Last Tuesday, I picked up my CSA share and then lugged two over stuffed bags of farm fresh veggies to Liz’s house. The plan was to use up as many as possible while creating meals. I walked into Liz’s, plopped down the two heavy bags on her counters, and we began to unload — Fava beans, carrots, onions, basil, dill, kohl rabi, turnips, garlic, kale, bok choy, and lots and lots of lettuce — all covered in a thick layer of dirt.
Before cooking, we’d have a lot of washing and scrubbing to do. Thankfully we were together, which would make the intimidating job ahead that much easier! Liz was in charge of removing the shells from the fava beans, while I was busy washing and drying the lettuce and kale.
After we finished scrubbing, we decided to make a vegetable chili. I began sautéing the onions and garlic while Liz chopped vegetables. In a short period of time, we had a large pot simmering on the stove.
While our chili cooked, we moved onto some more cooking and prepping. We tore kale into pieces away from the stems, drizzled them with olive oil, sprinkled them with salt and then baked them into delightful crisps. The kids, always eager to taste, came in and out of the kitchen. Liz’s two-year old devoured the chili and kept asking for more (Liz joked that she’d pay for it later with a diaper full!) – My kids adored the kale crisps.
We chopped bok choy, cabbage, onions and carrots, and packed them away in two gallon sized zip locs. All we’d have to do is add a bit of protein and seasoning for delightfully fresh dinners later that week.
It was a fulfilling few hours.
I walked out of Liz’s with two bags of squeaky clean vegetables just waiting to be eaten and three quarts of farm fresh vegetable chili. My kids had a chance to play with their friends while I caught up with my friend. I am looking forward to doing the same thing again this Tuesday. It’s so much easier than doing it alone!
Use soap if you like. [FDA and others DO NOT recommend using soap or detergent. This just adds more contaminants!] Some health food stores sell special preparations that are made from biodegradable, food-safe detergents that help to clean the fruit and vegetables with the minimum of scrubbing. To save money, and to protect the environment (by limiting extra packaging) you really can just use any kind of soap for washing vegetables and fruits. Just rinse well.Looking for internet phone service and internet.