Susan

Brassica in Pocket

I know. It’s been awhile. So, I gotta come back with a bad pun, right? Yep. That’s the rule. But I did, in fact, tuck this bright and hearty and crunchy tossing of greens, Brussels, toasted almonds, and maple-tahini dressing into a pita pocket for lunch a couple weeks ago. And I served it under a…

Swap-Box Hero: Celeriac Edition

“SELL-err-ee-ack.” Not quite. “SELLer-rack.” Nope, again. “Sell-ryack.” Closer. CSAers, if you bail and say, “celery root,” that’s cool. But, judging by our end-of-day swap-box contents, way too many of you also bail on the veggie itself. Maybe you’re lacking celeriac confidence. Maybe I can help. First: pronunciation. Suh-LAIR-ee-ack. Think Billy Joel’s Movin’ Out—”IN the fall you…

Taste the Rainbow

Confession: I used to shun the chard. Bulky and mysterious (like its fridge-hog friend, collard greens), chard made it home with me only when the swap box overflowed at the end of pickup day. Not anymore. Thumbing through Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty last winter, when the Swiss chard was a weekly sharebox occupant, I ran across…

Yummy Stuff

Well, stuffed Yummies, to be more precise. Yummy peppers are juicy, thick-walled, two-bite little bells that are perfect for jamming with tuna salad, chicken salad, or pesto and cheese, which is perhaps my favorite way to eat them. In fact, we popped about a dozen between the two of us Sunday while waiting for Rio’s closing ceremony to…

I packed a pint of pickled peppers

Yesterday’s sharebox included a bag of a dozen or so decent-sized jalapeños. That’s a lot. More than we can eat before they start to go hinky. So I skimmed off 4-5 larger peppers for a batch of roasted salsa this weekend, and the remaining half pound split perfectly into to two half-pint jars that’ll feed us over…

Swap-Box Hero: Hot Under the Collard

Despite offering free bundles with purchase for late-Wednesday wine customers, it seems we still end up with a swap box full of collards whenever they’re in the share. I don’t know why they’re so intimidating. I mean, I get they can be bitter, but a little bit of fat mellows the harsh tannins*, making those deep…

June-Swoon Salad

Here’s one from my mom, who’s been making this swoon-worthy bowl of green and red for years. I know, it seems like a lot of dressing. Trust me; you’ll want leftovers. Strawberry-Spinach Salad 1 lb fresh spinach, washed, dried, and chilled (and chopped, if the leaves are giant) 1 pint fresh strawberries, washed and halved or…

Microgreen Goddess

“What the heck is a microgreen, anyway?” That’s what a long-time Moore Brothers CSA participant asked me yesterday. “Um, I’m not sure. I’ve always assumed they’re just teensy radish greens, but I’ve never looked it up.” Well, now I have. Turns out, they’re pretty much any super-young salad green (arugula, chard, radish, mustard, beet, and…

Start the Clock: Asparagus Tarts

Since Sheila and I were away on vacation last week—missing both the season’s first farmer’s market and first CSA delivery—our Asparagus Clock started yesterday. Yes, the Asparagus Clock. For about seven glorious weeks each year, we binge on fresh, local asparagus. And when I say binge, I mean we probably eat it four times a week. And when…

That’s the Spirit: DIY Tonic

Peas—a must-plant for me—will go in the ground sometime in the next few days, and I didn’t sow nearly enough of them last year. So last week I reviewed my sketches of what grew where over the past couple summers—searching for a spot to squeeze in a few more rows—and I was reminded that I didn’t…