Month: August 2018

A couple of weeks ago we picked up our weekly produce box the night before leaving for a 10 day vacation.  I could have scheduled a vacation hold for our box, but I really like seeing what comes each week and I didn’t want to potentially miss a favorite food.  So, I got as much packing done as possible early in the day and I spent the evening processing fresh produce.  Here’s what I did with each item:

Broccoli, Cauliflower, Beans:  Steamed separately and froze in separate bags for later use.

Cucumbers:  pickled in vinegar, salt, and water.  I also sliced a couple and stored in a Ziploc bag for snacking/lunch on the plane.

Zucchini, Squash, and Carrots:  I sliced these and put one cup each in 1-quart Ziploc freezer bags and froze for future use in stir fry, masala, or soup.

Peas:  Stored in a Ziploc bag for snacking on the plane.

Lettuce and Radicchio:  Left for the house/dog sitter to enjoy.

Cilantro:  dried in the dehydrator overnight.

It was so nice to have fresh produce to munch on during our flights and at the start of our vacation.  I’m also looking forward to using the frozen vegetables this winter when I’m looking for something “warm and happy” to eat as I watch the snow fall.  Produce doesn’t have to go to waste, lost in the fridge (not that that’s ever happened to me…).  If it doesn’t look like you’re going to get to it before it goes bad, try one of the ideas above to preserve and use it later.

I love the days when I pick up our weekly produce box!  It’s great to see what is currently ripe and ready for picking and distribution.  I feel so in tune with the season and part of a larger community as members of a Community Supported Agriculture program.  Each week can also bring the question of “what do we do with ____?!”  We’ve been doing this long enough that we have seasonal favorites and we eagerly look forward to their respective dishes.  We’ve discovered new favorites (eggplant, ground/husk cherries) as well as items, try as we might, we just don’t like (fennel).  So, what do I do with our produce box?  The contents of this week’s box is pictured in this post.  Here are 5 things I did with it.

1.  Vegetable Masala:  eggplant and zucchini, recipe from Kathy Hester’s The Easy Vegan Cookbook.
2. Pizza:  Lots of great pizza toppings here.  We used the onion, squash, and basil.
3. Potato Leek Soup:  1.5 lbs potatoes and 7 leeks plus  6 cups water and salt and pepper to taste.  Cooked all night in the crockpot.  That easy.
4. Lunches:  chopped cucumbers make a great healthy side dish or mid-afternoon snack at work.
5. German Red Cabbage:  red cabbage

This weekend I’ll probably saute the arugula and steam the yellow beans.  We’ll either eat them with meals for freeze for later use.  We’ll probably snack on the tomatoes or use on sandwiches.

I hope you are enjoying this season’s fresh produce and that these ideas help you try something new.