Susan

Swap-Box Hero: Okra Edition

I might’ve thought we were close enough to the Mason-Dixon line for our CSA picker-uppers to consider okra a treat, but based on the end-of-night swap-box contents for the past two weeks, it’s vegetabilis non grata in these parts. Truth be told, one of those bags last week was mine: I traded in a pound…

Blackberry-Pecan Chicken Salad

I’m not sure I’ve ever made the same chicken salad twice. Too many variables. Chicken, of course, but poached or roasted or grilled or fried? Curry? Parsley? Cilantro? Tarragon? Heat? Something for crunch (celery, nuts, or fried noodles?). Something for sweet (grapes, raisins, craisins, berries, apples, or pears?). A little something to bind it all…

O Caponata! My Caponata!

The blue ribbons in this week’s sharebox were actually purple: Six perfect, wee eggplants. I dispatched three of them straight away Monday night (a Meatless Monday), sauteéing a quick pasta topping that included onions, patty-pan squash, Malabar spinach, and a confetti of cherry tomatoes, all from this week’s share. The remainder I earmarked for a…

Blackberry-Bourbon Jam

Vanilla beans and lemon zest make their way into most of my berry-based preserves. But last season’s final batch of blackberry jam had to settle for a tablespoon of vanilla extract; I was out of beans and didn’t want to head to the store just for that one item. It was, however, homemade extract that…

All Ears: Sweet Corn to Savor and to Save

I’ll own it. I’m a bit of a corn snob. Not for a particular variety of corn, though I do celebrate the day in August when the first Silver Queen comes in. Nor for corn from a particular place, though I grew up smack in this country’s Corn Belt (seriously, my middle school was literally surrounded…

Squashapalooza Day VI: Zucchini-corn fritters

Squash remaining: 2. Days remaining: 2. That’s right, I took a day off. Squash-free Friday. It may just catch on. Back at it Saturday night, though, when we found a half-hour gap in the rain to grill out some burgers for dinner. Must. Have. Zucchini. The grill was the obvious choice, but I’ve made or…

Squashapalooza Day IV: Zucchini to relish

Squash remaining: 4. Days remaining: 4. Thursday’s my day off. Well, it’s my day off from my paying job. In the summer, it’s my best shot to take care of the two tasks that seem to be on an endless loop: tend the garden and put up produce. Sadly, crazy heat and sudden thunderstorms seem…

Squashapalooza Day III: Curried squash and carrot soup

Squash remaining: 6. Days remaining: 5. One of our Pennsauken picker-uppers mentioned Monday that her go-to zucchini user-upper was a curried zuke soup. Mmmm. And Hmmm. So this morning, after Greg the Plumber restored my kitchen to working order, I started chopping and sautéing. In about 45 minutes, I had a tasty jarred lunch for…

Squashapalooza Day II: Pizza with shaved zucchini

Squash remaining: 7. Days remaining: 6. Special monkey wrench: No running water in the kitchen. So no real cooking until the sink gets fixed. Genius solution: Order a Margherita pie from the wood-fired place down the street. Wash zucchini in bathroom sink. Pick up pie. Using a vegetable peeler, shave curls of zucchini onto hot…

A zucchini a day . . .

. . . still would not deplete my backlog before my next CSA delivery. That’s right. As I type, there are EIGHT summer squash (six zucchini and two yellow squash) in my fridge. Last week’s sharebox included four of each, and this week’s held four more. My goal: to eat them up or put them…