Kombucha

Have to learn how to make this stuff. Last week was grapefruit rosemary. This week is orange citrus. Good for your gut. Wonderful aperitif.

Chioggia beet chips

I have joined a Farm to Table CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) and LOVE it! What is a CSA? It is a socio- economic model of agriculture and food distribution. Members of a community pledge their support to a farmer or partnership of local growers so that the farmland holds an intrinsic value to both the growers and the community supporters. This relationship benefits the growers providing them a guaranteed direct market while allowing consumers to get fresh local produce on a consistent basis. Greenbrier Nurseries offers many heirloom vegetables and fruits and I show up every weekend to pick up a large bag of awesome yumminess. You never know what you are going to get and for five weeks now it has been an awesome adventure every week. I usually get at least one item per week that I have not really worked with much in the past. It forces me to experiment and learn how to cook with new items. This is EXACTLY what I love to do! Below you can see some of the items I have procured over the past few weeks. 

Week 1: Beautiful carrots - purple, orange, white....who knew carrots came in so many colors? Check out the results....roasted carrots drizzled with red beet vinegar and crumbled goat cheese....LOVE these beautiful colors!

Week 2: Parsnips - like a sweet carrot, great in soup. Butternut squash...awesome in soup and delicious roasted. The week consisted mainly of roasted vegetables, all yummy and warm on cold days.

Week 3: What is this weird green? Was told it was a weed, but tasted like arugula, a bit spicy and peppery. Made a good bit of salad this week and incorporated this unusual green into it.

Week 4: Raw peanuts...yum! Kind of lack luster until you roast them. Then they take on a delicious rich nutty flavor that can't be beat. This is what I love about the CSA. You get stuff and think "what am I going to do with this" and then just the process of enjoying the earthy yumminess overtakes you and you experience food in a way you never intended. You see God's hand in all his goodness. Also, received chioggia beets...beautiful! Have you ever seen anything so absoultely beautiful?! I mandolined them thin and cooked them at 250 degrees for approximately one hour on a silicone mat, no additives, and made beet chips. It was like candy, super sweet....CRACK!

Fried cauliflower with tamarind mint dipping sauce from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More.

Week 5: Turnips...Fall root vegetables... something I am learning about. Yummy goodness unknown to the general populus...we often think God is hibernating during these cold, bleak days, until we experience the depth of flavor found in the root vegetables (turnips, beets, rutabaga, etc.)... God is omnipresent in these lovely forms.

Chicken stew with turnips and mushrooms....yum!