thoughtful consumption

A couple of weeks ago, a little pumpkin came in our CSA box.

I know what you’re thinking – that’s a really small pumpkin. But, actually, that’s an exceedingly large sweet potato.

I roasted the pumpkin for about an hour at 350 degrees Saturday. (I had to take out a rack and put it at the very bottom so that the stem wouldn’t come into contact with the element. That’s a bad scene.)

To our surprise, this little guy produced 4 cups of pumpkin puree and nearly one cup of seeds. That’s enough puree to keep us in cream cheese pumpkin bread for the rest of the year!

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I used to think that the main selling point for Asian turnips was that they weren’t regular turnips. Now I’m becoming fond of them for themselves.

We got this bunch of turnips with greens a couple of weeks ago. I separated the roots from the greens right away. The roots will last in a plastic bag in the crisper, like, forever. They have a mild taste and a nice crisp texture that makes them great chopped up in any kind of salad. They’d also be good in a cole slaw. In a stir-fry, they add a texture that’s sort of like water chestnuts.

And the greens are good, too. Like the roots, the greens are smaller and milder than their purple-topped brethren. We sautéed ours in olive oil with craisins and chopped walnuts, and we were really happy with the results.

It’s always nice when our feelings for a vegetable that regularly appears in our CSA box moves from grudging acceptance to fond welcome.

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