I feel like they think I'm still 16 years old sometimes.
As an added bonus, the basil kept my air-sickness at bay. Every time I felt a bit nauseous, I just snagged a leaf from my bag and took a quick sniff of my basil. Mmm.
CSA Share 4
Skipped - out of town :/
On the bright side, I was having the time of my life at home, so I could care less. Plus, my CSA donates leftover vegetables, so it's not wasted!
CSA Share 5
- 1 head fresh garlic
- broccoli
- purple basil
- 2 cucumbers
- 1 Cousa-style squash (aka Korean hobak/zucchini)
- 2 golden zucchini
- red leaf lettuce
- carrots
- beets
CWTC: Carrots! They're so adorable :)
WTF: Broccoli. I like vegetables. I do. But not this one. Sigh...I still packed some for lunch, but I'm not thrilled about it.
TAV: Golden zucchini - zucchini itself is pretty standard stuff. But the color! So pretty! :)
Not sure what to do with this share yet. Very happy there is hobak in there. Apparently people didn't know how to cook/eat it, because this week's newsletter included a request for ways to prepare it. I EAT THIS ALL THE TIME. GIMME MOAR. 호박전, 된장찌개, 호박 무침...omg. More korean-style veggies are popping up in my CSA share than I expected. Plus points!
I might just pack some of my share and bring it with me to the BBQ my friend is throwing this weekend. Zucchini and beets will probably grill nicely. Lettuce on a burger? Cucumbers for snacks and cucumber water! Basil and cucumber for making mixed drinks? Mmm.
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