In the Kitchen

When you get this week’s box home, keep the onions and tomatoes out of the refrigerator. Tomatoes go in a warm or cool spot, depending on when you want to use them. Onions would like to be dark and dry, and preferably cool, but dark and dry are more important. You’ll want to put everything else in the refrigerator; everything in the refrigerator will last longer in a plastic bag, although the peppers don’t really need it.

No vegetable makes me as happy as Carrots. I probably know way more than is healthy about them, having worked in the USDA’s carrot breeding program in Madison back in the day, so that I love to observe the whorls within whorls in the blossoms of the wild carrot (Queen Anne’s Lace), or notice the spread of a purple center flower through the population on the hillside. But mostly, I like to eat them!

Carrot Salad

Using a mandolin to julienne the carrots makes it easy, but coarsely shredding in a food processor or on a box grater will work as well.

1lb. carrots julienned, or grated
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
dash of cayenne
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Chop the garlic with the salt to a very fine paste like consistency. In a large bowl, combine the garlic paste, lemon juice, cayenne and olive oil. Whisk to combine. Add carrots and toss to coat. Add herbs and lightly mix. Serve.

The Orange Cauliflower in your box is supposed to be that way. A natural mutation, discovered in a Canadian cauliflower field about thirty years ago, allows this variety to hold more beta-carotene, which causes the orange color so familiar in carrots. Unlike the orange “golden rice,” which got a lot of attention a few years ago, orange cauliflower was produced by old-fashioned breeding techniques. It tastes just like white cauliflower, which tastes especially good fresh from the field.

Our Onions are finally finished curing. After planting them late, I had a little bit of trouble gauging the correct harvest timing, so they’ve got particularly thin skins this year. Still, store them in a dry cool place. I use red and yellow onions interchangeably, depending on what I have in the house.

Our fall crop of Broccoli continues to make robust progress.

Roasted Broccoli Medley

3 cups broccoli florets
1 red pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp tamari
1 tsp oregano or basil
Salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, diced

Preheat oven to 400. Steam broccoli for two minutes, then chill in cold water and dry. In a large bowl, combine broccoli, pepper, onion, olive oil, tamari, herbs, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine. Place in a baking dish and roast for eight minutes until broccoli is tender but firm. Add tomatoes and roast for four more minutes.

We’ve talked plenty throughout the year about Sweet Red Peppers (I love them just sliced and served raw), Salad Mix, Round Red Tomatoes, and Sungold Cherry Tomatoes. Some of the Swiss chard from this last picking is less-than-rainbow, but will work just fine in the following recipe.

Rainbow Chard with Onions

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 bunch Rainbow Swiss Chard, stems chopped, leaves torn
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in large pan over medium heat. Add onions; saute 5 minutes until browned. Add chard and cook for 10 minutes until chard is wilted. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper.