Monday, November 10, 2008

Autumn

Wow, I haven't even looked in here lately. I've been tired a lot...

The CSA is winding down. We have a fine collection of cabbages in the crisper drawer, which should last us a while. We also have several winter squash. Meanwhile, we've eaten chard and spinach - the cool weather crops are turning up again! I made a great chard crustless quiche for lunch, today, and it will be the basis of several lunches this week.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

CSA

The CSA pick up felt a little light this week. That may simply be because this was the first week without lettuce - it's been in the 90s, and I'm sure it's bolted. But the heads are nice and big, so it feels like a lot, though it's not really a firm vegetable.

We have several kinds of summer squash, and collards, a couple of cucumbers, and one lonely ear of corn. (Last week was the first corn - luckily we had two ears, then, so we could each have one!) The first green beans and eggplant. Onions and garlic.

We are getting a nice variety. I've been keeping a list, so we see how it plays out, and we've had 32 different kinds of produce in 8 weeks! OK, that is counting green and mature onions and garlic separately - but they are different.

We're not, as I mentioned, getting the fruit share, but it's coming in nicely, now - they had some lovely little plums, and peaches.

I do supplement a bit from Greenmarket. I can get enough fruit for us there, and I'll pick up some lettuce, as I do carry mostly salads for work lunches. One vendor there has lovely lettuce all summer - don't know how they do it, but it's clearly their speciality. I'll pass Union Square on my way home from work tomorrow, and get a few things.

I need to find some good things to do with eggplant. I'm not fond of it, but Himself is, so I've tried to remember to cook it before - and here it is, in the selection, so... I was able to get the long narrow ones, which I prefer. (He's not fond of all the greens, but they're also in the package, and I should be eating them for several reasons, and he doesn't actively dislike them... It all evens out, between us.)

Kitchen day

This was a busy day in the kitchen.

I've been away for the weekend (I'll post about cooking for that later.) So I'm largely starting from scratch.

This is a bread baking day, and I've learned to fill up the oven! I mean, if I'm going to put it on at all in this heat, I want full use of it. So I just put in 2 loaves of bread, one large and one small bread and cheese pudding, and a large baking dish of tofu.

I have found that 2 ordinary tubs of tofu, sliced in quarters lengthwise, neatly fill my glass baking dish. Himself prefers the texture of baked tofu, and I think it works better in the salads I often carry for lunch, so this gives me roughly a week's worth. (2 slices each for one dinner, and 1 slice, with another protein source, in 4 lunch salads.)

Earlier, I had made a citrus pickled onion.



I omitted the sugar, because I don't want it, and the pepper, because I didn't have one. It's in the refrigerator now, marinating - I'll see how I like it! I also made a huge bowl of tabbouli with the parsley from the CSA - we'll both be eating this for lunch all week, I think.