Falling Behind

I took a two week class to learn how to teach Earth Science using inquiry methods.  It was 6 hours each day, plus the 2 hours of driving my boys to my parents' for childcare.  Of course, there was homework, as well.  Taking the class put me behind in several ways.

One of my major goals this summer, in regards to the CSA was to throw away less food. So far, I've only thrown away some arugula and some basil, so I've done fairly well in this regard.  My class made it extra challenging to get through all the veggies. 

One of my strategies for using everything up before it went bad was to eat a veggie-rich lunch each day.  That didn't happen while I was in class, which was paid for by a grant with a daily lunch and breakfast included in the deal.  Very posh for someone who is used to cooking all day long!  Being out of the house is not conducive to working one's way through a box a vegetables.

Although I cooked every night, I rarely had the time or energy to write about it.  It was a hasty, necessary act of nourishment and tastiness, but not a celebration of creativity.  I'm behind on my blog, now, too. 

I'm trying not to get out of sorts, because life happens.  Right?  I won't be able to "catch up".  Flylady says to jump in right where you are.  And so, I will jump in and write about the pictures I've taken.  Things will be out of order, some entries will be outdated, and some entries are likely to stink.  Like this one.

I'll end with a photo of my vegetables from a recent week:

Chinese Cabbage

Chinese Cabbage arrived before our 10-day trip out west. Fortunately, the newsletter indicated the cabbage would last 2 weeks in the fridge. They were correct.

The cabbage itself was daunting. About the size of a large football, it appeared that there would be no way for our family to eat it all. Once again, I fell into the trap of being fooled by greens that shrink to nothing when cooked. I used 6 cups of shredded cabbage as suggested by the following recipe, but I could have used the whole head.

 I had chicken breasts in the freezer, but no pork. No one minded the substitution.



Yummy dish. The only leftovers were not quite enough for my lunch tomorrow. I'll have to supplement with a salad.

CSA Week 3

When you go away for vacation, you need to decide what to do with your CSA share.  Fort Hill Farm will allow you to donate it to the local food bank, which is a very kind and generous thing to do.  My mother, however was interested in driving the 40 minutes or so to the drop site so she could have the fun of receiving a box of produce. 

She had a good week, apparently.

She got strawberries (the best ever! according to her reports), snap peas (one of my favorites), lettuces, broccoli and Swiss chard. 

My mother brought the chard to my grandmother, who was thrilled.  She sauteed it up in no time and ate it on the spot.  Mom also shared some of her take with her infirm neighbor. 

I know there are many needy folks who could have used those veggies, but I am glad that my mom and grandma had the opportunity to see why I get so excited each week when my box arrives.  Nice!

The Kohlrabi Challenge!

I don't often use my mandoline.  The truth is that it frightens me.  I imagine my hand slipping, or the food slipping, or the whole contraption slipping, resulting in me losing my fingertips on that ridiculously sharp blade.

Mandoline: Scary





                                                               Mandolin: Not Scary









But I was dealing with the dilemma of kohlrabi.

Last year was the first time I had ever seen or eaten kohlrabi. I wrote about it here. According to last summer's report, kohlrabi was a rather inconclusive victory, although I recall it as a failure. Everyone ate the roasted kohlrabi that night, but there was a lot left over, and , if I recall correctly, I eventually threw the leftovers away.
This year the Fort Hill Farm newsletter had a recipe for kohlrabi potato gratin, and it seemed a better bet. Hence, the mandoline came out.
 

Potato and Kohlrabi Gratin
Recipe by Eberhard Muller


3 oz. Sliced bacon, sliced crosswise                    2 cups heavy cream
into thin strips                                                     2 TBSP crème fraiche or sour cream
½ garlic clove, minced                                        ½ tsp minced thyme
Salt and freshly ground black pepper                 4 large Yukon Gold potatoes
2 med. kohlrabi, peeled


Preheat oven to 300. Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish.
In a small skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat, stirring, until barely crisp, about 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the heavy cream, crème fraiche, garlic and thyme. Season the cream generously with salt and pepper.
Using a mandoline, thinly slice the potatoes and kohlrabi, then add to the cream and toss to mix. Spread the potatoes, kohlrabi, and cream in an even layer in the prepared baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 325 and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes longer, or until the potatoes are tender and the top is browned. Let the gratin stand for 10 minutes before serving.

The mandoline is wonderful for making perfectly thin, uniform slices of potato and kohlrabi.  It is fast and efficient, and I still have all 10 fingertips. 

The casserole itself was also a success.  Everyone (except Zach) ate it heartily.  I served it with baked chicken drumsticks, crusty bread and some broccoli, also from the farm. 

The moral of the story:  When in doubt, add bacon and cream to the questionable veg.