2009 News

A few people have emailed and asked what's going on regarding our participation in Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) this summer.

We had a great time with the CSA, trying new things, seeing exactly where our food was grown, and enjoying the freshest produce imaginable. Unfortunately, we had to admit that the CSA was not going to work for us this summer. Gerry has taken on some additional duties at work, which resulted in schedule changes and a bit of unpredictability. And if you're familiar with my skill level in the kitchen...well, let's just say Snoopy and I have a lot in common.

That is not to say we are going to pass up the opportunity to enjoy fresh fruits and veg as much as we can. We'll be visiting some very local farms to scout out our favorites. So we'll still be supporting local agriculture--it'll just be a bit more low key. I promise we'll still share any new recipe discoveries...and I'll still take zucchini muffins into work at least a few times this summer!

Luffa Love

Remember that luffa we got back at the end of October? It's been drying in a dry, well-ventilated spot all this time, on a table in our living room. Yes, that's right--We've had a gourd sitting on an end table for two months.

All this time, it's been getting lighter and lighter and a little more shriveled bit by bit until, finally, it got to the point where it was frightening people. Seriously. People would touch it and be freaked out and yell, "Get it away!"

So I decided it was time to open it up and get my sponge! Of course, by this time, I've lost my directions, and it seems like no one online can agree on the best way to proceed. After reading several opinions, I pretty much decided to wing it and hope for the best.

So, the picture up top is what it looked like once it dried out. I actually thought it felt kind of neat and leathery. And the seeds inside made a nice rattling sound.


I started by pushing my thumb into the flower end of the gourd. The flower end would be the end opposite the stem end. (Probably obvious to everyone but me.) Then I turned it upside down and shook and shook and shook and shook to get the loose seeds out.


Next, I submerged it in a sink full of water for about fifteen minutes.

Then I just started peeling off the skin. It came off very easily. Looks like an ear of corn, doesn't it?

See how easy it was? One piece!


Looks like I missed a LOT of seeds! I soaked it some more, then I carefully poked in there with a chopstick.

Finally, it's mostly clean!

Almost every set of directions tells you to dry the sponge on a baking rack for a few days. I just set mine on the radiator, and it dried overnight.

I have to admit, I thought this whole thing was pretty cool. If you have kids, by all means, grow some luffas next summer!

Mid Winter Report

Hey, all! Long time, no post. We had intended to continue posting about vegetables and recipes and such, even after our CSA was finished for the season, but you know what they say about good intentions!

Gerry is slowly making his way through the peppers he froze back in September. They've found their way into everything from breakfast omelets to spaghetti sauce. He also used his first pack of frozen, shredded zucchini for muffins. I thought they came out a little weird, but he thought they were fine. More experimenting will follow.

If you remember, back in November I wrote about Gerry's love of parsnips and blogged about a new recipe he tried with them. Now that I reread it, I even mentioned Christmas dinner! Well, he didn't make that dish for Christmas dinner, but he did make his favorite: carrots and parsnips. You can see them in the picture above.

To make the classic, all you do is boil the carrots and parsnips, then mash them. Easy.

Edit: Gerry told me a few more things about making C&P. Okay, obviously you're going to peel them and chop them up first. Then boil until soft and drain well. Also, add butter, salt and pepper when you mash. Oh, and you can throw in a turnip too, if you'd like.

And if you're interested, you can find the recipe for potatocakes on my other blog.

Winter Vegetables

The other day, while we were watching the Eagles game, I was looking through some magazines. (Doesn't say much for the game, does it?) Anyway, in my new Martha Stewart magazine, I saw a recipe for brussels sprouts with parsnips. Since we just picked up a load of veg including brussels sprouts and parsnips, I asked Gerry if he wanted to try it with some of his precious parsnips.

Brussels Sprouts with Parsnips (from Martha Stewart Living, December 2008)

2 lbs brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise

6 medium parsnips, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoons coarse salt

freshly ground pepper

1 cup pecan halves

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss vegetables with oil, salt, and pepper on two rimmed baking sheets, and spread into single layers. Roast, rotating sheets halfway through, until tender and gold, about 20 minutes. Divide pecans between sheets; roast 10 minutes more. Toss mixture and serve.

We added in some yellow carrots. Check this out...I did some chopping. Yes, me, the non-cook.

This is how much of a non-cook I am: Gerry measured the olive oil and told me to toss the vegetables to coat them in oil. (No, I didn't throw them across the room. I'm not Amelia Bedelia!) I did, however, exclaim, "Hey, it's working!" when I saw the veggies starting to glisten. Oooh, gotta take a picture!

Gerry took over after that. I couldn't handle any more excitement, so I went upstairs to sew.

Mmmm, this stuff smelled GOOD while it was roasting! I haven't had a taste, but Gerry said the flavors really work. I'm not sure we'll be tossing $4 worth of nuts into our vegetables every day, but this would be a good dish for a holiday dinner.

hehe When he came upstairs, I asked Gerry if he'd remembered to take a picture of the finished product. He said, yes, he sure did. It isn't exactly the picture I expected, but there it is! You might want to put it in a nice bowl or something if you make it for Christmas dinner. --wink--

Just When You Thought It Was Over...

The CSA season had come to an end, but I guess things were still growing! Last week, we received an email from Neil at the farm, saying he had some winter vegetables for sale. As soon as Gerry heard there were PARSNIPS, he shot back an email with a list of what he wanted: parsnips, carrots, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and conehead cabbage.

Parsnips are Ger's favorite. Looks like Isabella has a new favorite too.

Fourth Bonus Week, Number 24

Well, we made the first pick up on a cold, rainy day, and now we've made the final pick up on a cold, rainy day. I realized I was wearing the same coat both times, trying to stay warm and dry!

BROCCOLI
CELERY
LUFFA GOURD
ARUGULA
BLUE HUBBARD, BUTTERCUP and BUTTERNUT SQUASH
CABBAGE – Napa, green or cone head
CARROTS
BEETS
TOMATOES
COLORED SWEET PEPPERS
PUMPKINS – pick your own, in field

(I am so excited about the luffa. It doesn't take much!)

First Biryani

I've been pestering my friend, Sudha, for Indian recipes. This is the first (and hopefully not last) she's written out for me. She originally saw the recipe on tv in India, where Sanjeev Kapoor (she called him the Emeril of Indian Cooking) was making Chicken Biryani. Sudha modified it a little to be vegetarian, and then Gerry modified it from there to include shrimp. So there's shrimp in the pictures, but this is the basic recipe!

Farm ingredients included: peppers, tomatoes, carrots.

Vegetable Biryani

1 1/2 cups basmati rice

1 small onion, coarsely chopped

1-2 green chillies (depending upon the level of heat required) sliced

1 cup (all together) green peppers and carrots, finely diced, and peas

2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

a few strands of saffron

a couple of drops of rose essence

1/2 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves

2 to 3 tbsp plain yogurt

extremely thin ginger slices (optional)

1/4 cup milk

1 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

spices:

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3-4 cardamoms, peeled and coarsely ground

3-4 cloves

1 bay leaf

1/4 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1/2 tbsp garam masala

Cook the basmati rice until almost done, about 6-7 minutes after it comes to boiling (1 1/2 cups of rice require 3 cups of water). Keep aside.

Add oil in a wok on medium high heat, add cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and the bay leaf.

Saute the spices for 1-2 minutes and then add the onion and green chillies. Saute for 4 to 5 minutes.

Add the peppers, carrots, and peas, saute until the veggies are partially cooked. (Pre-cooking the carrots and peas in the microwave makes it faster.)

Add coarsely chopped tomatoes, a pinch of turmeric, and the ginger-garlic paste. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Stir in yogurt, cook for 1-2 minutes and then add milk.

Mix in the rice, add salt, and now arrange the thin ginger slices in a ring on top of the rice.

Add garam masala, saffron, rose essence, cilantro, and mint.

Cover and cook for 15 minutes on medium heat, making sure that it doesn't stick to the bottom.

This is how it looked right before putting the lid on to cook for 15 minutes. Gerry called me at work to tell me how good the house smelled!