Every other Friday I receive a gift. It’s almost like Christmas for me…but I actually paid for it…and I actually LOVE vegetables. It’s a CSA box. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s a wonderful thing that is “growing” around the nation. Community Supported Agriculture. In the spring you sign up for a subscription, choose the frequency, and amount you want. I get a small box every two weeks. Since it’s just the two of us, and I have lots of other cooking to do for my classes, it seems to work out about right. Mine is from Two Onion Farm in Belmont, Wisconsin. A wonderful couple, Chris and Juli and their handful of employees and member workers produce the best vegetables I have ever had… pristine and grown organically. Better than anything that has come out of my garden. Attention to detail is their forte.
Farming is not an easy thing. I am interviewing a couple in Ohio for a FoodBook that have a CSA farm. With a deluge of rain their fields were flooded a couple weeks ago. They are still cleaning up. The weeds continue to grow, even when you can’t get into the fields. They had to suspend the box delivery for a week or so. That’s the chance you take as a CSA member. You bear the risk along with the farmer. Of course they are going to do everything possible to bring you the very best produce they can offer. But…there are crop failures and weather issues that are beyond our control.
So…what did I do with the beautiful vegetables I got this week? First I made lentil soup. I love this, and even in the summer, it’s a treat to eat. A pot of soup will last for a couple meals and that’s always good too, in this busy time. I used the baby leeks and carrots in this one. Then I found a great and easy salad for raw beets. Didn’t think I’d like this, but it’s really great. The earthy beet flavor doesn’t seem to develop until they are roasted or steamed, but that’s a good thing for many people. Beets are great with all their deep pigment, translating to Good for You! And finally the beautiful little green peas: these are often called English peas… the peas you need to break out of the pods, as opposed to pea pods, or sugar snap peas. I fixed them in the English manner with baby red onions, butter, and cream and just a touch of mint. Soooo good, and would be great for the babies in your family. Just puree…no extra fuss involved.
There is still the lettuce, which has made it’s way into a few salads…the mainstay of our summer meals. The zucchini already went into a stir-fry and the rest of the red onions, carrots, radishes and fennel are waiting for that simple meal of roasted vegetables. Cut into equal sizes..about an inch, drizzled with olive oil, and a dusting of salt and pepper is all it takes. About 30 minutes in a 475 degree oven. That and some great garlic toast and assorted cheeses make up one of our favorite garden meals. Support the famers and support your health with summer’s bounty.
Lentil Soup
serves 4
prep time: 1 hour 15 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large leek, or 3-4 baby leeks, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 carrots, diced
1 cup lentils–brown or green
4 cups chicken stock
3-4 handfuls of baby spinach
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Hot sauce to taste
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the leeks, garlic, and carrots. Saute until starting to brown. Add the lentils and stock. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender–30-45 minutes. Add the spinach, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add hot sauce to taste, if desired.
serves 4
Raw Beet and Apple Salad
serves 4
prep time: 15 minutes
2 beets, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
2 Granny Smith Apples, cut into thin matchsticks
2 tablespoons Sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons honey
Salt and pepper to taste
I sliced the beets and apples very thinly on a mandolin and then stacked the slices and cut the matchsticks with a sharp chef’s knife. Mix the beets and apples in a bowl. Drizzle over the vinegar, oil, honey, salt and pepper. Mix well. Keeps well in the refrigerator and stays crunchy for a couple days.
serves 4
English Peas
serves 4
prep time: only 10 minutes, once the peas are shelled
shelling peas…preferably on the porch with a companion, sharing the work and sharing stories…20 minutes to 2 hours…
2 tablespoons butter
2 small red onions, diced
2 cups fresh peas
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons minced mint
Melt the butter in a small pot. Add the onions, peas, and cream. Cover and simmer for 3-4 minutes until peas are tender. Season with salt, pepper and mint.
serves 4
