Local Box Meal Plan: Nov. 2-6

I’m beyond belief excited that we’re getting green tomatoes again. When we were planning our trip to wine country, one of my friends passed along a newsletter from the Visitors Bureau that had a few great green tomato recipes. I’ve been saving it until we get green tomatoes again!

This week, we’re getting serrano peppers from Lundgren; herb, arugula or watercress from Pure Luck; yellow beans and Thai eggplant from Animal Farm; Mars oranges from G&S Groves; beet leaves from My Father’s Farm; turnips from Hands of Earth Farm; butternut squash from Massey Farm; green tomatoes from Green Gate Farm; red or green lettuce from Bluebonnet or Bella Verdi; and apples from Top of Texas.

So I’m making:

Snacks:

• Pickled beans
• Oranges
• Tomatillo-serrano salsa (it’s for the PSU/OSU game, so I couldn’t bring a red salsa!)

Side dishes:

• Butternut squash and apple casserole with herbs
• Mashed turnips
• Wilted turnip greens with pecans
• Green salad with balsamic vinaigrette

Dinner:

• Pasta with beet greens
• Thai green curry with eggplant

Dessert:

• Green tomato cake with brown butter icing

Beet Salad

We found the most beautiful big, round, ruby-red beets in our Local Box last week. For dinner one evening, we roasted them, mixed with chopped Local Box onion and orange wedges, then tossed with a vinaigrette made from olive oil and fresh-squeezed orange juice. We added small handfuls of feta and almonds for protein, toasted some bread cubes, and called it dinner.

How did you eat your Local Box beets this week?

Local Box, 04.15.2009

Mmmm… a beautiful selection of bases (beets, zucchini, kohlrabi) and aromatics (oranges, onions, radishes) to choose from as we nourish our tax-sapped selves this week! I’m looking forward to a salad of roasted beets and orange wedges – and perhaps some radish slices, too. What have you got planned for this week’s Local Box?

Local Box Lookout, week of 03.23.2009

Here are the intended contents of next week’s Local Boxes:

• red or green lettuce
• tomato
• baby turnips
• green shallots
• collards
• baby lettuces mix
• strawberries
• oranges or grapefruit
• Swiss chard
• herbs
• daikon radish

Local Box Lookout, week of 03.16.2009

Here’s what to expect in next week’s Local Box. Haven’t ordered one yet? There’s still time. You can still order next week’s Local Box through Saturday and later, depending on your zip code. Click here to check it out!

• Chioggia beets
• spinach
• cilantro
• green shallots
• kale
• cabbage
• strawberries
• oranges
• Swiss chard
• crimini mushrooms
• herbs

Local Box Lookout, week of 03.02.2009

Here’s the lookout for Local Boxes next week:

• spinach
• lettuce
• cilantro
• green shallots
• kale
• turnips
• green cauliflower
• oranges
• kohlrabi
• radishes
• Swiss chard
• avocado

Remember, you can still order this week’s Local Box through Saturday and later, depending on your zip code. Click here to check it out!

Local Box, 02.18.2009

There’s lots to love in this week’s Local Box, with more kohlrabi and broccoli, plus ample bok choy and a few oranges to ward off those nasty colds everyone seems to be getting lately. (Note that arugula and beets are also very high in cold-fighting antioxidants!)

A word to the wise: The big bag of salad mix needs a VERY good washing. Whether it’s the dry weather that made lots of dust or the recent rain that splashed everything with mud, those greens are super dirty. My favorite method, adapted from one the head chef taught me in a kitchen I worked in many moons ago, is to pull out my biggest pot or mixing bowl, fill it with cold water, and dump the greens in, swishing occasionally but letting the dirt settle to the bottom. You may even want to repeat this with this batch. Then spin dry and store with something absorbent (like a paper towel or tea towel) until using.

And a question: Do you ever juice your Local Box produce? I recently enjoyed a juice blend made with beets from Daily Juice in Austin.  That made me wonder how I’d go about juicing my own.

Local Box, 02.04.2009

The gorgeous lettuce that arrived in my Local Box yesterday made we crave salad… perhaps one with a vinaigrette of orange juice and olive oil, garnished with some beet microgreens, and topped by some grilled portobello slices? That’s definitely an option this week! Last night we steamed the fresh broccoli, then tossed it with browned butter and capers for a tasty side dish.

How do you plan to eat out of this week’s Local Box?

Local Box Lookout, week of 02.02.2009

Here’s what to look for in this week’s Local Box:

• broccoli
• spinach
  
• arugula
  
• herbs
  
• green onion
  
• microgreens
  
• lettuce
  
• avocado
  
• oranges
  
• radish

Local Box, 12.24.2008

It’s a truly merry-making Local Box this week, with lots of greens and oranges and apples, too! I’m looking forward to catching my breath when the festivities will have died down in a couple of days. Then I’m sure I’ll find this bounty inspiring! Until then, my hubby’s planning on making a greens soup of some kind for dinner this evening.Rumore has it, there’ll be brie involved, too! I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, let us know how you plan to eat out of your Local Box for the holidays this year!

Best wishes to all!