Week 3 (Green Stuff!)

Third week, and the second pick up in some pretty wet weather. Thank goodness for their tents.
This week includes lots of green stuff:

• Kale (left side of pic)
• Kohlrabi
• Lettuce (Yeah!)
• Pea Tendrils (in the plastic bag)
• Napa Cabbage (right side of pic)

Rain caused tonight's 'photo session' to be inside & in poor lighting.

Kale was the one choice item. I think the other options were turnips. This week, I am looking forward to the Kale (I have never had it) and the Kohlrabi. It seems you can do some really neat things with this vegetable. I am hopeful Stella likes the pea tendrils. She LOVES sweet peas, so maybe?? She ate a piece of lettuce this evening with her dinner. Then she started crying. I am not sure if the two were related. I hope not.

We did the standard routing of washing the lettuce down when we got home.

Stella helping

I have already eaten a big bowl of the lettuce this evening. I just added some cherry tomatoes, feta, the rest of the scallions from week one, and some dressing. It was very Yummy!

For the Kohlrabi, you should separate the globe and the greens for storage. (This book, recommended by FDC, was very helpful this evening!). I included it in the water bath with the lettuce to clean it up, then removed the greens from the bulb and stored the bulb in the fridge. It should last for at least 2 weeks (I hope). The leaves can be used with other greens, so I added them to my salad this evening.  I did remove the center stem from the leaves as it just seemed really thick. (I later learned this is called the "center rib". 2 + points for google).

Kohlrabi at the depot (I remembered to take a picture this time)
in the water bath getting clean,
greens and bulb separated,
and on the living room floor (Stella helped unpack)

I was definitely able to tell which greens in my salad were the Kohlrabi as they were much thicker & stronger. I am glad that I mixed them with all of the lettuce, because I think I was at my max with the amount I could eat. I didn't dislike them, but I would not want an entire bowl of them. At least raw - I have a feeling they would be very good sauteed. But raw was easy and yummy this evening!

Taking a break from lettuce washing

Garlic Scapes & Cilantro

Apparently, Garlic Scapes are "hot" right now. Or, at least according to this article. Both my husband and I googled them, as we have never encountered them before.

Some interesting notes from the article:

"For years, gardeners and even farmers have been lopping off garlic scapes—the stalks of hardneck garlic plants—and tossing them in compost piles, but over the past couple of years, people have become more aware that they’re not just edible, but delicious"

"The curly green stalks—which just came into season and will be around for about another month—have a distinct garlic flavor, with a sharper green note.
Use garlic scapes anywhere you’d use garlic, or toss them in salads, grill them with a little olive oil and salt, or stuff them in a roast chicken, advised Rogowski, who has a host of garlic scape recipes on her blog, including one for a pesto."

One hint my sister provided, was that you can trim them and place them in a vase of water, just like flowers.

So, that's what I did....

They look a little like Medusa and after a few days the smell of garlic definitely grew stronger (which is totally okay by me).

Since I was not sure what to do with them, on Monday my husband whipped up some guacamole. He added diced Garlic Scapes, some of the Cilantro and the tomatoes I purchased at the store. VERY yummy.

I am still unsure of what to do with the Garlic Leeks and the Fennel. I heard the Garlic Leeks can last a good two weeks in the fridge, so hopefully something in this weeks pick up will inspire me! The Fennel, I am not to thrilled about. I hate the taste of it (lickerish). Next time, I probably would not pick that share. 

And the white turnips! Still in the fridge. AHHHH!!!!

Week 2 (Tomatoes!)

Writing is hard! Or is it finding the time to get this stuff down that is hard? I am not sure, but I am only two weeks into this and I feel I may be falling behind. Tomorrow is the pick up for week three, so about time I write about the second farm share pick up.

The Bounty

You may have seen a sneak peak of the bounty in the previous strawberries post. Week 2 included:

• Garlic Scapes - .25 lbs (Those long thin green things in the lower left hand corner)
• Garlic Leeks - (Upper left hand corner; white bulbs, leafy greens)
• Cilantro (Top of photo)
• Two gorgeous tomatoes-- 1.5 lbs
• Fennel (also called Anise)

*Bonus Strawberries*

I was a little sad that there was not another head of lettuce, that was probably my favorite part of week 1, but there were two gorgeous red tomatoes. Tomatoes are perhaps my favorite vegetable. Probably the only one that I enjoy eating straight - ie, just give me a bowl of cherry tomotoes, and I am happily snacking.

Tomatoes

The weekly FDC newsletter provided some info on the tomotoes:

"The green house tomatoes come from Fairview farms in Sunderland, MA.  These are grown in pots, in soil, and are watered directly into each pot, and are IPM. Many folks forget what that is. It stands for Integrated Pest Management. This system relies on the grower to identify pests, and determine a course of action based on the intensity of the infestation, and the threat to the crop.  Because these are greenhouse grown, the threats are minimal."

Modeling the tomatoes on a granite sample

So, with my love of tomotoes, those obviously went first. Both Stella and I had some Mac and Cheese for dinner (do you sense a theme here?) which i jazzed up by added half of one of the tomoates, diced up. The same went into Stella's lunch for the next day.

Stella loved it all.
Served on paper plates because we came home to a broken kitchen faucet.
I was NOT washing more dishes in the bathroom sink.

When we got home Friday evening, I quickly put a pot of quinoa on the stove top and got that going. Side note: I need to learn how to cook quinoa properly. The pot was pretty burnt by the end. There was still plenty of un-burnt quinoa, but man was that a b-eotch to get clean. Thankfully the kitchen sink was fixed by then.

I diced the rest of the tomatoes, saving a half of one of the tomatoes. Added to the quinoa, along with some left over peppers and onions that we had from the fathers day BBQ cook out, as well as some Feta cheese (a main stay in my fridge). Mixed it all together and topped with a little olive oil.

Super yummy, and super easy. Was also really good the next day for lunch. Stella on the other hand... let's just say I will probably hold off on giving her Feta cheese again for a while. She did give it a try though, which is awesome!

inspecting dinner.

Finally, on Sunday I used the rest of the tomatoes (along with a few more purchased at the super market) in my most favorite meal of all time - Caprese.

Basically a bowl of tomatoes, with some mozzerella, oil and vineger.
S&P and dried basil since we didnt have fresh. SO good!

And Stella had some added to her lunch too!

Strawberries!

So red

As being part of the coop, you are expected to do some volunteering during the season. This could mean staffing the tent, helping with set-up, break-down, helping with administrative stuff, or picking up and delivering items. I can't stand not knowing what I can do when I want to (need to) do something. Staffing the tent, or set-up / break-down, are pretty much out of the question, as I don't think Stella will be too helpful during these times.

So, when a last minute opportunity to pick up some plant shares in Melrose and drive them to Salem came up, I jumped on it. My route home gets very close to Melrose. I looked at a map and it seemed totally doable, so I signed up. They threw in some strawberries as an enticement for doing this delivery. Bonus. At the next weeks pick-up, along with my small veggie, I also got a small pint (quart? I can never remember which one is smaller). This resulted in strawberry goodness.

Dirty knees...

One of the reasons I did not sign up for a fruit share this season was because we are still unsure of Stella's food allergies. Last summer, she appeared to have a reaction to strawberries. This was before we had a better grip on what she is allergic to and not allergic to. Now, I feel pretty confident that I can spot any trouble, and she has been doing so good lately, that I figured this was the perfect time to have her try some strawberries. And yes, the epi-pens were near-by.

Cheers

Before the full-on eating commenced, I did a quick skin test and waited a few minutes. Then I let her take a tiny bite, and waited again. We seemed to be in the clear.

note the strawberry juice dripping down her chin

The strawberries were AMAZING! They were not tart, not to sweet, just perfect. So much so, that as soon as Stella wakes from her nap, we are heading to the local farm to pick up some more.

"Hey, Mom, Want Some?"

"Just kidding!"

She did eventually share, and no strawberries made it inside that night.

Week 1

Week 1! My sister sent me an email the day before telling me what she received (she has a large share, so she gets more). 

• Broccoli
• Scallions
• 2 heads of lettuce (red leaf and green leaf)
• Hakurei turnips (similar to potato turnips)
• garlic leeks (look like thick scallions but they are leeks)
• radishes

I took the above list to Google, and discovered this awesome sounding Potato - Leek - Cheesy - Crock pot soup (The weather was still crap-tastic here in Boston, so a warm soup sounded just perfect). 

Doesn't this look good?? (Recipe found here)

I did not make this!

Also, I knew there were a few potatoes that needed to be used asap -- which just shows you how often I cook -- so Stella and I went to the store Wednesday night to get the few things for the soup that I did not have on had (evaporated milk and an immersion blender).

On Thursday the Monsoon season that we have been having here continued. All day. By the time I arrived at the coop tents, they were pretty muddy. I signed in at the administration tent, she showed me the small vegetable share tent and walked me through the process. Since it was so rainy and muddy, I had to hold Stella (all 28 pounds) and the bags as well. Suffice it to say, I did not linger. I grabbed and ran. I did notice right away that there were no garlic leeks available. 

What I ended up with:

• One MASSIVE head of Lettuce
• Broccoli
• Scallions
• Hakurei Turnips

Look at that huge head of lettuce!

Lettuce

When I got home, I immediately washed the head of lettuce. (Great tip from my sister). A lot of dirt washed down the drain. I took out my salad spinner.... and after opening the package (whoops, guess I never used it before) I spun that lettuce like I was it's boss. Stella actually really enjoyed this. She kept wanted to watch it spin. Once it was all dry, I broke it up and placed it in a container in the fridge for salads during the week. The next day, my lunch was just lettuce, croutons I had on hand and some dressing. It was one of the best salads I ever had. The lettuce was almost buttery, with this really subtle umami flavor (Yes, I watch top chef). I want more lettuce!

Hakurei Turnips

These are still in a plastic bad in my fridge. Not sure what to do with them, that I will like. Everyone is saying to just slice them and put them in your salad, they are like radishes / turnips. Both of which I am not a fan of. So, they sit in the crisper.

Broccoli & Scallions

The scallions reminded me of Fido

These both went into the crock pot soup. I decided, even though I did not get the garlic leeks, I was going to make the soup anyway. (That picture before makes it look damn good, doesn't it?)

Substitutions made: Broccoli instead of celery & carrots, and Scallions, along with some frozen chopped onion we had, instead of Garlic Leeks. Should be totally fine, right?

The night before, I 'prepped" everything and stuck it in the fridge. Since my husband leaves after me for work, I asked him to put everything in the crock pot before he left for work. I also asked him to add about 8 cups of chicken broth. Apparently, I only bought four and a half though. I did not know this until I asked him how much he ended up putting in, and he told me I can't do math (the broth I bought was labeled in ounces). Whoops.

Before

I was a little late getting home, since I ended up picking up some plant shares and delivering them, instead of coming straight home. The crock pot was still standing though, and the house smelled great. This was also the first day the sun was out in FOREVER.

I used the immersion blender in the crock pot, added the milk, and waited 30 minutes to try it,

After

The first night, it was really good. Almost like a creamy potato, broccoli soup. Almost. The turkey bacon I 'garnished' the soup with left a little to be desired, though. I wish I skipped that step. The extra chopped scallions on the top were perfect. Had a nice, sweet crunch. I have a love affair with onions - I probably could have just eaten them without the soup. (I did also add some scallions to my salads, which were great.) 

Stella tried a few spoonfuls of the soup, but she was not a big fan.

The next day, the soup was way to thick. I felt like I was eating a giant bowl of green mashed potatoes. The proper amount of broth would have helped this, I am sure.

The shares the first few weeks are apparently a little smaller; the upcoming weeks when more is in season will be a little more plentiful. 

So far, a successful week!

Asparagus!

Well, I seem to be finally trying to get my act together and have created a for-reals blog (tumblr does not count). Running with the big kids!

This year I have signed up for a food coop. I am not a good cook. Just last year was the first time I ever cooked a vegetable outside of the microwave (and it wasn't frozen). I want to be a better example for my daughter - who luckily will eat anything. So, I signed up for 1 small (baby steps, people) vegetable share with Farm Direct Coop. You can find out more info on them here.

The season goes from mid June to October. You pick up your items once a week at a central pick-up location. The one for this particular coop is right down the street from us, about three blocks away. This is one of the main reasons for deciding to try it out. It is so convenient! On Thursday afternoons, Stella and I can head there on our way home from work / daycare. Also convenient, my sister uses the same coop, but a different town, and a Tuesday pick up. So, on Wednesdays, so has been emailing me a heads-up of what to expect, which is very helpful!

Since fresh, local veggies are a foreign concept to me, I want to start noting what I have tried, what worked (or so far, didn't work) and a place to store all the awesome pictures that I am getting. Like my asparagus:

Before the season officially started, there were a few opportunities for some 'pre-season' purchases. One of them was local asparagus. One bundle of asparagus was $5 and I picked it up one Friday after work at the local organizers home (My friend Amanda also took advantage of this the week before, snagging some local eggs along with the asparagus). This was the LONGEST asparagus I have ever seen. I had to trim it a little just to get it to fit in the veggie drawer in the fridge (but just a little, since it was all green and edible).

Asparagus I have done before. The next evening, I roasted it in a pan in the oven, with a little olive oil, garlic and salt and pepper (with a little google-ing to see how long it should cook for) Thankfully (?) it has been a very chilly spring, so having the oven on in May has actually been a good thing. I had the asparagus alongside some Mac & Cheese for dinner. Stella had the same thing for dinner (although hers was cut up just a little more). It was very yummy. If the season goes like this, it will be a success!

Here is the full recipe I worked with (minus the shallots, and straight lemon juice versus fresh lemons)

Ingredients

• 1 bunch asparagus, washed

• 1 tbl extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 tsp minced garlic

• 1 shallot, thinly sliced

• 1 pinch salt

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

• ½ lemon, quartered

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees Fahrenheit. Break off the bottoms of the asparagus. Toss with the olive oil, garlic, shallot, salt and ground black pepper.

1. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the asparagus one spear deep.

1. Insert the sheet into the oven and bake for 6 to 9 minutes, until it has reached the desired tenderness – leave it in longer if wanting it softer. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.