[local eating] Farm share, week 5, and foraged fruit

[magid]

Interesting haul this week. To wit:

• one and three-quarters pounds of cucumbers (the little pickling ones, and I picked the smallest I could find)
  
• one and three-quarters pounds summer squash (I wasn't there late at all, but no zucchini was left)
  
• two pounds of new potatoes (I chose a mix of red-skinned and regular, aiming for tiny ones, some as small as my thumbnail)
  
• a bunch of dill
  
• a head of new garlic with stalk attached
  
• a biggish bunch of carrots
  
• a small head of cabbage (I chose regular over curly leaves, and took the larger of the two regular ones I saw, which was grapefruit rather than baseball sized)
  
• a bunch of kale (curly purple, curly green, or lacinato; I chose the latter)
  
• a small head of lettuce (I chose red leaf over romaine)

I think some dilled new potatoes, perhaps with cucumbers on the side, would be in order. Though it's a fast day tomorrow, and I'm away for Shabbat... Hm.

Also, Monday I picked some black raspberries. I got a bit scratched up getting them, and I still haven't figured out what to do with them, other than eat them straight. Jam seems too boring, somehow, and liqueur doesn't appeal (I've got a couple of other fruit batches going already). It's made more difficult by the aforementioned away-for-Shabbat thing (read: no excuse for a huge batch of cooking everything in sight).

And yesterday I picked more sour cherries. I had some local rhubarb, and made a small batch (four mini jars, plus enough to have a bit of a snack last night) of not-really-jam, labeled "honeyed sour cherries and rhubarb with black pepper." It's wholly local except for the black pepper, which is very satisfying. Still, I'm not giving up white sugar; it's a clear sweetness that's extremely useful in a lot of situations.

Comments

black raspberries

[treacle-well.livejournal.com]

pie.

Re: black raspberries

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Seconded! Or cobbler (aka pie for the lazy, because the crust is simpler).

[rhysara.livejournal.com]

I'm always so impressed by the things you manage to come up with to do with all this food. I always just look at the list and find it so overwhelming.

Re: black raspberries

[magid.livejournal.com]

Once they cook down, I think it would have to be a very mini pie or cobbler. I should look into proportions with corn starch, which is usually my downfall with berries.

Hrm. Or see if I can reach more of the sour cherries and combine them?

[magid.livejournal.com]

Thank you.

I think the difference is that I mostly don't eat out, and don't use a lot of prepared foods. Plus, roasting makes all veggies not only extremely yummy, but much smaller volume :-)

[goldsquare.livejournal.com]

My wife picked about a pint and a half in the back yard yesterday, of black raspberries. She made a savory sauce of beets and blackberries that we served over swordfish last night. It was also good on everything else we had for dinner, and if slightly sweetened, would have been good on ice cream.

[magid.livejournal.com]

Ooh! Now that sounds interesting!

I'd been hoping for beets from the farm share, actually. I might have to go find a farmer's market (if I really want to acquire more vegetable matter before I've even started on what I just got...).

*checks farmers' market calendar* Hm. Today the closest is Kendall Sq, and tomorrow the closest is by the Charles Hotel. Perhaps it's worth a walk over.

[currentlee.livejournal.com]

i have to say, black raspberry jam is one of the most popular i've ever made.
it's way more complex than red raspberry, which is already one of my favorite jams.
(plus, you could make really sinister looking ischel tartlets or linzer torte out of it)
i'm hoping when i go picking to get black raspberries and white raspberries and have really interesting looking jams.

[magid.livejournal.com]

It's not a huge container; I suspect it'll cook down to very little, which is part of why I didn't want to bother. Though I did a small batch (4 minis) earlier this week.

Where are you planning to go picking? Want company?

[currentlee.livejournal.com]

it's going to be on monday (if the weather holds) as a "get estye out of the house and doing something fun that isn't focused on the bebe" thing.
i'm excited.

[magid.livejournal.com]

If you want another partner in fruitery, I'm around Monday during the day.

Re: black raspberries

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Cooked fruit (with some additional spices) makes a very, very nice topping for waffles or pancakes or french toast.