thoughtful consumption

Here’s what arrived last week from Farmers’ Fresh!

watermelon, apples, and Asian pears

The apples were eaten and shared with friends. Very tasty – even the ones that still have some green on them.

The watermelon will be busted open soon. Chris is working on our 1991 Celica today, and a watermelon makes a great afternoon snack when you have oily hands.

I poached the Asian pears along with some lemongrass from last week. Here’s the recipe. I replaced the cinnamon and nutmeg with an equal amount of five-star spice. The Asian pears did not get soft. (I think that’s kind of the point of Asian pears: they stay crispy when heated or cooked.) But they did absorb the tasty liquid and were very yummy.

eggplant and patty pan squash

Made stir-fried squash with one of these last night. For the eggplant, I haven’t decided what to do. I’ve been craving baba ghanoush, but these Asian eggplants don’t roast in the oven that well. Hmm….

potatoes and okra

I’ve baked the potatoes ahead of time along with some beets from a couple of weeks ago. Today, we’ll have baked potatoes loaded with butter, sour cream, cheese, and local green onions.

For the okra, I’m going to try a simpler frying recipe where you slice the okra length-wise and then fry it face down in some oil. Hmm….

arugula

We’ve been getting a lot of arugula lately, so I’m considering finding this batch a home at a neighbor’s house.

field peas!

We ate these up along with the stir-fried squash yesterday. Field peas are so yummy! I’m happy to report, too, that they freeze really well. A couple of weeks ago, I pulled out a zip-loc bag just like this from my freezer containing peas from last year. I cooked them the same way (in a pot, covered with water, dollop of olive oil, bring to a boil, and then simmer 20 minutes or more), and they were delicious.

eggs and 7-pepper goat cheese

This is my favorite of the flavored goat cheeses. The hotness of the peppers goes great with the creaminess of the cheese. You could probably find something better to do with it than gobble it up on Triscuits. But I couldn’t.

Enjoy your food!