Monday? Bah and nonsense.
More food fun was had... I made souffle of zuke! It was pretty tasty. Then, we ate it last night and I killed it all today for lunch.
Sadly, one of the loaves of zuke bread has already gone bad, we haven't cut into the other one, so no idea if it's both.
Plan for today is: strata with tomato (thanks Trenton Farmer's market), bread, chard and a bit of gruyere. mmmm, tasty.
It's sort of food news: I spend so much energy trying to get and stay hydrated due to all the running that I can't really drink anymore. Most days, even one beer makes me have a nasty-hangover headache because I lose too much water. How sad...
Monday, July 16, 2012
Saturday, July 14, 2012
This week in CSA land:
a lot of onions (white & green<- too many of these)
more zuch
more beets
chard!
basil
Today's adventures in baking: zuch bread. It's in the oven right now. I went with Bittman. Maybe later today or tomorrow; zuch souffle!
What to do with the other zuch that's accumulating in the fridge? When is 'national leave zuch on your neighbor's porch day" again? Crap, I have to hold out til Aug 8?!?
http://www.squidoo.com/National-Zucchini-Day
a lot of onions (white & green<- too many of these)
more zuch
more beets
chard!
basil
Today's adventures in baking: zuch bread. It's in the oven right now. I went with Bittman. Maybe later today or tomorrow; zuch souffle!
What to do with the other zuch that's accumulating in the fridge? When is 'national leave zuch on your neighbor's porch day" again? Crap, I have to hold out til Aug 8?!?
http://www.squidoo.com/National-Zucchini-Day
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Due to the fact that we had about a pint of jam in a tupperware and then another 1/2 pint popped so that it had to go in the fridge, Kate declared that it was to be jam cookies.
This was basically a sugar cookie dough rolled thin, with a dollop of jam, then baked. I am not good at shaping them.
They're tasty, distressingly tasty. They're good for breakfast, lunch and dinner...
This was basically a sugar cookie dough rolled thin, with a dollop of jam, then baked. I am not good at shaping them.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
My first canning in some time and definitely the first here in NJ. The last time I made jam I put it in pint and quart jars that were way too big. We'd open one and then throw a lot of it out (unless it was being used in baking). So, this time: 1/2 pint jars.
Easy as, well, jam:
0) Pick through and wash berries
1) Berries, lemon juice and spices into the pot
2) Squish it all up with your potato masher
3) Add pectin & bring to a boil
4) Add sugar & bring to a hard boil for a minute
5) Off the heat, into the jars
6) Process for 5ish minutes (I did 10ish for kicks)
7) Stick in basement and eat as needed
Monday, July 9, 2012
I don't understand how one of the farmers at the Trenton market can make anything close to a profit. Last week I bought 12 pints of blueberries for $20. This week, I had a coupon for $15! We're eating them much more slowly this week (only 3 pints so far! I ate 3 pints last Saturday by myself).
We also picked up a pint of plus, nectarines and sour cherries. I sucked down the cherries in a 30-minute session of joy. I'm such a fan, but I only knew of one sour cherry tree within 40 miles of us in NH.
My goal for Tues or Wed is to make some jam. I'm thinking of making some blueberry spice jam. It's basically blues, lemon, sugar, nutmeg, & cin. Should be super easy and I'll can it up and be all happy in the winter with tastes of summer.
This week in the CSA: chard, beets, cukes, zuch, corn, garlic, onion and scallion. Nothing really on-tap for those things yet. I'll probably do zuch bread, since that's fast, easy and tasty.
We also picked up a pint of plus, nectarines and sour cherries. I sucked down the cherries in a 30-minute session of joy. I'm such a fan, but I only knew of one sour cherry tree within 40 miles of us in NH.
My goal for Tues or Wed is to make some jam. I'm thinking of making some blueberry spice jam. It's basically blues, lemon, sugar, nutmeg, & cin. Should be super easy and I'll can it up and be all happy in the winter with tastes of summer.
This week in the CSA: chard, beets, cukes, zuch, corn, garlic, onion and scallion. Nothing really on-tap for those things yet. I'll probably do zuch bread, since that's fast, easy and tasty.
Friday, July 6, 2012
Cleaning out the fridge...
I knocked off 3 zuch with Zuch pie. It was super easy and dang tasty:
4 cups chopped zucchini (chopped small)
A few cloves of garlic
1 small onion, diced
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup Italian grating cheese (Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago)
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
Salt & Pepper
Fresh parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix all the above ingredients together.
Pour into greased 8 or 9 inch square or round baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 45 minutes (or until nicely browned).
Also... lots of salad (I've started making honey mustard dressing because I love it)! Plus, some grilled potato on the fourth when we also pounded out bulgogi and marinated tofu and carrot-apple salad.
Finally, there's been red-lentil, sweet pot, and chard curry going on in the house for a few days. That was dang tasty and pretty easy to make. I did it up early in the morning to beat the heat and then let it hang out for the day.
Summary: most of the big leafy greens are gone and we're down to just 3 beets. So, not bad right now, hopefully it's not another box with 3 heads of lettuce tomorrow.
I knocked off 3 zuch with Zuch pie. It was super easy and dang tasty:
4 cups chopped zucchini (chopped small)
A few cloves of garlic
1 small onion, diced
1 cup flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup Italian grating cheese (Romano, Parmesan, or Asiago)
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
Salt & Pepper
Fresh parsley (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Mix all the above ingredients together.
Pour into greased 8 or 9 inch square or round baking dish.
Bake at 375 degrees F. for 45 minutes (or until nicely browned).
Also... lots of salad (I've started making honey mustard dressing because I love it)! Plus, some grilled potato on the fourth when we also pounded out bulgogi and marinated tofu and carrot-apple salad.
Finally, there's been red-lentil, sweet pot, and chard curry going on in the house for a few days. That was dang tasty and pretty easy to make. I did it up early in the morning to beat the heat and then let it hang out for the day.
Summary: most of the big leafy greens are gone and we're down to just 3 beets. So, not bad right now, hopefully it's not another box with 3 heads of lettuce tomorrow.
Monday, July 2, 2012
CSA values... We stopped being CSA members when we lived in MD for a couple years. We signed up when we were moving after a year while in IA. The IA CSA was amazingly cheap ($150?) for the summer and literally there was so much food we didn't know what to do with it. I made tomato sauce like a maniac!
The MD CSA was something like tripple the price for one grocery bag of veg per week. It was decent produce and I did like the fact that it was super-local, but there was an amazing farmer's market that was even closer and we went there every week anyone (partially? mostly? for the scones). So, it just didn't make sense (especially on our salaries at the time).
For 3 years in MA and 3.5 years in ME we had amazing CSAs, great prices, good selection of veg and super convenient. We still went to the farmer's market with frequency, but often it was as a cultural excursion (and for pastry). For example, Heron Pond Farm was $550 and we were working hard to eat it all, but (as an example) this week includes 2 tomatos, 2 zuch, 2lbs of potato, 1 pint of peas, 2 onions, 1 head of lettuce, 1 bag of greens, 1 bunch of chard, and a bunch of carrots (we looooove carrots, they are like orange crack). See, it's a good mix, makes sense together and would be a good, but not unreasonable amount of anything for a week (turnips and rutabagas in the winter are a different thing, too many).
We moved to NJ and we got into a CSA that's about the same price (a little more, but NJ costs more, so that's fine), but has a MUCH bigger client base (2700 households, it's got to be one of the biggest in the country). It's certified organic which our two previous weren't, so that's probably a bit pricier too. But, let's compare shares;
3 heads of lettuce (after getting 4 for the last 4 weeks)
1 bunch of beets
1 bunch of chard
1 bunch of onions (4)
2 heads of garlic
2 zuch
So, less diversity, more overwhelming quantities of one product (we're now turning into lettuce fairies), and less quantity in general. What since rolling into the Trenton Farmer's market I'm strongly considering not renewing for next year. I'm underwhelmed so far and can see easy ways to get my fill of local produce with better variety and balances, plus, we're almost certain to head to the markets a lot anyway...
The MD CSA was something like tripple the price for one grocery bag of veg per week. It was decent produce and I did like the fact that it was super-local, but there was an amazing farmer's market that was even closer and we went there every week anyone (partially? mostly? for the scones). So, it just didn't make sense (especially on our salaries at the time).
For 3 years in MA and 3.5 years in ME we had amazing CSAs, great prices, good selection of veg and super convenient. We still went to the farmer's market with frequency, but often it was as a cultural excursion (and for pastry). For example, Heron Pond Farm was $550 and we were working hard to eat it all, but (as an example) this week includes 2 tomatos, 2 zuch, 2lbs of potato, 1 pint of peas, 2 onions, 1 head of lettuce, 1 bag of greens, 1 bunch of chard, and a bunch of carrots (we looooove carrots, they are like orange crack). See, it's a good mix, makes sense together and would be a good, but not unreasonable amount of anything for a week (turnips and rutabagas in the winter are a different thing, too many).
We moved to NJ and we got into a CSA that's about the same price (a little more, but NJ costs more, so that's fine), but has a MUCH bigger client base (2700 households, it's got to be one of the biggest in the country). It's certified organic which our two previous weren't, so that's probably a bit pricier too. But, let's compare shares;
3 heads of lettuce (after getting 4 for the last 4 weeks)
1 bunch of beets
1 bunch of chard
1 bunch of onions (4)
2 heads of garlic
2 zuch
So, less diversity, more overwhelming quantities of one product (we're now turning into lettuce fairies), and less quantity in general. What since rolling into the Trenton Farmer's market I'm strongly considering not renewing for next year. I'm underwhelmed so far and can see easy ways to get my fill of local produce with better variety and balances, plus, we're almost certain to head to the markets a lot anyway...
Saturday, June 30, 2012
I haven't written anything about food since we moved to NJ... I feel like I should rectify that.
Today's food news: (1) picked up the CSA box. Inside I found chard, 2 enormous heads of garlic, a bunch of onions, 2 zuch (to go with the 6 already in the fridge, MUST do something with them), a bunch of beets (to go with the 4 in the fridge, gah) and... 3 heads of lettuce.
The heads of lettuce are becoming (really, have been for the last few weeks) a problem. See, the CSA has been giving us 4 heads of lettuce for the past 3 weeks and heads of radiccio and other salad greens. 2 people just don't eat that much lettuce... I'm trying to look out for the neighbors, offer them lettuce n'stuff.
In looking through the fridge I discovered a 1/2 pint of peas, so I ate them while driving about. They were from the farmer's market a few weeks ago, so the outsides weren't great, but I opened them up and ate the tasty green goods inside.
It's hot enough here that I'm against cooking, but I've got to do something with the beets. So, we appear to be at an impasse. Otherwise, I may or may not have acquired 12 pints of fresh-picked blueberries from a local farm for $20 and eaten 2 pints so far today.
Today's food news: (1) picked up the CSA box. Inside I found chard, 2 enormous heads of garlic, a bunch of onions, 2 zuch (to go with the 6 already in the fridge, MUST do something with them), a bunch of beets (to go with the 4 in the fridge, gah) and... 3 heads of lettuce.
The heads of lettuce are becoming (really, have been for the last few weeks) a problem. See, the CSA has been giving us 4 heads of lettuce for the past 3 weeks and heads of radiccio and other salad greens. 2 people just don't eat that much lettuce... I'm trying to look out for the neighbors, offer them lettuce n'stuff.
In looking through the fridge I discovered a 1/2 pint of peas, so I ate them while driving about. They were from the farmer's market a few weeks ago, so the outsides weren't great, but I opened them up and ate the tasty green goods inside.
It's hot enough here that I'm against cooking, but I've got to do something with the beets. So, we appear to be at an impasse. Otherwise, I may or may not have acquired 12 pints of fresh-picked blueberries from a local farm for $20 and eaten 2 pints so far today.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
french fry disenchantment
So, four-fifths or so of us have moved to Princeton, New Jersey. How does that math work, you ask? Well, I'm here full-time, thanks to an unexpected job opportunity. So that's one half of us. Tim will be here more or less 60% of the time - the great majority of the summer, and about 3.5 out of 7 days during the school year. So, .5*1.00 + .5*0.60 = .8, or four fifths. Does math actually work like that? It really isn't the point of this post.
The point is: there are no good french fries in princeton, and this makes me sad. There were two very good places for fries in Portsmouth (though neither of them ideal): Coat of Arms for fatty steak fries and Portsmouth Brewery for decent hand-cut style fries (not to mention decent sweet potato fries by UNH at Young's, and Duckfat if I go as far as Portland, and many places in Boston...). I have had five different restaurants' french fry offerings so far in Princeton, and they all pale in comparison:
Honestly, the best fries I've had were at Rocky Dining Hall. I'm hoping that as I broaden the search over the summer, that I'll find something decent that isn't as far away as The Continental in Philly or Pommes Frites in NYC. I suppose it's not such a bad thing that it takes an hour to get good fries - it could mean I just won't eat fries that often... but, knowing me, it probably just means I'll eat bad fries and be sad. The search continues.
The point is: there are no good french fries in princeton, and this makes me sad. There were two very good places for fries in Portsmouth (though neither of them ideal): Coat of Arms for fatty steak fries and Portsmouth Brewery for decent hand-cut style fries (not to mention decent sweet potato fries by UNH at Young's, and Duckfat if I go as far as Portland, and many places in Boston...). I have had five different restaurants' french fry offerings so far in Princeton, and they all pale in comparison:
- Witherspoon Grill: overpriced, underflavored
- Efes: completely unacceptable -- limp, greasy, especially compared to so many good fries I've had at Mediterranean places (but I ate them anyway)
- Winberie's: average, boring
- Triumph: they're the double fried ones, maybe lightly battered. not a big fan
- Zorba's Grill take out: probably the best deal of them all for the price, but still nothing special
Honestly, the best fries I've had were at Rocky Dining Hall. I'm hoping that as I broaden the search over the summer, that I'll find something decent that isn't as far away as The Continental in Philly or Pommes Frites in NYC. I suppose it's not such a bad thing that it takes an hour to get good fries - it could mean I just won't eat fries that often... but, knowing me, it probably just means I'll eat bad fries and be sad. The search continues.
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