Box 12

To all good people,

I guess it’s time to face it- summer is winding down pretty quickly. During the steamy chaos of July I found myself daydreaming of that first frost, when the weeds would finally relent and the days would be filled with plucking all the long gestating fruits of a good season’s work. I must say however, that as the cooler air begins to sneak into our lives and homes, I find myself wishing that that first frost could be delayed for as long as possible (another month of tomatoes would be OK!)

Such contradictions infuse the coming transition with nuance: the peculiar combination of sheer relief with a sense of nostalgia, the strange admixture of well needed rest and the desire to do it all over again and do it all better. Ay, they tell me patience is a virtue. I  just can’t wait until the day I finally develop some! Anyways, somewhere between the past and the future is it’s still now and here, which brings me to this week’s box:

Carrots

Onions

Celery

Garlic

Tomatoes

Peppers

Watermelon

Mint

Basil

Zucchini (full shares only)

Another sure sign of fall is big produce (and heavy shares!). This week we couldn’t even fit all of the items into the boxes- so don’t forget to pick up a watermelon. They should be waiting alongside the boxes in a crate.

In terms of the what-to-do, I would suggest taking advantage of the combination of celery, onions, and carrots in this week’s box as a flavor base for a soup, stew, or sauce. In French this combination of ingredients is known as ‘mirepoix’, in Portuguese it’s called ‘refogado’, in Spanish ‘sofrito’, and a similar combination is known as the holy trinity in Creole. ‘Nuff said. For a soup, I’ll chop them up and toss them in boiling water first thing to create the flavor base. For a sauce, I’ll sautée them together first before adding anything else.

In addition, I’d like to include a recipe that Brandon made for me once a couple of years ago, and which has been a favorite of mine to bring to potlucks ever since (always a hit, by the way!)

Shredded carrot salad with garlic and mint:

1 pound carrots grated (about 2 to 4 larger carrots)

2 Tbls Olive Oil

1 Tbls minced garlic (the more garlic the better in my opinion)

1-2 Tbls minced fresh mint

Salt to taste

Half a lemon’s juice 

 

Using a cheese grater, grate carrots and add other raw ingredients  in bowl,  stir together.  Done! Serve at room temperature or chilled.  The raw garlic adds a nice suprise kick to this simple carrot salad.  Other raw veggies can be added, like celery, if desired.

For those of you who don’t know, I will be leaving on Tuesday to return to school in Canada, effectively leaving Brandon with quite a hefty load to bear on his own (treat him kindly while I’m gone!) I just wanted to say that it was a pleasure to meet so many of you great folks, and to connect with you through the common goal of having healthier food and healthier environments for our future. Thanks for sharing in this experience with me. If all goes as planned, I will be returning next year for round 2- hope to see you all then!

Kevin