thoughtful consumption

In case you didn’t get the memo, it’s definitely spring…

sugar snaps, green onions, and radishes

And everyone knows the best part of spring is strawberries.

I’ve been buying an extra couple of pints of strawberries each week and freezing them. I love frozen strawberry halves and plan to enjoy them for a while.

Coming in a close second to strawberries is field lettuce.

So… much… flavor! I appreciate the aesthetic beauty and the winter availability of the hydroponic lettuces, but they are just not as delicious as that which grows in the ground.

Speaking of stuff that grows in the ground, check out these little potatoes.

I’m going to roast them for lunch and serve them with bacon, yogurt, and chopped green onions for toppings. And a salad with sliced radishes.

It may be spring, but summer’s not far away as these peaches prove.

Chris and I are not fans of fresh peaches, but they do make delicious muffins. We are fans of butternut squash. I’ll let this little guy hang out and cure for a couple of weeks before cooking him. I’m not sure it’s necessary, but that’s what we did with a squash we got last month, and it was delicious.

Even more proof of encroaching summer – basil!

I put the parts with stems in water on the table (not in the fridge!), and they’ll last for a few days that way. The few stemless leaves I added to tomato sauce Wednesday night. (I don’t have a pic of that supper, but it was store-bought tomato sauce spiked with red wine and herbs served over spinach ravioli (from Sam’s via my freezer) along with a salad and the rest of the red wine.)

Last month I got a batch of herbs for vinegar, but I cooked with them instead. So this week I got curious and ordered another batch from the online store and actually made vinegar.

I had to cut off the tops of the oregano and savory to get them to fit in the jar. Those tips went in the tomato sauce, too.

I’m now the proud owner of a jar of herb vinegar. But I wish I had some of that savory and oregano for my potatoes and butternut squash. Should have bought two bundles! Funny, I remember when herbs were the part of my CSA order that confounded me most. Now I paw through my box every Wednesday looking for them!

Here’s the rest of my online order.

More green onions, more strawberries, yogurt, sorrel, and bacon.

I adore this bacon and try to order it whenever it’s available. It’s amazing what a couple of slices of bacon will do to just about anything you can eat. Last night for a late supper, we had spinach and sorrel salads with bacon crumbles and green onions. So yummy!

I love sorrel, too. I broke the stems off the leaves Wednesday night and chopped them into pieces. Then I snacked on them while cooking.  I think they’re lemony-sour bursts of fun. Chris thinks I’m crazy.

Got my standing order of a half-dozen chicken eggs plus some adorable quail eggs!

The quail eggs are pretty cute, huh? Not quite sure what to do with them. I’m going out of town for a few days, and I think I’ll just figure them out when I get back.

Chris is staying home, so I’m setting him up with some dishes he likes: chili made with local ground beef and canned tomatoes, cole slaw with local cabbage and onions, and his favorite pasta salad..

Cook and cool the pasta. Make the Italian dressing. Mix pasta, dressing, feta cheese, and green bits together.

There’s not a lot  local or veggie in this, but it’s a way to use green onions, celery tops, and tender herbs.

Enjoy your food!