CSA #1: an update

[taylweaver]

So, I'm not so into this past week's share, and my attempts to eat my way through it have met with mixed results. 

Since it's been an entire week, I may be misremembering when I ate what. 

Things I learned along the way:
- arugula is incredibly bitter
- sauteed arugula is considerably less bitter
- sauteeing flat greens (like turnip greens) doesn't work as well, because they stick together

Attempts I have made to eat my vegetables: (stuff from this past week's share are bolded - don't know whether that will transfer to facebook, though.)

Dish #1: Salad with lettuce and arugula, with a dressing made with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic powder, sugar, cilantro and scallions. 
The verdict: the arugula was way too bitter - so bitter it was sharp - and the greens needed something better than that dressing, and possibly more vegetables, but I forced myself to eat some of it anyway.

Dish #2: Sauteed arugula with salt
The verdict: Success! These came out all crispy and yummy. I think I did them a second time with another meal.

Dish #3: Roasted turnips and beets with olive oil, salt, rosemary and thyme
The verdict: I liked some bites of turnip and beet but not others. Not sure whether I liked the bites with more spice, less spice, or just one spice over the other. Roasting them cut up worked better than roasting them whole. 

Dish #4: Sauteed kale with garlic powder
The verdict: This is a dish I do often, but it didn't work as well with this set of kale as it usually does. Go figure.

Dish #5: Sauteed turnip greens with garlic powder
They verdict: They were bitter, even sauteed. I may try parboiling them first next time and see whether it makes a difference. I ate them, but I didn't enjoy them.

Dish #6: Lettuce with cucumber, red peppers and Italian dressing
The verdict: The idea of buying other vegetables to get through the ones in my share is not one I like. Also, these vegetables still didn't help me like the lettuce. Maybe I just don't like this lettuce.

(part of) vegetable I still haven't tried: Beet greens

Vegetables I have left: some of everything: lettuce, turnips and greens, beets and greens, arugula, scallions, cilantro, kale

Vegetables I know what to do with: kale, arugula

Vegetables I have plans for: turnip greens and beet greens (will try a mix of parboiling and sauteeing)

 

Feel free to offer suggestions for the rest of it. 

Comments

[debka-notion.livejournal.com]

Recipes I'm fond of for using beets:
1. Boil beets. Dress with oil, vinegar, and some salt. They're sweet enough that this is really nice- I eat it as snack.
2. Borsht- saute your basic soup veggies, then boil, adding the beets. Give it a glug or two of vinegar, toward the end, and serve with sour cream or plain yoghurt. It's a favorite of ours, hot or cold.

Scallions go well in stir fry, for me, or in salad. I also throw them in with other veggies to amplify my tomato sauce, when I do pasta and sauce- makes it healthier and tastier. But that doesn't use all that much of your CSA stuff.

Maybe try the arugula salad with a sweet dressing? Or is it too sharp a bunch for that?

[taylweaver.livejournal.com]

I'm not going to try borsht - too many negative associations from Passovers past. But #1 is a possibility.

Scallions in stir fry may also be useful.

The arugula, I will be sauteeing, because yes, it seems to be pretty sharp. It's the other lettuce that may need a sweet dressing.

Thanks for the suggestions.