Sometimes I fantasize about grocery shopping with my food heroes. I donโt mean Jamie Oliver and Marcella Hazan โ though certainly I wouldnโt turn them down. I mean healthy, wholesome-minded moms like Alanaย and Jeanne. I have never even met these women, but based on their books and blogs, I feel certain that theyโd make me see Trader Joeโs in a totally new and fresh way. (And that I wouldnโt end up with three separate white-bread products in my cart.) If I wore my Alana or Jeanne goggles before I went to the farmerโs market, I feel like I might actually come home with something outside my comfort zone, and as a result feel healthy and virtuous and heroic 24/7โฆjust like them. (Right Alana & Jeanne?)
Well, in a way, Iโve done the next best thing: Iโve signed up for a CSA vegetable share with Stone Barns Center. Which is sort of like saying that Iโve signed up the girls for a soccer camp run by Alex Morgan. Stone Barns is an 80-acre farm in Pocantico Hills, NY that supplies Dan Barberโs restaurant Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Their mission, beyond growing ridiculously delicious vegetables, is to educate the public about sustainability, and to get people cooking their own food. The people know what they are doing, and Iโll be blogging for them to help spread the word.
Based on the emails I get from you guys (Summary: Why donโt you join a CSA? Why havenโt you joined a CSA? Have you thought about joining a CSA? What the heck is wrong with you that a food lover like you hasnโt joined a CSA yet?) it sounds like a lot of you know what this means. For those of you who donโt, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and in return for a modest investment in a farm, you receive a box of fresh, in-season produce from that farm for a set amount of weeks. The price varies depending on length of the program and the amount of produce in each delivery, but it can go anywhere from $20 a week and up to $50. (The one I signed up for is about $40, which is a little more than I drop at my farmerโs market every Saturday.) I donโt think I need to go into too much detail on why the whole thing is a win-win: Itโs a great way to eat local on autopilot, to support farmers, and be part of something a little bigger than the four walls of my kitchen.
But the best part about it so far? Well, by definition, it means that someone else is picking out what my vegetable adventure for the week would be. Not Alana or Jeanne, but someone who, presumably, wouldnโt come home with mostly kale and beets all spring in spite of saying to herself before every trip to the farmerโs market, Letโs see if we can come home with something other than kale and beets today. Every week will be like Iโm shopping with someone new โ like Iโm wearing someone elseโs market goggles.
I guess you could say that I am forcing myself to accept the advice that Iโve been doling out to my kids ever since they could process English: Eat more vegetables. Try something new. How do you know you donโt like it if you havenโt tried it? Andย Iโm hoping you guys are up for the adventure, too. The photo above shows the vegetables that arrived in my first batch on Thursday afternoon and what my initial visions for each one was. But thatโs seeing the box through my goggles. What about you? When you put on your market goggles, what do you see?
Clockwise from top left: Seared Tofu with Sauteed Cabbage and Sriracha (recipe below; Sriracha not shown);ย Grilled Chicken Salad for Everyone;ย Something I really really like the sound of:ย Kohlrabi-Carrot Fritters; and shredded Portugese Kale and diced kohlrabi get ready to be turned into slaw. (Recipe follows)
RECIPE 1: Kale Slaw with Pomegranates*
Portugese kale, which was the kind I got in the box, was much more tender than the Lacinato/Tuscan Iโm used to. So it needed a little texture to balance out the floppiness. Enter Kohlrabi! Crunchy and fresh, it was the perfect hit of texture.
Dressing:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon brown sugar
salt to taste
1 teaspoon fish sauce (available at Asian specialty stores and better supermarkets)
lime juice from half a lime
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger (crucial)
1 drop of hot sauce (or 1 tsp minced jalapeno or serrano chile)
1/3 cup neutral oil like grapeseed or vegetable oil
The rest:ย
1/2 head of kohlrabi, peeled and diced into small pieces
handful of pomegranate seeds
kale, shredded as shown above (bottom left corner)
Whisk dressing ingredients together and toss with the remaining ingredients.
RECIPE 2: Quick-seared Tofu on Wilted Cabbage with Sriracha
I had this for lunch, so serving size here is one. Obviously, it can be doubled or quadrupled to work for your family. You know, since my recipes are so precise.
Add peanut or vegetable oil to a skillet set over medium-high heat. Dredge one ย playing-card size slice of extra firm tofu (about 3/4 inch thick, pressed on paper towels under a heavy pan for about 20 minutes) in a little flour that has been sprinkled with Chinese Five Spice (optional)ย salt, and pepper. Add tofu to the pan and fry without poking until golden and crispy, about 3 minutes. Flip and repeat. Remove from pan. Turn heat down to medium add 2 tablespoons chopped onion, shake of red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp fresh minced ginger (optional) and dicedย cabbage (โMinuet Napa Cabbage,โ as it was called). Add a small drizzle of rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. A squeeze of lime. Taste and see how you like it. (You donโt want to overwhelm these already flavorful greens with strong flavors.) Cook until just barely wilted, about 1 minute. Serve with prepared tofu, a sprinkling of sesame seeds (optional), some snipped garlic chives (or regular chives) and a drizzle of Sriracha.
I am truly grateful for all the radish ideas: pickling, braising, roastingโฆI roasted a few last night as a side for dinner and they were super. Thank you ALL so much!
I should probably also add that I live in Los Angeles, where the markets are truly stellar and the CSAs are few and far between, for some reason.
First off, Iโm a new mom, and hence a new blog reader, and Iโve spent many happy hours catching up on what Iโve missed on DALS while nursing my baby the last 3-plus months (thank you, iPod). My husband got me your book for Motherโs Day and itโs my goal to get through it before my daughterโs first birthday (not much free time for offline reading these days, Iโm afraid).
Iโm so excited to read about your CSA box adventures. We did one about a year ago (I blogged about it here: http://www.thedesertabode.com/2012/04/20/12-weeks-of-veggies/) and it totally changed the way we ate. I hope you enjoy it! ๐
Love the โWhat do you see?โ approach to produce shopping. Too often I end up with end-of-the-week produce I havenโt used yet and must come up with panic-driven meals to use it up. Better to plan ahead โ as in most (but not all) of life!
QUESTION: Andyโs Chicken Salad Sandwich (with bacon!) recipe calls for โ3 halved large chicken breasts.โ Does this mean 3 whole breasts, halved, or just 3 halves?
Thanks for your inspiration and good sense approach to feeding a family, and to LIFE!
Good luck with your CSA โ Iโm sure it will be wonderful coming from Stone Barns. I have to say that our CSA experience wasnโt that greatโฆ we had so so produce (the weather wasnโt great) and either too much of something or not enough for the whole family. I ended up having to go to the store just as often and really missed picking up my veggies and fruits at the farmerโs market. I guess for a type A person who likes control!
I wonโt deny we have the best case scenarioโฆ We have been members of the same CSA for 10 years. In our original neighborhood, the weekly delivery cam in a box. Then we moved and since we were essentially the only CSA at their other market, we get to choose roughly what goes in our box- so it we are maxed on 10 lbs of potatoes we can sub in with a few apples.. Love supporting our farmers ๐