I quietly recalled in my mind my first produce box delivery and thought about how it will be from my friend when she gets her first produce box delivered to her front porch. As much as I can instruct and guide, the excitement of finding the box on the porch and opening it up is way fun and cool to discover in the early hour mornings (even before the caffeine has entered my system.)
As I am pouring the words onto my blog and deciding how I approach each produce box delivery. Here's my step by step thinking from beginning to the end.
I pull each one of my vegetables out and compare it to the list I receive from Farm Fresh to You.
My order:
1 head of cauliflower,
1 pound of french fingerling potatoes,
1 pound of celery root,
l bunch of leeks,
1 bunch of broccoli,
1 head of radicchio,
1 bunch of carrots,
1 bunch of spinach,
1 bunch of collards,
2 bunch of chard, and
1 head of lettuce.
The next step I perform:
I take inventory of the current vegetables I have on hand and ones that needs to be consumed within the next few days. I really, really, really dislike wasting food because wasting food is wasting money. I eat what I cook, I prepare what needs to be used, and prevent waste as much as possible. I am expert of using up leftovers. I also prepare smaller meals for the family to minimize the amount of food leftover. Plus performing all this leaves little room for growing strange stuff in containers in the back of the fridge.
When I took inventory here's what I found:
leek
squash
mushroom
bunch of mint
container of blueberries
an onion
rosemary sprigs
carrots
ginger
lemon grass
celery
cabbage
potatoes
apples
garlic
shallots
I make sure that when I place all the vegetables into my drawer that I rotate my new produce to the bottom and older stuff on top. Again to help promote using food before it is wasted.
One last item to bring up that I think is helpful is the realization that the farm fresh produce isn't beautified as you would receive in the stores. The green leaf plants hold onto their dead leaves and dirt caked on green petals. The roots and stems aren't plucked. There might be live bugs still living on the plant. So don't be too surprised... this is the stuff that farmers experience when they pry the plants out of the ground and place it on their own counters.
My final step is prepping the vegetable for our dinner night.
How to Soak Your Green Leaf Plants:
For chard, kale, and collards: I use a small sharp knife to remove the stems. Place the leaves in bowl and fill up with cold water. Let them soak. Agitate like washing machine. Drain the water and fill up again. I rinse again and drain the water. Before use, I try to dry as much water off before I cook it up.
For spinach and lettuce: I pull off the leaves and place it in a bowl. I soak in them in cold water. Drain, rinse, soak again if necessary, or allow to dry. If using later on, wrap up in a paper towel and place it in a bag.
A Meal Dancing in Mind as Yummy!!
Jasmine Rice
Sauteed Spinach
Tuna Cakes (Find the recipe homemade salmon cakes in my cookbook.)
Red Curry Sauce
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| Jubilee's Taste of Thai |
All together made Thai flavoring come alive dancing on my taste buds.
Recipes:
Sauteed Spinach
a little Olive oil
Sesame Oil - small amount because it is full on flavor!
add Fresh Red Chili Paste as much spice a little dab will do it garlic
a splash Teriyaki Sauce
washed Spinach bunch
Saute over medium heat until the leaves darken.
Red Curry Sauce
I like to add about 2-3 tablespoons of red curry paste.
I simmer it with 1 can of coconut milk.
I add a little fish sauce.
I add a little brown sugar.
I let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
Add some fresh Thai basil and red bell pepper slices.
In the end my tummy is happy from all the vegetables I have eaten. My fridge is full for at least a week. I had and will keep on having fun cooking!
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