Sunday, June 08, 2008

Enjoying the bounty

I've mentioned the CSA we joined several times, but let me share the goodies that we have enjoyed as a result of the produce.


Butter Lettuce - Oh my god. I love this stuff. It is like silk and so sweet. I made a salad yesterday with butter lettuce, sliced radishes, toasted walnuts, granny smith apples, and red cherries. The dressing was a simple olive oil vinaigrette.


Radishes - My entire life, even as a child when we had a garden, radishes were round and had a sharp bite to them. The radishes I've been getting are long and fat and sweet. They were great on the above salad, chopped with scallions and cream cheese to make a wonderful dip, or just eaten straight.

Scallions - Every week we have received a bundle of scallions. It is never a problem to use these. Baked potatoes, nachos, dip, sauteed' with melted monterey jack cheese in a warm tortilla - god I am getting hungry.

Asparagus - The first week they were huge. Each week they have gotten smaller and I suspect we've seen the last of them with the heat wave. But they have been sooo good while they lasted. Sauteed on top of salads, asparagus risotto, grilled asparagus with Parmesan cheese, the list goes on and on.

Other mixed lettuces - Romaine, leaf, mustard greens and kale. Neither one of us like our greens sauteed - it is a texture thing. So I used all these for salads. The mustard greens are so much like arugula with a peppery taste. They went well with balsamic dressings and prosciutto.



Strawberries - It is so easy to forget how wonderful fresh farm strawberries are compared to the bland things we buy the rest of the year. Red all the way through with more sweetness than one can imagine - and no sugar added. Besides the strawberry shortcake, I have made Angel Food cake (yes from scratch), tunneled out some cake and mixed it with strawberries and whipped cream. Then put it all back inside the cake and topped with more whipped cream. Of course there has been strawberries on our french toast and waffles too.

Broccoli - We do not like broccoli. I've tried both cooked and raw and I just can't do it. So the week we got a big bunch of broccoli my parents were visiting. Wonderful. I planned a Broccoli-Strawberry Salad that my co-workers rave about. Guess what? I loved it. I have made it twice since. Highly recommend it. I swapped out the raisins for dried cherries and the peanuts for cashews.

So far that is it. With the heat we've had, I expect to see some beans, peas, spinach - maybe some zucchini. Must start planning.

2 comments:

LisaRene said...

What a lovely bushel of goodies! Truthfully broccoli is my all time favorite vegetable. I even loved it as a kid and used to get it in my Christmas stocking! Seriously, and I was very, very happy with it :)

I bet you do have peppadew available in your grocery store. It comes in a glass jar in the olive section.

Melody said...

Broccoli in your christmas stocking? Hmmm.

I never thought to look anywhere but the produce section. Thanks.