According to Todd, we are being held hostage by produce.
We've recently been able to participate in Bountiful Baskets.
Before we got our first basket, I already had a butternut squash, an acorn squash, five zucchini, a bunch of banana's, a fridge full of apples and carrots from Dad and Grandma, a box of tomatoes, a head of cabbage, four kiwi's, a pumpkin, and four peppers. (We were the lucky recipients of some leftover Bountiful Basket produce from a previous week).
For some reason I feel an overwhelming and uncontrollable urge to take a picture of my "haul" each week. It's kind of like Christmas 'cause you don't know what produce you're gonna get.
So, here's our first basket, which we added to the produce listed above:
The kids ended up loving pomegranate's, after I spent 30 minutes "harvesting" the fruit :o)We have yet to try the parsnips. Everything else from this load was pretty "normal" at our house. (We only ever have yams for Thanksgiving, though).
We got our second basket yesterday, and we still had some leftovers from our last basket. Also, my Aunt Joyce brought ANOTHER load of carrots from Dad. I currently have a carrot cake ready to go into the oven, but it didn't even make a dent in our carrots. We made carameled apples for Halloween and didn't make a dent in our apples either.
I am determined to use it all up, although this week is going to be harder.
The kids LOVE having pears around, and can't wait to try the Asian pears from this load. Todd was excited about the collard greens and will prepare them the way he liked them on his mission. I'm a little leary about the brussels sprouts, but found a recipe online that I'm going to try.
Has anyone ever had a persimmon? I had to look it up online to find out whether it was a vegetable or a fruit. (It's a fruit). There are two kinds of persimmons. One kind can be used for pie or pudding which I wanted to try, but we have the other kind, and from what I can tell from all my research, we're supposed to core them, and eat them like an apple. I've read that if they aren't ripe, they'll make your mouth pucker up more than any lemon, and they'll take all the moisture out of your mouth.
I don't know how to tell if they're ripe. Do you? Most of the stuff we've gotten has needed to ripen for several days. I think we'll wait until at least next week before trying the persimmons.
8 comments:
Wow I've never heard about the persimmons. There are so many doing the bountiful baskets here also. I have looked into but where we were still getting produce from my garden I would worry that it would go to waste. How long will they do it? If they continue into the wintertime I'm in. Thanks for your comment on my blog. I feel better today, I just had to let it out. Oh post how the persimmon tasted when you get to using them.
Brussel sprouts...I saute them in olive oil until they are soft and sprinkle them with a little salt and parmesan cheese. (My dad made them for me once and I get a hankering every once in a while)
Pomegrantes...I cut them in half and put them in a bowl of cool water. I then deseed them under the water so you don't stain your hands. I then keep them in a bowl in the fridge and they don't stain the kids' hands reaching in to grab them.
Parsnips...are really REALLY delish in chicken noodle soup. (I have also "roasted them" drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt)
Persimmons...only tried once and I don't think they were ripe. Didn't enjoy them. Good Luck!
Felicia! I was excited to see your post on my blog. How are you? I've never tried the bountiful baskets yet either... or a persimmon? wow, that sounds fun :)
By the way, Dedra is one of my "blog friends" I've never actually met her... she found my blog one day and we've been following each other ever since! I really enjoy her blog. What a small world, eh?
I'm so glad you blogged about Bountiful Baskets! I train the new employees at my work and talk about Bountiful Baskets since they are a co-op, so it's fun to hear about someone who actually uses them! I know I probably should, looks like they live up to their name!
Thanks for getting me my bread this week. I am glad you got a basket at least for that reason. for me... oh, I'm selfish! I like your christmas produce pictures.
Todd's comment is very funny! Your veggies look great!
You can make my Carribean Pepper Salad with ALL of your fruits and veggies. Just Chop anything into small bite-size pieces. Carrots should always be shredded and Celery should always be sliced very very thin to get the chomping and chewing factor just right. (Veggies that you don't want to eat raw, just cook,cool, then chop and add) Always mix ANY fruit into the mix - if grapes are too big, cut in half. In summer, I always add strawberries, in winter, nectarines. (And ALWAYS add Granny Smith Apples, if you have them.) Always add some cheese: I prefer small squares of Mozarella cheese - but any cheese will work. Can add any dried fruit and nuts, too! Tomatoes should never be added to the mix - ONLY add to your serving when ready to eat.
When ready to eat, sprinkle serving with Lemon Pepper (I prefer liberally) and then use ANY Salad Dressing if desired - even works with salsa!!
Can serve cold salad on top of hot buttered rice or pasta noodles - delicious! (works like a wilted salad recipe)
Make a ring of salad and a serving of cottage cheese in the middle and top with cholula - delicious! or tuna salad in the middle - delicious!
Even toss with lettuce and chard and spinach - best green salad ever - and add ham/or chicken/ or turkey and olives - delicious!
Or cook up some pasta, cool, and fold in the Carribean Pepper Salad, add olives and pepperoni or ham - delicious! (Don't forget the Lemon Pepper.)
The fruits sweeten the veggies and the peppers (prefer green, red and yellow together)make all the flavors work together - everytime, foolproof! The key is small bite size pieces.
-------
We grew up with Pomegranate trees growing alongside our driveway! I can't ever remember getting stains on my fingers, but did get juice on a shirt once. Of course, we were eating perfectly ripe ones right off the tree and just popped out the little juicy pearls and put them right into our mouths! Such memories! Loved them!!
The persimmons are awesome! The ones in our basket were perfect. Slightly firm. Yes, eat them like an apple - you won't be disappointed.
I roasted my brussel sprouts in the oven. I loved them so much that I'm tempted to go buy more so I can do it again. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/roasted-brussels-sprouts-recipe2/index.html
And, if you need something to do with those beans and tomatoes....
Green Bean Casserole
2 lbs. Green beans
6 c. thinly sliced onions
12 cloves garlic
4 tsp. sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
4 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. basil
1 tsp. oregano
8 c. cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
Boil green beans in water for 3 min. Drain, rinse with cold water. Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Sautee until lightly brown, stir in balsamic vinegar, basil, and oregano. Cook for 2 minutes; remove from heat.
Grease baking dish. Place green beans inside, top with onions then tomatoes, then parmesan cheese.
Bake at 400 for 35 minutes.
I'm curious about the collard greens from Todd's mission... I haven't decided what to do with those yet. Will you share your recipe?
Post a Comment