Here’s what we got in our first set of pre-season boxes. I think it’ll keep us for two weeks. And sorry about the distant pic. The larger bi-weekly boxes make it harder to get everything in the frame. I’ll take multiple close-ups next time.
- sweet potatoes
- kale
- lettuce
- strawberries
- spicy greens
- kabocha squash
- more spicy greens
- granola
- popping corn
- honey-flax-wheat bread
- eggs
- pork ribs
- sprouts
- carrots
- crème fraiche
- baby turnips
- herbs (chervil, salad burnet, and par-cel)
- sweet bread mini-loaves
Let’s talk salad
There’s awesome stuff in here for salads. (We’ve already had two and are looking forward to more.) We got two basic types of salad greens: delicate hydroponic lettuce and mixed greens. (The mixed greens can also be braised or stir-fried, but we like them best as spicy salad.) I try to use the hydroponic stuff first because it won’t last as long as the mixed greens. This type of lettuce is one of the things that makes converts to local food. It would never last long enough to be sold in a store, but the flavor and texture is far superior when you can get it fresh.
Here’s what we had for supper Wednesday night.
It was a great start to the CSA year. The lettuce, carrots, and eggs are all local foods that beat the pants off their conventional counterparts. (The beets and bread are from Kroger.) The crème fraiche is delicious – a cross between sour cream, cream cheese, and goat’s milk. And it makes an outstanding salad dressing. Just put a dollop on top and mix it up as you eat. It’s amazing – so amazing that I don’t think our crème fraiche will have a chance to be anything else.
Salad herbs
The herbs will add nice, subtle flavor to a salad.
chervil, salad burnet, and par-cel
Salad burnet has a light cucumber taste, and chervil has a minty-anise taste. The par-cel tastes like a combination of parsley and celery. (If you got any of these herbs, break off a piece of each and see for yourself. That’s good, perhaps obvious, advice for any herb, but it took me a long time to realize that I could – and should – sample herbs before using them. Before it was as if they were some magic ingredient that could never be treated so casually. Nonsense! Try some, see if you like it, and then decide how you might use it.)
Par-cel is good on pretty much everything, but it is strong herb and will overpower the burnet and chervil if you use equal amounts. Also, you can use the par-cel stems for celery flavor in casseroles, soups, spaghetti sauce, and pretty much anything that calls for onions.
I’m storing my chervil and parcel in a glass of water under a plastic bag in the fridge. They’ll keep for a good long while this way. The burnet doesn’t have stems to dip in the water, so I patted it dry and returned to its bag. Hopefully, it will last a while, too. (Another tip/superstition: I always turn my plastic bags inside out before I put or return anything to the fridge. I think it keeps what’s inside less damp.)
The salad burnet and chervil are fantastic with the crème fraiche! If I have time, I break off the leaves before adding them to the lettuce, but I’ve also just torn them up and eaten the stems, too. I haven’t added the par-cel to salads yet because 1) I want to be sure to taste the burnet and chervil, 2) it’s easy to find uses for par-cel, and 3) it will last the longer than the other two.
Other salad additions
The carrots are sooo good and have sooo much flavor. I like to serve them as sticks with salad. They also make terrific afternoon snacks along with a chunk of cheese.
And don’t forget the sprouts! If you don’t use them all in salads, they’re good in fried rice and stir-fries.
Kale and turnips …mmm?
If you can make out the kale at the far end of the first picture, you’ll see it’s a gorgeous dark green. It makes me feel healthier just looking at it. Unfortunately, for the full effect, you have to eat it, too. Kale is not one of my favorite foods, but one thing I love about the CSA box is it makes us eat vegetables we might not choose on our own. If you like kale, I bet this beautiful bunch will knock your socks off. If you don’t, try Kale with raisins and pine nuts. It’s what I usually make. (You can also adjust the ratios in the recipe to make Raisins and pine nuts with kale.)
Turnips are another unfavorite in my house. (Can you tell that I sliced one of the turnips in half? That was in the hope that it might actually be a watermelon radish. No dice.) These turnips are babies, so they will be milder than their full-grown kin. But they’re still going in one of two recipe ideas that I rely on for vegetables I’m more interested in using than tasting:
My guess is I’ll make fried rice sometime next week with turnips, sprouts, and maybe some of the mixed greens. We’ll see what I’ve got left then.
More soon!
thoughtful consumption 
Susan,
I am jealous! I did not sign up for the pre-season yet. After seeing your pics, I might just have to go ahead and get on board. I miss all those yummy veggies!
As for your turnips, Southern Living magazine has a recipe for turnip turnovers (made from store bought pie crust). They were really good.
Natalie,
Is this it?
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=701113
They look really good, and I’m tempted to add them to next week’s meal plan. (Especially since you find such great recipes.) Chris dislikes turnips more than I do, but he’s a total sucker for piecrust.
If I try it, I’ll make the whole recipe, bake a few, and freeze the rest to dole out later.
I have to admit it was pretty wonderful bringing home those veggies Wednesday. Holidays are nice and all, but it’s good to be back in the groove.
Yep, that’s the recipe! Did you cook up those Sea Island (dried) Red Peas we got a few months ago?
Nope. Got a good recipe for those?
Patricia emailed me the following:
Here’s the one we got from Anson Mills:
Sea Island Pea Gravy (from the Anson Mills web-site)
The idea is to have a nice balance between lush, silky broth or “gravy” and tender whole peas.
Time: Overnight to soak the peas and about an hour to cook
These little field peas are packed with flavor and history. The old English rhyme “Pease porridge hot” goes to the oldest form of food related to field peas. Sea Island Red Peas themselves go straight to Reesy Peezy, a Gullah dish made with fresh, green red peas and rice, and on to Hoppin’ John, the famous New Year’s dish made with dried red peas and rice.
For this recipe you will need a heavy-bottomed 3-quart stockpot and a wooden spoon. To puree some of the peas you will need a blender, food processor, burr mixer, potato masher or simple fork.
Ingredients
1 quart Smoked Ham and Chicken Stock, defatted
1 cup Anson Mills Sea Island Red Peas, soaked in water and refrigerated overnight, then drained
½ yellow onion, peeled, cut through root end and left intact
½ carrot, peeled
2 small inner celery ribs, leaves attached
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small bay leaf
1 teaspoon curry powder
Fine sea salt
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or more, to taste
Directions
1. Bring the stock to a simmer over medium-high heat in heavy-bottomed 3-quart stockpot.
2. Stir in the peas, the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf and curry powder. Return the liquid to a simmer.
3. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pot partially and simmer gently until the peas are tender, stirring occasionally, one to 1 ¼ hours.
4. Stir in the salt to taste and pepper flakes.
5. Remove one-quarter cup or so of peas and broth and puree them in a blender or food processor. Return the puree to the pot with the peas. (Alternately you can use a burr mixer to puree some of the peas or mash them directly in the pot with a potato masher or fork.) If the gravy is too thick, thin it with a bit of water.
6. Stir in the reserved ham if desired. Heat through. Taste for seasoning. Serve hot over Carolina Gold Rice Grits.
Makes about a quart; serves 4 to 6
Simple Buttered Carolina Gold Rice Grits (also from the Anson Mills web-site)
Note: Although Anson Mills recommends their way of cooking we tried cooking the rice grits as we would normally cook rice and the result was good.
Time: 15 minutes to cook and 10 minutes in the oven to dry
Plumper, rounder, meatier than the term “grits” suggests, rice grits are also more elemental, more satisfying than almost any dish on this website. They are made to be sauced. Freshly cooked and hot, rice grits are profoundly comforting with a ladle or two of Sea Island Red Pea Gravy thrown over them. Cooled slightly, sautéed with aromatics, and served with chicken and gravy, they achieve the status of an elegant side dish.
For this recipe you will need a heavy-bottomed 3 ½-quart saucepan, a wooden spoon, a rimmed sheet pan, and a spatula.
Ingredients
1 cup (7 ounces) Carolina Gold Rice Grits
1 tablespoon fine sea salt plus additional to season
6 cups spring or filtered water
2 to 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
1. Bring the spring water and salt to a boil in a heavy-bottomed 3 1/2-quart saucepan. Add the rice, stir once, and return to a boil. As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat. Simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the rice is just tender with no hard starch at its center, about 15 minutes. Drain the grits through a fine, footed colander and rinse well with cool water. Shake the colander to shake off the excess water.
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the rice evenly over a rimmed sheet pan. Place it in the oven to dry, turning gently from time to time with a spatula, 5 minutes. Dot the rice with butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Continue turning the rice until the butter has melted and the rice is hot, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a warm serving bowl and serve immediately.
Makes 4 cups
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