Essentials Box | September 18, 2021

Here’s this week’s all-organic Essentials Box lineup with several locally sourced delights:

• Delicata Squash (Sound Sustainable Farms)
• Lacinato Kale (Sound Sustainable Farms)
• Blue Italian Plum (OPMA)
• Bartlett Pears (OPMA)
• Lime
• Red Onion
• Romaine Lettuce
• Red Potatoes
• Broccoli

Here’s a great idea for using the Delicata squash and Lacinato kale (along with apples from the store) from Love and Lemons.

Delicata Squash and Lacinato Kale

Essentials Box | July 10, 2021

Here’s this week’s all-organic Essentials Box lineup with lots of locally sourced produce:

• Fennel (Ralph’s Greenhouse)
• Apricots (OPMA)
• Romaine (Sound Sustainable Farms)
• Sugar Snap Peas (Sound Sustainable Farms)
• Magda Squash (Sound Sustainable Farms)
• Bananas
• Pink Lady Apples
• Red Potatoes
• Green Onions

Unfortunately, our distributor did not deliver bananas as promised.

Here are some tidbits to think about from the contents of this week’s box.

Magda squash, you say? It’s a Mediterranean summer squash that’s similar to the zucchini, but with a paler green skin and more globe-shaped (like an eggplant.) This plump squash is typically about 4 inches long, has a sweet, faintly nutty flavor, and works in recipes that would call for zucchini.

Because of its plump size, it’s a good candidate for stuffing. Here are a couple of recipe starters:

Essentials Box Feb 6th, 2021

  • pinklady apples
  • avocado
  • lime
  • red leaf
  • celery
  • red onions
  • red potatoes
  • purple kale
  • cilantro

All items organic

What to do with it all: 
*Or some of all the deliciousness. Since i live alone often i will eat half the avocado and make a dressing or sauce out of the other half to eat the following day. Since we cannot predict the ripeness of what we will get from the producers there are a few options this week to use them.

  • Red Lettuce Salad with pepitas, avocado, cilantro and pink lady apple with a lime vinaigrette. 
  • Salad with a creamy cilantro lime avocado dressing.
  • That avocado base can also be used to replace the mayo to make Potato Salad with the red potatoes, onions and celery.
  • Leftover celery and onion can be used, all the same ingredients sans potatoes can be used to make chickpea salad sandwiches.
    • Cook the chickpeas forever until they are mush then mash them until there are no chunks bigger than the cut of the celery and onion.
    • Hint: smaller the chunks the more tasty but too small and it is just mush.
  • Alternately the potatoes, onions and kale can be made into a hash. 
  • If you still have zucchini leftover, i recommend using a peeler to make zucchini noodles and make kale lasagna with your favorite filling.
  • Lime Vinaigrette:
    • lime and apple cider, champagne or other wine vinegar
    • olive oil
    • add a clove of garlic if you like
    • salt n pepper
    • optional: make it spicy by adding some dried or fresh spicy pepper
    • optional: pepitas
      • dry roast in a cast iron by warming the iron adding a layer, toasting until they start to pop and then turning off heat, stir occasionally remove from pan when browned
      • or toast: 10-15 mins in a 300-350 degree oven
      • at the end of or immediately after toasting pepitas, add some dried spicy pepper along with some regular snp
      • Or use some tajin seasoning
      • a touch of oil will help seasonings stick
  • Avocado Dressing:
    • add ripe avocado to blender
    • add sour
      • total sour should be around 1/4 cup for one avocado such as two tablespoons lime juice and two tablespoons apple cider vinegar
        • this is flexible depending on how much lime you have and taste
    • add a clove of garlic if you like
    • salt n pepper
    • blend to puree
      • add water to thin
      • add olive oil to thicken
    • optional: add lightly chop cilantro
      • blend lightly so cilantro is still visible aka do not puree
  • Potato Salad:
    • cube potatoes into one inch and smaller chunks
    • add to boiling water.
    • boil until soft but still firm. drain.
    • add chopped onion and celery.
    • add above sauce in substitution for mayo.
    • Important Note: I don’t like the flavors of sweet relish and cilantro together so it is one or the other of the following for me.
    • optional: add your mustard
    • optional: add relish
    • optional: and/or leave the cilantro out of the above recipe and add that directly to the salad. 
  • For some protein, hard boiled eggs can be chunked in.

I tried to make videos last week but until i get a computer that can handle video editing that is going to have to be put on hold. Until then i hope you enjoy these tasty recipes and i look forward to seeing what you all make.

So as always, let us know what you’ve made by tagging our Facebook and Instagram feeds and using #lovemydgcbox

Happy eating! 

In Solidarity,
Smitty and the DGC Crew