The First Fruit & Vegetable Box Delivery

Series: Produce Box, March 31, 2010 Delivery; Published Blog 1




The above picture shows the selection of produce delivered to my house. It's a new program for downtown neighborhood that by pure chance was recently introduced to me. An actual door-to-door salesperson was walking around the neighborhood to collect more deliveries to the area. (Don't worry I didn't have to actually provide my personal information at the door to a complete stranger. I took their information and went to the website.) Farm Fresh to You is the name of company that is offering this service to bring the produce boxes to your home (or work.) It's very flexible in box types and delivery times while also supporting organic local farmers.


I love the idea of having, on hand, fresh produce more regularly and to have it delivered to my door is even cooler. It means that instead of stopping at the grocery store or driving to the local farmer's market is no longer the main two ways to have fresh produce on hand.


The rest of my blog is to provide a little information on how I went about planning meals around this produce box.



My first task was to remove all the items from the box and place it on the table. I had a very good selection:


3 types of citrus: 4-navel oranges, 2-murcot tangerines, 2-minneola tangelos


basket of strawberries


2 fuji apples


1 eureka lemon


asparagus bunch


cabbage head


small cauliflower head


a bunch of small to medium carrots


a bag of baby mixed lettuce


a head green leaf lettuce


onion


a bunch of red and white chard




I also had on hand some red grapefruit (a coworker provided to me) and 3 small granny smith apples leftover from the store.





I grabbed a notebook and started jotting down ideas. My first thoughts were to decide what is the freshest to hold off using and what needs to be used up now.



Homemade Apple Sauce


I used up all the apples to make a easy microwave cooked apple sauce. This took about 5 minutes for prep and 15 minutes cooking. I used a glass lidded casserole dish to cook in.


Rinse your apples
Next dice up the apples and place into a microwave bowl
Splash with a lemon juice (using the lemon in the box)
Sprinkle with cinnamon
Place the lid on top
Place into the microwave and cook for 10 minutes
Remove and stir
Place back in for another 5 minutes
Stir and smoosh apples
Let it sit to cool and thicken
Store in the fridge



Later uses...

I will use this applesauce for a apple turnover filling.
I use a pie dough cut into squares.
I place some apple filling in the middle.
Then fold the dough over to make a pocket
This reminds me of a apple home run pie. Simple & fulfilling for a snack or breakfast item.




Lemon Zest Sugar Crumbles


This is a sugar crumble mixture made from lemon zest and simple syrup. My attempt was to make sure to waste as little produce as possible. So the lemon rind can also be used. Since this was experiment the results may vary. This recipe requires a lot of patience in boiling the syrup mixture.


Heat up on medium heat a saute pan and add a little butter. Maybe about 1 teaspoon.
Next shave the rind off the lemon. I sliced into thin shreds.
I add equal parts of sugar and water- 1 cup of each.
Next add the lemon rind shreds.
I brought it to a boil. Let it simmer/boil for about 20 minutes. Tested it as how it clinged to the spoon.
Once it was less watery then I prepared the sheet to pour it out on.
Grab a sheet of greased aluminum foil.
Pour and spread the mixture out on it.
Let it cool completely.
Then crumble it with kitchen shears.
Place it in a tupper ware dish.


I haven't figured how to use it but I have a few ideas. Possibly - a topping for a simple sugar cookie, crumbles for the top of muffins, add-in to my applesauce for the apple turnover, or add-in to the baking mixture for welsh cookies.




The produce box had a lot of chard. I prepped it all at once. I removed the leaves from the stems and placed in a bowl to soak. This would make it easier for storage and save time for upcoming meals. I decided with the assistance of my mother-in-law that simmering chard is one of the better techniques. She tried it in a vegetable and meat pot stew. I decided to use it in a chicken soup.


Vegetable Chicken Soup

This is such a versatile soup. It uses basic ingredients of chicken stock, shredded chicken, and vegetables. I decided to add barley since I had it on hand. One may choose to use potatoes, rice, or noodles.

I used the following vegetables: chard, carrots, cabbage, onion, garlic

Grab a soup pot
Heat it up on medium heat
Add some olive oil
Chop up an onion and add it to the pot once it heats up
Let it brown on the edges
Add garlic to your preference as to how much you like (I added about a tablespoon of chopped garlic)
Add in the chard- I used about 5-6 chard ripped into shreds
Add in about 1/2 the carrots cut in fourths
Add in your 1/2 the cabbage shredded
Then add about 4-5 cups of stock to cover the vegetables.
Optional: Add in about 1/2 cup of barley
Season with pepper and salt
Let it simmer for about 20-25 minutes, partially covered.
Check to see if the barley is done.
Then grab a bowl to enjoy!





Homemade Ice Cream with Fresh Strawberries


I just bought a really cool, easy to use soft served ice cream machine. I have learned to make a tasty vanilla ice cream. I topped this cool dessert with fresh strawberries and a little hot fudge.

In case you are curious about it- here's the information:

Cuisinart Ice-45 Mix-It-In Soft-Serve 1 1/2 Quart Ice Cream Maker

Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe

This machine is easy to use. Remember to freeze your bowl ahead of time. I made vanilla ice cream from scratch.

3/4 cup sugar

1 cup whole milk

2 cups of cream

1-2 teaspoons of vanilla

Put together the machine. Remove the bowl from the freezer and pour in the mixture.

Turn on the machine. Check on it in about 15 minutes for ice cream consistency.

Place bowl or cone under the spout.

Fresh Squeezed Juice

I used my selection of citrus to make a tart, tangy grapefruit and orange juice.


Lettuce Wraps


The produce provided two different types of lettuce. I decided to use the head of green leaf lettuce for this meal since it can hold the ingredients.



For this meal I will use the following vegetables: green leaf lettuce, carrots, cabbage



First clean your lettuce very well. Remove with a knife the stem for easy rolling.

For the filling:
Grate the carrots.

Shred the cabbage.


I will use shredded chicken mixed with a peanut sauce for the filling.

I will prepare sushi rice to go inside it. The sushi rice combined with rice wine and simple sugar syrup will keep its shape once made. (See recipe below)

Then place the ingredients inside the lettuce kinda like building a taco.

This is a little messy to eat and really tasty!

Sushi Rice Recipe

2 Cups of sushi rice - well rinsed until water runs clear

2 cups of water

Cook according to directions on package.

Separately prepared in a microwaveable bowl:

2 tablespoons of rice vinegar

2 tablespoons of sugar

1 teaspoon of salt

Microwave on high for about 30 to 45 seconds

Then in a glass bowl combine your (somewhat) cooled rice rice and fold in your sugar and vinegar mixture. Allow it to cool to room temperature before using it.

If you have been keeping track of the produced used you'll notice that I have created some really tasty recipes all from the produce provided. I also have some more to use. The asparagus, cauliflower, and leftover carrots will be used as vegetable side dishes for Easter meal.

I have one more meal to make with the chard. So this one comes with the expectation that I will be baking a ham within the next couple of days. For many years, I have not cooked ham partly because of my husband's digestive preference. We remove foods from our diet that cause discomfort from eating it. This concept makes total sense. The hardest part is removing that food completely from your diet like red meat, certain tomato products, or sausages. Then to bring it slowly back in with minor changes to prepping it or cooking it. So it was recently discovered baked ham is OK to a certain extent and totally depends on how it is cooked.

On the menu:

The following meal will have 3 parts to it-- Baked Ham, Chard, and Cornbread

I will bake the ham accordingly to the directions.

I will bake the cornbread with an add-in of frozen corn, cheese, and topped with a jalapeno ring.

I will simmer the chard with garlic.

This ends my meal planning surrounding the produce box. I hope to inspire others to take on a challenge of buying fresh produce and plan meals around it.

Planning is helpful in monitoring a food budget and for your dietary needs. If you want to maintain or lose pounds a food plan is a really great idea. This post will follow how items cooked for one meal can be used for other meals. This also saves prep and cooking time...here's how I did it to provide ideas:


Shopping List:
• A family pack of meat: pork.
• Lots of vegetables: broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, asparagus, bean sprouts, snow peas, and bok choy.

Sunday

Grab the family pack purchased of pork and grill friendly vegetables (1 bunch of asparagus, 2 zucchini)

I used about 8 pork chops for a family of three. The rest I placed in a freezer bag for future meals.

Get the barbeque ready to grill your lovely pork chops. Don’t forget to let them sit out at least a 1/2 hour prior to grilling.

Barbeque your pork to your preference. Slather on sauce at the end so the sugars in the sauce do not burn.

Also put together your barbeque vegetable packets. My favorite is to cook green beans, broccolini or zucchini.

Instruction Steps:
1) Rinse your vegetables clean.
2) Grab a sheet of aluminum foil.
3) Place the vegetable on 1/2 the foil.
4) Sprinkle a little olive oil, pepper, salt, a little bit of chopped garlic, and a splash of lemon juice.
5) Fold the foil over to match up the corners. Secure the 3 sides by folding over them over upward. I suggest making sure they fold over 3 times to secure the packet.
6) Place on the grill once it is ready and let it cook for about 7-10 minutes on each side. Depending on the vegetables used will vary the cooking time. Asparagus takes less time than zucchini.

Both the meat and the vegetables can be barbeque at the same time if your grill has the space.

For additional items to add to the meal can be baked potatoes, a green salad, pasta, or fruit.

Enjoy the family night meal. Make sure to leave at least 3 pork chops leftover.


Monday

An easy meal to start off the week is fish, rice, and stir-fry vegetables. (One of my husband's favorite meals.) I like the ease of this meal for a couple of reasons. It takes about 30 minutes to cook. It's a portioned controlled low fat meal. It balances the mixture of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. Plus it can be a kid and adult friendly meal.

(The following guide is in advanced skill recipe because it depends on the chef to have a basic understanding of ingredients needed in the kitchen for a stir-fry and a basic understanding of how vegetables should be prepared by knife for a stir-fry.)

Preheat an oven according to the directions on the fish package.

Prepare a double batch of rice according to the directions on the package.

For the stir-fry:
1. Rinse and prepare to slice the vegetables for your stir-fry. I used snow peas, broccoli, zucchini, and fresh cilantro. Make sure to prepare extra vegetables for tomorrow night's dinner.
2. Heat up a pan with no oil and add three chili pods (these will be removed later on) and let them brown up.
3. Add oil and allow it to heat up. Next add about a teaspoon of garlic and let it sizzle.
4. Add all of your vegetables at once.
5. Splash about a tablespoon of soy sauce, some fish sauce (about 3/4 teaspoon), sprinkle with garlic powder, pepper, and a tiny bit of salt.
6. Let it simmer for about 10 minutes and stirring occasionally every 2 minutes. Taste tests the broccoli for flavor and check to see if it is done cooking.
7. Remove and place in a serving dish.

Make sure to save some vegetables and rice for tomorrow night's meal.

Tuesday

On the third night’s menu is the following: Fried Rice with Barbeque Pork with leftover stir-fried vegetables.

This meal will take about 15 minutes to make.

Here are the directions on how I put together the meal:

• Cut-up your pork into bite-size pieces.
• Heat up a big pan on medium heat.
• Add olive oil to heat-up.
• Next add garlic and let it sizzle again.
• Add in the meat and sprinkle a little Worcestershire sauce over the top. Let it cook to reduce the liquid.
• Pour in the rice and allow it heat-up. Breakdown any big clumps.
• Splash the rice and meat with soy sauce and allow it to cook. Then flip over parts of the rice mixture like a pancake.
• Add in the vegetables leftover. (You can add in more like frozen peas.)
• Next beat about 3 large eggs.
• Prepare your pan to pour in the eggs. The general idea is to make scrambled eggs. The trick is to make a circle in the center of your pan. Add a little oil so it doesn’t stick. Pour in the eggs and gently scrap in the edges of the cooking egg. This will create ripples and allow more egg to leak and cook.
• Once the egg is cooked- carefully blend the rice, meat, vegetables, and eggs together.
• Spoon into a serving dish and get ready to eat.

I was pleased with results of the meals. It was all very tasty and it was a good use of spreading the food budget.