Local Box Meal Plan for June 2-6

Just got word of this week’s Local Box contents! We’ve got green tomatoes (Ringger Farm), sweet corn (Acadian), italian cucumber (Buena Tierra), green beans (Animal Farm), patty pan squash (Naegelin), carrots (Tecolote), mangoes (G&S Groves), peaches (Caskey), beets (Tecolote), and blackberries (Naegelin). So this week, I’m making:

Snacks (sometimes it’s best just to eat these as is!):

• Mangoes
• Peaches

Lunch:

• Carrot-ginger soup (I’m one of those people who’s freezing no matter how hot it is outside.)

Sides:

• Grilled corn salsa
• Pickled beets
• Oven-fried green tomatoes (recipe to come in the Local Box)
• Spicy Asian cucumber salad

Dinner:

• Pasta with zucchini and toasted almonds (instead of zucchini, I’ll use patty pan squash and green beans)

Dessert:

• Blackberry ice cream

As a Yank, I’m pretty excited about the green tomatoes! How do you make green tomatoes? Got any family recipes to share?

Peach Mango Jam

Peach and mango is a pretty popular combination for drinks and salsas, so I figured that it wouldn’t be such a stretch to turn it into a jam.

My mom makes her own jam from the beachplum bushes around her house. She’ll spend a whole day canning. I knew I didn’t want to embark upon that kind of undertaking, and luckily, I didn’t have to.

She doesn’t use pectin, which speeds up the gelatinization process (and preserves lots of nutrients that would have otherwise boiled out). She also sterilizes the jars, which I didn’t do. It means that the jam can’t be kept for months like hers, but it was so much easier and cheaper (because all I needed to buy was the jars, rather than all of the equipment) to do it this way. Because I didn’t sterilize the jars, this jam should be used within 2 weeks after making it. To sterilize them, follow the instructions here.

The recipe states that it makes enough jam to fill 4 half-pint jars; it came out to just under that for me.

Adapted from the insert that came with the package of pectin

Ingredients:

• 4 c. fresh fruit (I used 3 medium-sizes peaches and 2 mangoes, all quite ripe.)
• 1 c. orange juice without added sugar or preservatives
• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 package Ball brand No Sugar Needed fruit pectin powder (You can find this with the canning supplies at the supermarket. The brand isn’t too important; I only specify it because the recipe I used came in the insert.)
• 1 Tbsp. honey

Directions:

• Chop the fruit finely and add to a pot over high heat. Don’t put the fruit in the food processor; it’ll break up the pectin that naturally occurs in the fruit. If the fruit is too chunky, mash it up with a potato masher instead.
• Add the orange juice and lemon juice and stir well.
• Gradually stir in the pectin powder, making sure to whisk vigorously while doing so to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.
• When the mixture comes to a boil, remove the pot from the heat, add the honey, and stir. Return to the heat and let the mixture boil again for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Remove from the heat, skimming any foam from the surface if necessary.
• Ladle the hot jam into glass jars. Center the lid on the hot jar, then put the band over the lid and tighten. The hot air will create a vacuum, which seals the jars.
• Let sit undisturbed for 12-24 hours so that the jam can set.

If you’re into that sort of thing, you can cover the lid with some cute gingham fabric, tie a bow around it, stick a label on it, and give it to someone as a nice housewarming or thank you gift. Or just hog it all for yourself; that’s okay, too.

Verdict:
This jam kind of tastes like orange marmalade, but sweeter. The orange, peach and mango flavor combination gives the jam a bit of a tropical vibe. I highly recommend using honey versus white sugar or Splenda; honey isn’t as cloyingly sweet. I bet the syrupy molasses flavor of brown sugar would be great though. When I opened up the jar 12 hours later, I saw that the consistency is a bit thicker than I expected (a bit more like preserves), which is probably a result of using the whole packet of pectin. I like it, but if you don’t, I might cut back to 3/4 of the packet.

Local Box Meal Plan for May 25-29

I’m late! I’m sorry. Having holidays on Mondays totally mess up my internal clock, leaving me to think that Tuesdays are really Mondays and so on. I realized this afternoon that today was actually Wednesday and I needed to get my Greenling meal plan going!

In this week’s box: blackberries (Naegelin Farm), cucumber (Buena Tierra), carrots (Tecolote), green beans (Acadian), summer squash (Naegelin), elephant garlic (Montesino), leeks (Acadian), mangoes (G&S Groves), peaches (Caskey), and garlic chives (Tecolote).

So for the next few days, we’re having:

Weekend brunch:

• Crepes with blackberries and fresh whipped cream (that’s if my husband doesn’t eat all of the blackberries before I can take them out of the green box — come on, I know you’re guilty of doing this, too!)
• Buttermilk biscuits with goat cheese and chives

Condiments:

• Tzatziki with cucumber and Greek yogurt (to be eaten with turkey meatball kebobs)
• Peach-mango jam

Dinner:

• Gnocchi primavera with garlic, green beans, carrots, and summer squash

Side dish:

• Polenta or mashed potatoes with leeks

What are you making this week?

Blackberry-Peach Crisp

You know those nights where company is coming over without much advance notice? That’s what this recipe is perfect for. It’s made of things that are always in my pantry and can be adapted to whatever fresh or frozen fruit you have in the house. I used the peaches and blackberries that came in our Local Box this week.

I originally made this dessert for just 2 people in 6 oz. ramekins. For company last night, I tripled the recipe and baked it in a pie dish.

Ingredients:

• 2 c. fruit
• 6 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 c. oats
• 3 tsp. flour
• 1/3 c. brown sugar

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut the fruit into small chunks (~1/2″) and spread it in the bottom of a pie dish.
• Combine the remaining ingredients in a small bowl, then spread it on top of the fruit.
• Bake for ~40 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Verdict:
The peaches were so sweet and the blackberries were a bit tart, so it was really a perfect combination of fruit for this crisp. The soft, fresh fruit is also a nice contrast to the crunchy, rich crumble topping. Such a quick, comfort food-like dessert. I’d highly recommend eating this with vanilla ice cream!

Report from Fearless Forager, week of 07.28.2008

The forecast for this week’s local box:

• peaches
• figs
• slicing tomatoes
• head lettuce
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• variety squash – pattypan & zephyr
• okra
• herbs
• cantaloupe
• purple hull or black-eyed peas
• eggplant – purple or white
• onions – 1015, yellow granix, or red burgundy
• peppers – bell, serrano, jalapeño
• New Mexico chiles
• sweet potato
• red potatoes
• cucumber
• butternut or acorn squash

Report from Fearless Forager, week of 07.21.2008

Here’s what she’s got in store for this week’s Local Box:

• watermelon
• peaches
• slicing tomatoes
• head lettuce
• blueberries
• yellow squash
• zucchini
• variety squash – pattypan & zephyr
• okra
• herbs
• cantaloupe or canary melons
• eggplant – purple or white
• onions – 1015, yellow granix, or red burgundy
• peppers – bell, serrano, jalapeño
• red potatoes

Local Box 07.16.2008

As I write this now, a fellow on the radio is talking about how expensive food is.  But this week’s Greenling Local Box was quite a deal!  Here’s what I plan to do with the fruits of my $34.99 this week:

• We LOVED the watermelonade we made last week, so we’ll do it again this week.  A good-sized batch will only use half of this gi-normous watermelon, though, so we’re thinking of turning the other half to sorbet that we can enjoy later in the summer.
• For dinner tonight, we’re planning to create an eggplant pasta dish, probably this one I found at epicurious.com by searching for the terms eggplant, basil, bell pepper, and pasta — since I still have basil leftover from last week and I’ve got a hankerin’ for pasta.
• As soon as I empty my salad spinner of the basil it’s kept so well all week, I’ll use it to rinse, spin, and store the lettuce in this week’s box for salads later in the week.
• As always, we’ll eat the peaches and blueberries straight-up or over yogurt in the mornings.
• I’m planning to slice the zucchini and summer squash into ribbons, then cook them like pasta and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper — it’s an idea I got during a conversation with Todd Duplechan, the chef de cuisine at Trio (the restaurant in the Four Seasons Austin) last weekend.
• I can’t wait to fry the okra per the comment to last week’s post about okra!
• I’m undecided on the mint.  I’ve been longing for mint tea, but there’s also nothing like homemade mint-chocolate-chip ice cream…
• And then there are the three mystery items in my box this week — some small onions, a pair of small white squash, and two bright-green peppers!  I’ll query Fearless Forager about these and let you know what she says.

In the meantime, what are you planning to cook out of your Local Box this week?

Local Box 07.09.2008

And the bounty is great again this week… check out those white eggplants!  Some plans for this week:

• We’ll do a repeat of the excellent pizza we made this week.  We topped it with: sliced eggplant that had been brushed with olive oil, salted, then broiled until it was golden; mozzarella; parmesan; and sautéed garlic and red-pepper flakes.  (I won’t treat the white eggplants any different than purple ones.)
• Blueberries, peaches, and cantaloupe will all make great snacks.
• I’ll cook the zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes, onion, and basil into a ratatouille to pour over polenta for quick weeknight suppers.
• For brunch guests on Saturday, I’ll make a pitcher of watermelonade and a batch of okra cornmeal fritters to accompany waffles.  Both of these recipes were printed in last month’s Gourmet magazine (archives searchable at www.epicurious.com).
• If any of the black-eyed peas survive my munching (They taste great raw!), I’ll steam them and serve as a side with bottled chili sauce.
• Since I don’t have quite enough key limes for a pie, I think I’ll squeeze them and turn the juice into a summery cocktail.  There are – of course – loads of recipes to pick from on the internet.
• And that sweet potato?  I’ll stash it under the counter until inspiration strikes!  It’s clean and unblemished, so it’ll keep a while.

What are you planning to do with your Local Box this week?

Local Box 07.02.2008

This week’s box is full of summery goodness! Here’s what I think I’ll aim to do with it:

• We’ll snack on the watermelon, cantaloupe, and blueberries.  It’s hot out — so the more we can eat without cooking, the better!
• I’ll melt a pat of butter with some olive oil in a skillet over high heat, then sauté chopped summer squash with a bit of onion.  Then I’ll toss in the sunflower sprouts for the last minute or so to wilt them, season with salt and pepper, and serve for a summery side that won’t heat up the kitchen too badly.
• I’ve got a nice pile of red potatoes saved up — enough to make potato salad to bring to a Fourth of July potluck.
• For some quick refrigerator pickles that’ll go great in packed lunches, I’ll slice the cucumbers (after peeling them only if the skin tastes bitter) and some onion then, then soak them until I use them in a mixture of one-third part vinegar to two-thirds water and some dried dill weed.
• After the peaches soften up a bit, I’ll slice them over cereal for breakfast.
• I’ll top a pizza with the eggplant — and plenty of basil and garlic.  Fearless Flyer included a recipe for just that!
• The lettuce is already rinsed, spun, and refrigerated in my salad spinner.  It’ll be great to make quick salads to accompany meals throughout the week.
• All those peppers!  My husband will eat the banana peppers straight-up, and I’ll use the jalapeño to season some cheesy quesadillas.

What will YOU do with YOUR Local Box this week?

Local Box 06.25.2008

My Local Box arrived today containing even more than Fearless Forager had promised — she threw in a butternut squash, too! Here’s what I’m planning to do with it all:

• I’ll slice the peaches up over yogurt for breakfast when they feel just slightly soft when squeezed gently.

• All this great produce and a great weekend weather forecast calls for firing up the grill! My husband’s the self-appointed grill meister, but I’ll suggest that he slice the eggplant and summer squash, then paint them with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper before he puts them over the fire for just a few minutes. We’ll soak a couple of wooden skewers in water for an hour, then string on the cherry tomatoes and grill them, too!

• While he grills, I’ll mix the cocktails — cantaloupe granitas from the recipe Fearless Forager included in the box will hit the spot!

• Since we’ll be spending time outside, I’ll slice the cucumber and float the slices in a pitcher of ice water. This gives it a refreshing flavor that encourages everyone to drink up — and avoid dehydration.

• I’m glad to see I’ll have plenty of options for veggie side dishes this week. I’ll roast the okra (recipe here), then store it in the fridge to use as need with dinner and packed lunches. The sliced tomato should be so excellent this time of year that all it’ll need is a dash of salt and pepper to make a great side on its own. Green salad will be another easy side — I’ve already got the head lettuce rinsed and refrigerated in my salad spinner, so that’ll be easy to pull out and dress with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and sunflower sprouts on top.

• Another great use for sunflower sprouts? Omelets. Adding sliced and lightly sautéed baby squash and strips of fresh basil will make them even better. We’ll serve home-fried red potatoes alongside.

• And that surprise butternut squash? I think I’ll stash that in a basket under my counter and wait for inspiration to strike. Squash keeps very well as long as it’s free of any skin blemishes