I was away last week so had a break from the CSA. I missed the fresh veggies!
This week
4 ears corn
1 summer squash
2 small eggplants
1 bunch kale
2 large tomatoes
3 peaches
6 small red bliss potatoes
4 cucumbers
1 small head of broccoli
1 each red and green pepper
1 small onion
Tonight we steamed the corn and kale. Served them with peppercorn flavored pork tenderloin. The tenderloin was very tender. We baked at 425 for about 35 minutes. Easy meal. Tomorrow we'll use the leftover pork in fajitas.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Saturday, August 16, 2014
Bread and Butter Pickles
This time I decided to make refrigerator pickles using one recipe: Hannaford's Bread and Butter Pickles from July 2011. My mom makes amazing pickles with this recipe. We'll see if I can replicate her success.
The recipe calls for 4 pickling cucumbers, well cleaned. I don't have "pickling cucumbers" so I used a standard cucumber. My "standard" cucumber is about 1 pound size. The skin is a little tough and the seeds are big. The outside skin is smooth, deep dark green, nothing prickly.
A different recipe said to use 1 pound of cucumbers for one cup vinegar. My mom's recipe, although for "4 cucumbers," uses 1 cup of vinegar, so I figured my one cucumber would be sufficient.
This recipe also uses 2 large sweet onions. That seemed excessive, so I used the one I had.
I sliced the cucumber using my mandolin. I didn't cut myself this time! For the onion, I cut off the top, stuck the teeth of the mandolin guard into the top, and sliced the onion in that way using 1/8inch cut. I then cut the rings into quarters. I don't know if that was the best way to do it. Maybe I should have cut the onion top to bottom.
Next I used Kosher salt and mixed the cucumbers and onions with the salt. I put this in the fridge for two hours, okay maybe three. Then rinsed them off with cold water.
For the brine, I toasted turmeric, celery seed, mustard seed, cayenne pepper and whole clove quickly in a skillet. Then I added 1 cup of white vinegar and 3/4 cup sugar (the recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, but because of my diabetes, I used a little less).
I boiled the brine for one minute then poured over my cucumbers. The amount of brine was just about perfect to cover 1pound of cucumber. I filled two of my Mason jars with the cucumbers and most of the onion.
Now it is cooling for two hours and then I will put in the fridge to eat later.
The recipe calls for 4 pickling cucumbers, well cleaned. I don't have "pickling cucumbers" so I used a standard cucumber. My "standard" cucumber is about 1 pound size. The skin is a little tough and the seeds are big. The outside skin is smooth, deep dark green, nothing prickly.
A different recipe said to use 1 pound of cucumbers for one cup vinegar. My mom's recipe, although for "4 cucumbers," uses 1 cup of vinegar, so I figured my one cucumber would be sufficient.
This recipe also uses 2 large sweet onions. That seemed excessive, so I used the one I had.
I sliced the cucumber using my mandolin. I didn't cut myself this time! For the onion, I cut off the top, stuck the teeth of the mandolin guard into the top, and sliced the onion in that way using 1/8inch cut. I then cut the rings into quarters. I don't know if that was the best way to do it. Maybe I should have cut the onion top to bottom.
Next I used Kosher salt and mixed the cucumbers and onions with the salt. I put this in the fridge for two hours, okay maybe three. Then rinsed them off with cold water.
For the brine, I toasted turmeric, celery seed, mustard seed, cayenne pepper and whole clove quickly in a skillet. Then I added 1 cup of white vinegar and 3/4 cup sugar (the recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, but because of my diabetes, I used a little less).
I boiled the brine for one minute then poured over my cucumbers. The amount of brine was just about perfect to cover 1pound of cucumber. I filled two of my Mason jars with the cucumbers and most of the onion.
Now it is cooling for two hours and then I will put in the fridge to eat later.
Friday, August 15, 2014
Baked Eggplant
Tonight I made baked eggplant. Recipe found here:
https://stillmansfarm.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/baked-eggplant-2/
I had one skinny and long eggplant and one fat eggplant. The skinny one I cut the long way, the fat one I cut into small circles. I used a spatula to spread real mayo on each piece. I put these on a baking sheet with parchment paper. I then sprinkled shredded Parmesan cheese on each one. Popped them into the oven just as the recipe stated.
They are so yummy! I may try freezing them if there are any left tomorrow.
Tomorrow I make cucumbers.
Tonight we had the kale.
https://stillmansfarm.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/baked-eggplant-2/
I had one skinny and long eggplant and one fat eggplant. The skinny one I cut the long way, the fat one I cut into small circles. I used a spatula to spread real mayo on each piece. I put these on a baking sheet with parchment paper. I then sprinkled shredded Parmesan cheese on each one. Popped them into the oven just as the recipe stated.
They are so yummy! I may try freezing them if there are any left tomorrow.
Tomorrow I make cucumbers.
Tonight we had the kale.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
Broccoli stir fry
Fresh broccoli is so good. I am not a huge fan of broccoli, especially raw and plain. I will eat it after it has marinated in a pasta salad and certainly after being steamed. Bert prepared our broccoli first by stir frying with pepper, onion and olive oil. As the vegetables got tender, he added chicken and then Island Soyaki Sauce. The final product was amazing. Broccoli has never tasted so good to me.
We prepared the other half of the head tonight in the same way. I defrosted some shrimp to change things up, so we had shrimp and chicken broccoli stir fry! I am so sad that the broccoli is all gone now.
I still have eggplant, one squash, 1/2 onion, a tomato, 2 cucumbers, some lettuce and kale. I have 3 meals left to finish them off! I think I will probably make pickles on Saturday.
The lettuce is holding up well in the cotton sacks.
We prepared the other half of the head tonight in the same way. I defrosted some shrimp to change things up, so we had shrimp and chicken broccoli stir fry! I am so sad that the broccoli is all gone now.
I still have eggplant, one squash, 1/2 onion, a tomato, 2 cucumbers, some lettuce and kale. I have 3 meals left to finish them off! I think I will probably make pickles on Saturday.
The lettuce is holding up well in the cotton sacks.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Peaches and broccoli, but not together
We had a bountiful pick up on Sunday.
Two eggplant
4 ears of corn
1 small head of lettuce
1 bunch kale
3 tomatoes
4 cucumbers
1 summer squash
1 pepper
1 onion
1 head of broccoli
2 peaches
1/2 pint blueberries
We immediately fixed the corn, so tasty! Cooked last week's kale bunch on the stovetop and stir fried chicken.
I got through the lettuce and cucumber from last week today. Just a bunch of arugula left! I also already ate the peaches. They were perfectly ripe so had one for breakfast and one for lunch.
Two eggplant
4 ears of corn
1 small head of lettuce
1 bunch kale
3 tomatoes
4 cucumbers
1 summer squash
1 pepper
1 onion
1 head of broccoli
2 peaches
1/2 pint blueberries
We immediately fixed the corn, so tasty! Cooked last week's kale bunch on the stovetop and stir fried chicken.
I got through the lettuce and cucumber from last week today. Just a bunch of arugula left! I also already ate the peaches. They were perfectly ripe so had one for breakfast and one for lunch.
Saturday, August 9, 2014
Zucchini muffins
I am almost done with the box from last week.
Last night I made pasta. I stir fried the zucchini, then decided to add Italian style stewed tomatoes, and 1 cup white kidney beans. This made enough for two nights. I cut up all my cucumbers for the beach tomorrow and hope they are all eaten.
Tonight I made zucchini muffins. I followed the recipe my mom gave me for zucchini bread. Divided it in half since I didn't need two loaves of bread. I made 12, 1/2 cup muffins. I had one rather large, but not extra large zucchini. I grated it, then tried to squeeze out the extra water. I used canola oil instead of "Crisco oil" not sure if that is what she meant by Crisco oil or if she meant the thick white paste-like oil. The original recipe called for three eggs, so I used 1 egg and 1 egg white figuring that was about half an egg. There were no instructions about greasing the pan, but I did anyways. I used my canola oil Misto in each cup then wiped up the extra around the edges and the large drops in the middle. Baked at 350 for about 25minutes and they came out golden brown. Can't wait to taste! So far it looks like it was a good idea to grease the pan. After they cooled for a few minutes, I removed the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Also, I bought organic cotton produce bags to use instead of plastic when we go to the store and for storage at home. Amazon and reviewers of these cotton sacks suggested they could be used for storing lettuce and "keeps lettuce leaves fresh for a long time." Umm, compared to what? We'll just have to wait and see! When I received the bags I washed them in the laundry with cold water, then air dried all but the one I wanted to use for lettuce. The bag was damp, as suggested on the website, and I placed my lettuce leaves in the bag. Today, about two days later the bag was getting dry and the leaves a little wilted, so I wet the bag again. We'll see how the leaves look tomorrow. The leaves were certainly edible today, and I might have been able to revive them a little with a rinse in vinegar/water.
Things left to use
1 bunch kale
1 bunch arugula
A few leaves of red leaf lettuce
And I finished all the pickles, mine and my mom's! My mom's pickles are so much better than the ones I made. I will need to try her recipe for real next time.
Last night I made pasta. I stir fried the zucchini, then decided to add Italian style stewed tomatoes, and 1 cup white kidney beans. This made enough for two nights. I cut up all my cucumbers for the beach tomorrow and hope they are all eaten.
Tonight I made zucchini muffins. I followed the recipe my mom gave me for zucchini bread. Divided it in half since I didn't need two loaves of bread. I made 12, 1/2 cup muffins. I had one rather large, but not extra large zucchini. I grated it, then tried to squeeze out the extra water. I used canola oil instead of "Crisco oil" not sure if that is what she meant by Crisco oil or if she meant the thick white paste-like oil. The original recipe called for three eggs, so I used 1 egg and 1 egg white figuring that was about half an egg. There were no instructions about greasing the pan, but I did anyways. I used my canola oil Misto in each cup then wiped up the extra around the edges and the large drops in the middle. Baked at 350 for about 25minutes and they came out golden brown. Can't wait to taste! So far it looks like it was a good idea to grease the pan. After they cooled for a few minutes, I removed the muffins to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Also, I bought organic cotton produce bags to use instead of plastic when we go to the store and for storage at home. Amazon and reviewers of these cotton sacks suggested they could be used for storing lettuce and "keeps lettuce leaves fresh for a long time." Umm, compared to what? We'll just have to wait and see! When I received the bags I washed them in the laundry with cold water, then air dried all but the one I wanted to use for lettuce. The bag was damp, as suggested on the website, and I placed my lettuce leaves in the bag. Today, about two days later the bag was getting dry and the leaves a little wilted, so I wet the bag again. We'll see how the leaves look tomorrow. The leaves were certainly edible today, and I might have been able to revive them a little with a rinse in vinegar/water.
Things left to use
1 bunch kale
1 bunch arugula
A few leaves of red leaf lettuce
And I finished all the pickles, mine and my mom's! My mom's pickles are so much better than the ones I made. I will need to try her recipe for real next time.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
Tofu stir fry
On Tuesday we made stir fry. Bert heated up some olive oil. I carefully cut the tofu into 40 squares, 5 squares x 4 squares x 2 squares. I tried to squeeze out as much moisture as possible, by laying the tofu block out on paper towels, and then drying it again when I made the first cut. Bert watched and turned the tofu in the large skillet. When they looked perfectly brown, he transferred the cubes to back to the cutting board, then started the vegetable stir fry. He used 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 onion, 1 large summer squash. We used Tj's Island Soyaki sauce for flavoring. Dinner was served over Uncle Ben's 10minute brown rice.
Even though the crisp on the tofu was good, I am still not a fan... and neither is Bert. It is just too soft. I either need to give very firm tofu a try, or give up on this method of using tofu.
Wednesday we went to a shindig after work and didn't get home until 8:30 or so. Instead of eating leftovers we just had eggs and toast.
Tonight we ate the tofu leftovers. At least the tofu is more consistent tonight. Soft all the way through instead of having a crispy exterior. Leftover stir fry is not that great. Everything is mushy. Note to self: stir fry isn't hard. Just make it from scratch.
My composting pail arrives August 23rd! The business is so busy they couldn't get me a pail right away. Good news for them, unfortunate news for me. We need better composting options!
Even though the crisp on the tofu was good, I am still not a fan... and neither is Bert. It is just too soft. I either need to give very firm tofu a try, or give up on this method of using tofu.
Wednesday we went to a shindig after work and didn't get home until 8:30 or so. Instead of eating leftovers we just had eggs and toast.
Tonight we ate the tofu leftovers. At least the tofu is more consistent tonight. Soft all the way through instead of having a crispy exterior. Leftover stir fry is not that great. Everything is mushy. Note to self: stir fry isn't hard. Just make it from scratch.
My composting pail arrives August 23rd! The business is so busy they couldn't get me a pail right away. Good news for them, unfortunate news for me. We need better composting options!
Sunday, August 3, 2014
Trying to compost
Today's box:
1 giant head of red leaf lettuce
4 cucumbers
4 ears of corn
1 bunch kale
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch small beets (white beets with red veins)
1 pepper
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1/2 pint blueberries
I also picked up: Cisco's Light Sankaty to try.
My mom also left behind two small cucumbers and a handful of green leaf lettuce... and a jar of her refrigerator pickles. Although, I did say it was okay to leave me the lettuce and pickles. I could tell she didn't want to drag them back home with her... and she had just told me that she made another 4 jars before making the trip down, so I knew she had plenty to spare.
After washing all the lettuce I looked at the remaining stump and realized that it was ridiculous for this to all end up in the landfill in a plastic bag! And I feel it is too much for my garbage disposal to take. Especially since I think that the more I use the disposal the greater the chance I am going to break it and need to hire a plumber to fix it. I finally decided to buy into a composting group:
http://bootstrapcompost.com/
They will pick up a 5gallon compost bucket every two weeks. Three times a year I think they return some compost to you or donate it to Boston school gardens. I opted for donation since I don't have my own garden! Can I write off the compost donation on my taxes??
Well, the bucket might arrive too late for today, but hopefully I'll get one later this week.
I peeled the beets and started those roasting. That is when I realized they were white beets with red veins. So far I had only received traditional dark red/purple beets. I have already pulled them out of the oven and tried a few. So tasty and earthy!
Since the oven was on anyway, I kept working and made my mom's Italian Bake. Not a drop of Italian blood in us, but this is a good use of my CSA! I had scratched out the recipe on a post-it note like 4 years ago. I must have been on the phone with my mom at the time, because there were limited details. This is what I did this time:
Italian Bake
4 small zukes or eggplant
1/2 onion
16oz tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic
Oregano to taste
Shredded cheese
Bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350. I sauteed the onion and garlic in a little oil, then added the tomato sauce until warm. Added some oregano. I used the mandolin to slice my vegetables to 1/4 inch. I used 1 yellow squash, 1 Zuke, 2 thin long eggplant. I sprinkled a little salt on them.
Next I layered the vegetables, then tomato/onion mix, then cheese, then repeat. Topped with cheese and breadcrumbs and more oregano. It is baking as I type. I will let you know how it turns out. I wonder if 1) I should put breadcrumbs within the layers 2) it is better to sauté the onion first, or just boil in the sauce?
We will also make the corn tonight and stir fry some chicken.
1 giant head of red leaf lettuce
4 cucumbers
4 ears of corn
1 bunch kale
1 bunch arugula
1 bunch small beets (white beets with red veins)
1 pepper
1 onion
2 tomatoes
1/2 pint blueberries
I also picked up: Cisco's Light Sankaty to try.
My mom also left behind two small cucumbers and a handful of green leaf lettuce... and a jar of her refrigerator pickles. Although, I did say it was okay to leave me the lettuce and pickles. I could tell she didn't want to drag them back home with her... and she had just told me that she made another 4 jars before making the trip down, so I knew she had plenty to spare.
After washing all the lettuce I looked at the remaining stump and realized that it was ridiculous for this to all end up in the landfill in a plastic bag! And I feel it is too much for my garbage disposal to take. Especially since I think that the more I use the disposal the greater the chance I am going to break it and need to hire a plumber to fix it. I finally decided to buy into a composting group:
http://bootstrapcompost.com/
They will pick up a 5gallon compost bucket every two weeks. Three times a year I think they return some compost to you or donate it to Boston school gardens. I opted for donation since I don't have my own garden! Can I write off the compost donation on my taxes??
Well, the bucket might arrive too late for today, but hopefully I'll get one later this week.
I peeled the beets and started those roasting. That is when I realized they were white beets with red veins. So far I had only received traditional dark red/purple beets. I have already pulled them out of the oven and tried a few. So tasty and earthy!
Since the oven was on anyway, I kept working and made my mom's Italian Bake. Not a drop of Italian blood in us, but this is a good use of my CSA! I had scratched out the recipe on a post-it note like 4 years ago. I must have been on the phone with my mom at the time, because there were limited details. This is what I did this time:
Italian Bake
4 small zukes or eggplant
1/2 onion
16oz tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic
Oregano to taste
Shredded cheese
Bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350. I sauteed the onion and garlic in a little oil, then added the tomato sauce until warm. Added some oregano. I used the mandolin to slice my vegetables to 1/4 inch. I used 1 yellow squash, 1 Zuke, 2 thin long eggplant. I sprinkled a little salt on them.
Next I layered the vegetables, then tomato/onion mix, then cheese, then repeat. Topped with cheese and breadcrumbs and more oregano. It is baking as I type. I will let you know how it turns out. I wonder if 1) I should put breadcrumbs within the layers 2) it is better to sauté the onion first, or just boil in the sauce?
We will also make the corn tonight and stir fry some chicken.
Saturday, August 2, 2014
End of week inventory
We are going to have a surplus this week. We haven't cut into summer squash or eggplant yet.
Thursday I ate dinner out. Last night I steamed the green beans and served with leftover risotto and chicken. The green beans took less than 10 minutes I think. I put the everyday seasoning on top with lemon juice and a little butter. They were perfect.
Inventory
2 eggplant
4 summer squash/zucchini
3 small slices cantaloupe (this was very good!)
1 serving leftover beets
1 serving lettuce greens
1 jar of pickles
1 tomato
For lunch I will finish the lettuce and beets. My parents are visiting so I'll serve them a tomato with sandwiches, might as well eat up the cantaloupe too. The pickles will probably last another week or two, so I'll continue to work on those this week.
I have been packing the pickles in my lunch. I parse them out in the morning and sprinkle a little sugar on them. By lunch they are perfectly balanced and edible without choking on the acid. I'll be glad when this set is done! My mom promised to bring me the rest of the spices used in her recipe. She bought them in bulk for less than Stop n Shop sells them for two ounces.
Thursday I ate dinner out. Last night I steamed the green beans and served with leftover risotto and chicken. The green beans took less than 10 minutes I think. I put the everyday seasoning on top with lemon juice and a little butter. They were perfect.
Inventory
2 eggplant
4 summer squash/zucchini
3 small slices cantaloupe (this was very good!)
1 serving leftover beets
1 serving lettuce greens
1 jar of pickles
1 tomato
For lunch I will finish the lettuce and beets. My parents are visiting so I'll serve them a tomato with sandwiches, might as well eat up the cantaloupe too. The pickles will probably last another week or two, so I'll continue to work on those this week.
I have been packing the pickles in my lunch. I parse them out in the morning and sprinkle a little sugar on them. By lunch they are perfectly balanced and edible without choking on the acid. I'll be glad when this set is done! My mom promised to bring me the rest of the spices used in her recipe. She bought them in bulk for less than Stop n Shop sells them for two ounces.
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