Local Box Meal Plan: Oct. 11-15

This week, we’re getting:

Bell peppers – Lundgren
Mixed baby greens – My Father’s Farm
Herb – Pure Luck
Apples – Apple Country
Cucumbers – Acadian
Okra – Acadian
Summer squash – Naegelin
Braising greens goody bag (collards, chard, and the like) – My Father’s Farm
Green shallots – Acadian

I’ll be making:

Side salads with mixed greens, cucumbers, and bell peppers, with this green shallot vinaigrette (the recipe calls for green onions, but the two are pretty interchangeable)

Mom’s summer squash – Not my mom, Elise’s (from Simply Recipes) mom. This recipe will use one of your bell peppers and an onion from the stash you got last week.

LBJ Ranch pickled okra – It’s about that time of year when I start putting up okra for the winter. This recipe looks like the one I used last year, which I couldn’t seem to dig up. You can skip the hot peppers if you wish; I never taste them (but I also have a very high tolerance for spiciness, so trust your instincts on this one). Also, if you don’t want to actually can the pickles by processing them in boiling water, just put the jars in the fridge. These need to sit for at least six weeks before you eat them.

Chicken with rosemary, apples, and onions – This recipe uses a slow cooker. If you don’t have one, add two more cups of broth, cover, and cook over low heat on the stovetop for a couple of hours, until the chicken falls off of the bone. (I spotted rosemary in the Local Box video, which is why I’m featuring it here. If you get another herb and need ideas on how to use it, leave a comment and I’ll come up with something for you.)

Quick-braised greens with bacon – The original recipe calls for just collards, but your mixed goody bag of braising greens will work just fine. You can leave out the onion if you’re out of them; the bacon adds a ton of flavor on its own. Use center-cut bacon for a slightly lower-fat version.