farm box

The Accidental Locavore-Back In Business With a New Farm Box!

by Anne Maxfield on June 11, 2012

Accidental Locavore Spring Veggies

You know that old saying about one door closing*? After going through the six phases of grief (five, plus I added one: blogging), the Accidental Locavore found the perfect solution to the weekly farm box, CSA, self-shopping dilemma, almost literally on her doorstep.

Ron (from Stokes Farm) and I met last year, taping the locavore episode of Emeril’s Table. His family farm is in New Jersey and he’s at my local Greenmarket every Thursday. This didn’t used to be very beneficial to either of us (as I would have my box upstate on Fridays), but I would stop by for the occasional head of lettuce and chat. This summer, however, we’ve made a deal, to come by and pick up a box of whatever he thinks is good every Thursday. This week, I dropped off my two EcoPlum Chico Bags before heading downtown and when I came back a couple hours later, they were overflowing with produce!

Accidental Locavore Beets for RoastingCarrots, zucchini, summer squash, cherry tomatoes on the stem (smelling just like summer), a pair of big tomatoes, beets (pink and white), garlic scapes and their buddy, green garlic, red romaine and bibb lettuce, and two big bunches of one of my favorites, broccoli rabe.

Accidental Locavore Garlic Scapes and Broccoli RabeThe cherry tomatoes, lettuces and garlic scape went quickly into my salad for lunch. My friend Serge from Serevan gave me his recipe for roasting the beets (there will be a link). Now, you all know how much I loathe beets. Serge is convinced that I’ve just never had them prepared correctly. He didn’t change my mind about them, but if I was ever going to like beets, his would be the ones. These will go into a salad with goat cheese for my husband who loves them! The broccoli rabe will go with a big chicken I got from the Millbrook farmer’s market. I’m going to stuff it with the garlic scapes and rôti it on the grill. There are also a few Italian sausages left from Arch River Farm, so pasta or pizza with sausage and broccoli rabe could also be on the menu. I didn’t know that the pretty yellow flower on the broccoli were edible and can be used in salad. Besides being pretty (you do eat with your eyes, too!), they add a nice bitter-tart crunch to the salad. I’m going to be keeping an eye out for them in the future and you should, too.Accidental Locavore Poulet Roti

So, thanks to Ron, the Locavore is back in business, produce drawers overflowing and salads crammed with everything good!

 

*Here’s what you probably don’t know about that quote, it’s from Alexander Graham Bell and the whole quote goes like this: “When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us.”

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The Accidental Locavore on the Road: Fall in Maine

by Anne Maxfield on September 30, 2011

Accidental Locavore Carrots

Hurricane Irene put an early (way too early) end to the Accidental Locavore’s farm boxes. Heavily supplied with winter squash and missing the last of the tomatoes, Paul and I decided to put an end to the boxes. I may be the only person disappointed by the lack of Brussels sprouts, but they too, met an early and watery end. If anyone has great ideas for crook-neck, butternut or any other winter squashes, let me know, I’ve got quite the collection (or will swap for some heirloom tomatoes).

So I was happy to find the Rockland, Maine farmers’ market loaded with a diverse selection of beautiful produce. As much as I don’t like beets, you had to stop and admire bunches of multicolored beets next to similarly colored carrots. There were still tomatoes, corn, some bokchoy, cauliflower and that veg from another planet, romansco.

My father made a beeline to the pork lady and we both bought “serious” ham-hocks. He’ll use his to make choucroute garni with local sauerkraut, while the Locavore will probably go for some split pea soup or to flavor a cassoulet (except that d’Artagnan makes such a good kit).

Accidental Locavore ChevreFurther along the market was the Appleton Creamery. They make some great goat cheeses and even though the Locavore thought she would never eat again after some of the best eggs Benedict at Home Kitchen Café, I rallied enough to taste some of their delicious chevre. Amazing that you can always find room for cheese, isn’t it? I bought some of their award-winning feta, a wheel of chevre rolled in herbs and Kaitlin gave me the last half of a terrific goat cheese rolled in lime-pepper. That made me wonder what rolling a disc of chevre in Montreal Steak Seasoning would be like. A project for another day.

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Exploding Watermelon and Other Farm Box Adventures

by Anne Maxfield on September 16, 2011

Accidental Locavore Farm Box September

Nothing like an exploding watermelon to get your day off to an interesting start! The Accidental Locavore was starting to cut up a watermelon from the latest farm box because there was a soft spot on it, when suddenly…splat! Not sure what caused it, but suddenly there was watermelon juice and guts all over the kitchen floor. What a mess! Thank goodness it was seedless, or we would have been chasing those slippery seeds down. Too bad, because the one we had the week before was golden and luscious!

Spaghetti squash made an appearance this week and I’m working on a pad thai version, using the squash instead of rice noodles. In the meantime, here’s a recipe using it with some of the beautiful eggplants and what looks to be the last of my basil.

For dinner with the Charcutepalooza pâte, the Locavore served a plate of perfect tomatoes with burrata, olive oil and basil. Thanks to my friends Lisa and Ellen in San Francisco for making me a burrata fiend! If you haven’t tried it, seek it out. It’s mozzarella with a cream center. Think mozzarella Twinkie, but oh so much better!

Since we were starting to get overrun with corn, I shucked a bunch of it and froze the kernels and cobs for a future chowder. People always make it seem like a big deal to cut the corn kernels, but all it takes is a good sharp knife, and since my kitchen floor was already trashed…The Locavore has an advance copy of Bobby Flay’s new cookbook and can’t wait to try his Roasted Corn Soup, among other goodies from Bar Americain. 

Accdiental Locavore Purple Cabbage LeavesMy cousin Ellen is coming for the weekend, so if we’re not busy canning, she’ll be a good guinea pig for Dorie Greenspan’s Pumpkin Stuffed With Everything Good, and since the Locavore is going to an event at the James Beard House with her next week, it will be a good use of the red kabocha squash from the farm box. I also made a batch of stuffed cabbage with the beautiful purple cabbage and the rest of it will probably make coleslaw for the tennis players this weekend.

I’ll report back on all the goodies and the Dorie Greenspan event next week. Stay tuned.

 

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The Accidental Locavore Has a Perfect Lunch

by Anne Maxfield on August 19, 2011

Accidental Locavore Leeks

This time of year the Accidental Locavore finds that cooking one thing invariably leads to another (and another…). For the recipes, just click on the links. I wanted to take advantage of the gorgeous leeks from this week’s farm box and knew there were potatoes in the fridge, so it seemed like a perfect excuse for vichyssoise. The Locavore used the fingerlings from Paul, even though peeling potatoes the size of a thumb was not my idea of fun, but luckily some people’s thumbs are bigger than others.

Taking an idea from Chef Kerry of Café Miranda, the vichyssoise got potato “croutons” in the form of tiny fingerling potato chips (his were French fries tossed on top of fish chowder) and snips of fresh chives from the garden, a more traditional garnish. Tasted great, although next time I may make a vegetable broth from the potato peelings and green part of the leeks, to heighten both flavors, instead of the traditional chicken stock. What do you think?Accidental Locavore Vichyssoise

Paired with the vichyssoise, a BLT. What better to do with local bacon, tomatoes at the peak of ripeness and great lettuce from Stokes Farm? Oh, forgot about the homemade mayo. Hungry yet? If, like the Accidental Locavore, you haven’t had a BLT in a long time, you owe it to yourself to remember how good they can be, especially with great ingredients.

What else did the Locaovore cook? With the summer squash, I made stuffed squash with yogurt sauce. It’s essentially an easy dish (to mess up), just time consuming. First you have to hollow out the squash, stuff them with a lamb and rice mixture, and slowly cook them in yogurt without breaking (separating) the yogurt. However the end result is delicious and well worth a little effort.

Accidental Locavore Fresh Cranberry BeansThen, Farmer Paul asked for some recipes for cranberry beans. The Locavore had some that I had dried last summer, so I soaked them and then cooked them, getting ready to do a gratin I had come across. When I went to the farm to return my box, Paul gave me a bunch of fresh beans, which tonight will be a salad, or a riff on ful medames to go with pork chops. They’re so pretty, it always seems a shame to cook them because they lose their speckles.

Accidental Locavore CantalopesOn the uncooked front, a pair of beautiful, perfectly ripe, little cantaloupes, or “candy-lopes” according to Paul, just cut up, made a delicious breakfast. A watermelon the size (and weight) of a large bowling ball was just amazing and reminded me how much I really like watermelon. And the first of the heirloom tomatoes, when they weren’t gracing the perfect lunch, were great in a traditional salad with mozzarella and basil.

Don’t you just love summer?

 

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