thoughtful consumption

I added the gourmet upgrade to my standard package this week. Plus we got our cool member pack which I’ll describe more in my next post.

• eggs
• banana nut muffins (started with six, but you know how that goes)
• salad enhancers: carrots, snow peas, broccoli buds, peppermint?
• kale
• snow peas
• gourmet salad mix
• onion
• strawberries
• feta cheese
• herbs: oregano, winter savory, violets
• orange beets!
• leeks

Enhanced salads

I went crazy and used everything in our salad last night. In addition to the gourmet salad mix, we had carrots, snow peas, broccoli buds, beets, green onions, and violets. Looking back, I think it was kind of overkill – especially considering that the gourmet mix is interesting enough to stand on its own. It probably would have been better to save the enhancements for a boring romaine salad from our garden.

Nevertheless, it was delicious! The orange beets taste the same as regular beets although it’s been a while since I had a fresh beet, so I may have missed some subtle differences. Last night we ate loaded baked potatoes along with our loaded salad, so I just wrapped the beets in foil and baked them along with the potatoes. Then I chilled, peeled, and sliced them to add to the salad. Fresh beets are terrific – definitely one of the things I’ve learned to love since joining Farmers Fresh.

Another day, another salad – woo-hoo!

We’re were enjoying a week of great salads even before yesterday’s delivery. Monday we had a spinach and romaine salad with canned tuna (in oil), parmesan cheese, and green onions tossed in a chervil honey vinaigrette. Tuesday we had spinach and romaine salad tossed in a bacon vinaigrette and topped with swiss cheese, bleu cheese, walnuts, craisins, and green onions. I really think the key is tossing everything together and chilling it on the plates for about 15 minutes before serving. It makes a big difference in the flavor. And it gives you a few minutes to clean up or prepare something else.

Today we’ll have the gourmet mix tossed with feta cheese and maybe some beets. The feta is terrific and very mild, so I don’t want to cover it up with lots of flavors. This weekend we’ll go back to romaine and spinach mixes once the gourmet mix is gone.

How do you say “Old Faithful” in Chinese?

We’ll have more fried rice this weekend, too, with kale, snow peas, and onion. I’m out of shrimp, so I’m defrosting a portion of pork loin from the freezer. I’ll try to remember to chop and marinate it before it completely defrosts because it’s much easier to slice it thinly that way.

The fried rice I made for my mom on Mother’s Day turned out okay. I cooked it in her cast iron seasoned Dutch oven, but I didn’t use enough oil and some of the rice stuck to the bottom and burned. Guess I’m spoiled by my dear friend Mr. Nonstick Saucier.

Fun with leeks and savory

The leeks would probably be good in fried rice, too, but I want to make something that highlights them. Looking through some recipes, I thinking about doing something with lentils, bacon, and the winter savory. Something like…

• Cook some lentils
• Microwave some bacon and then sauté sliced leeks in some of the fat
• Add in the lentils, some balsamic vinaigrette, savory, salt, and pepper
• Stir it around for a couple of minutes and serve

I’ll probably save the bacon for salad toppings rather than putting it back in with the lentils.

Preserving the bounty

I’m air drying the oregano along with the bunch from last week. With oregano, you don’t lose a lot of flavor when it dries. So I’m drying it in preparation for later this summer when we go seriously Italian with the tomatoes, zucchini, and eggplant.

The strawberries went directly to the freezer. My husband said the novelty of fresh strawberries has worn off for him. No problem! They can chill out in the freezer for a while. Later they can be smoothies, strawberry topping, or even daiquiris!

Egg plans

We’ve still got some eggs from last week, so I get to go wild with eggs this week. We’ll have some scrambled eggs with the last of some cooked red cabbage or with any of the salads for a bigger meal.

My husband’s been hankering to make a pound cake, and I see no reason to stop him. A whole cake takes a whopping six eggs, but the results are worth it. We can always freeze half of the cake in chunks and then surprise ourselves with them later.

Or maybe we’ll take the cake to my mom’s. A couple of weeks ago, she made a great pound cake. I figure if we take one to her, we might start a pound cake war that could escalate out of all proportion. The collateral damage would be delicious.