CSA produce post

[hrj]

I didn't quite finish up last week's box in time (due to being away pretty much all the long weekend) and ended up popping the carrot soup in the freezer. This week's box (with current intentions as noted)has:

broccoli (I've made soup the last two times, this time I think it'll be steamed w/cheese sauce)
carrots (ditto, this time half will combine with the turnips for a parboiled-then-sauteed thing I've adapted from Anthimus)
oregano (hmm, may do some sort of pasta sauce, but also in omelette on the weekend)
cabbage (possibly some slaw with some of the carrots, but mostly in a cabbage-onion-sausage-potato thing)
lettuce (I'm still getting enough for dinner salads but not for lunch salads)
potatoes (various plans)
Tokyo turnips (see under carrots above)
onions (well, "onion" anyway, a large red one, probably to be used in brunch over the weekend)

I'll still need to supplement with lunchtime salad things and fruit, and with onions and tomatoes. But other than dinner out tonight, I think this week's dinners are all at home, so I should use everything easily.

Comments

[vittoriosa.livejournal.com]

If you have a lot of oregano you can make it into a salad. Version 1: Thinly sliced onions, chopped tomatoes, dress with olive oil and lemon juice, salt and pepper; garlic optional. Version 2: Toss the oregano leaves with a spoonful of flour (they must be perfectly dry) and very thinly sliced onions; dress with salt, pepper, olive oil. The flour version is one I learned from my grandfather. It sounds a little odd, but it's really good.

[hrj.livejournal.com]

It isn't a lot -- just enough for one batch of pasta sauce and an omelette, really. Now, the oregano that may still be growing in my garden (if it hasn't died on me) ....

[blaurentnv.livejournal.com]

We just got the e-mail with some clues about what we are expecting: These are the veggies we have planted now: potatoes, tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, arugula, basil, cilantro, beans, peas, onions, garlic, lettuce, chard, peppers, garlic chives, tatsoi (like spinach), carrots, beets and radish.

I would have liked the list to be more specific (what kind(s) of potatoes, squash and onion?). I'll assume the most boring until I find out better (Russet, Zucchini, and yellow - the odds are good that at least one of these will be better).

[ichseke.livejournal.com]

Can you elaborate a little on the cabbage idea? We're about to start getting inundated and last year we ate far more cole slaw than either of us likes ... Thanks.

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

Can you elaborate a little on the cabbage idea?

I'm not hrj :-) but when I saw a cabbage-onion-sausage-potato thing, I thought, "Add chicken broth, bacon, and lots of black peppercorns and it'll be that German soup my mother used to make...."

[scotica.livejournal.com]

I'm not hrj, either, but one dish she taught me was to cook a piece of bacon or two in a frying pan, then throw in sliced up cabbage plus whatever interesting flavor enhancing veggies you might have (onions, garlic, etc.) and cook. The basic idea can be applied to most any leaf-ish (and/or non-leaf-ish) vegetables, and complimentary vegetables can be done together. I've done cabbage, beats, leeks, bok choy, mei quin bok, and/or chard together in various combinations, and potatoes would work as well except I like to use mine for other purposes...

[hrj.livejournal.com]

(Replying to the end of the thread so everyone will see it.)

The "cabbage thing" I'm thinking of is:

Mince a slice (or more, proportinately) of bacon and begin rendering on very low heat. Slice an onion and add, stirring while it becomes translucent. Add any spices you please (various flavorful seeds are good, crush slightly first). Add a couple of sausages of your choice and brown. If the sausages are to be left whole, just leave them in, if not, remove and slice. Add shredded cabbage and a just enough liquid to avoid scorching while the cabbage is sweating. Red wine is good (especially if you're using red cabbage), hard cider is also good, but sweet cider is also good though it makes the result sweeter. Cover to cook, stirring occasionally until the cabbage becomes limp. Re-add the sausages, if sliced. Add a peeled, cored, sliced apple. Cook, covered, until the apple is becoming soft. Uncover, add a splash of vinegar (regular or balsamic) to taste (I like it fairly heavy) and cook uncovered until the liquid is reduced to a syrup. You can add salt, if you like, but I generally don't.

[j-i-m-r.livejournal.com]

Other cabbage ideas --
* Home made saurkraut. Chop cabbage. Add Salt. Put in a bucket on the counter. Put a plate on top of the pile of cabbage and put a weight on that. Turn the cabbage every couple of days. Once it has fermented to your taste, it is done and can be frozen.
* Kim Chee ... yum yum, and it freezes ... similar to saurkraut, but you add hot peppers.
* Blanch cabbage leaves. Line ramekins with leaves. There should be enough that you can fold the leaves over the top of the ramekin once you fill it. Fill the ramekins with a custard (eggs and cream ... richer is better i.e. yolks only and heavy cream ... but whatever is on hand if fine). Add chopped garlic, chopped onion and chopped sausage or bacon to the custard. Fold cabbage leaves over the top. Place ramekins in a pan of hot water that come half way up their sides. Bake at 375 until custard is done. Turn out of ramekins and serve with garlic cream or other sauce to your taste.

[ichseke.livejournal.com]

Love kimchi, what a great idea! The custard cups sound out of this world. Thanks.