Vegetable Storage and usage questions

[NAF1138]

Having recently watched Food Inc I decided I needed to try harder to eat locally and organically. To that end I have joined up with the local CSA. The way they do things at this particular CSA is you pay them $25 a week and they bring you fresh, organic, locally grown, seasonal produce.

When you see the quality and quantity of the produce you are getting, this turns out to be quite the bargain. For example, this week we got

3 Turnips
a pint of blueberries
5 blood oranges
3 regular oranges
5 pink lady apples
an avocado
4 bok choy
baby spinach
a bunch of asparagus
a bunch of green onions
a bunch of cilantro
a zucchini
a cucumber
an orro blanco

It took 2 bags to fit all of the stuff in it. We also get carrots, celery, various types of lettuce, potatoes, onions, garlic, squash, beets, broccoli, cauliflower and other stuff that's in season depending on the week.

My problem is, this is way more produce than I can go through in a week, and I am starting to have to throw stuff out because I am letting it sit for too long. So I need help on two fronts.

First, I need ideas on how to use some of the more unusual stuff like bok choy and orro blanco, so if you see something in the above and you know a great way to prepare that item let me know. I have no clue what to do with turnips or beets either, but I have both.

Second I need help figuring out how to make longer term storage solutions for stuff that goes bad quickly. I am freezing about half of the blueberries, and I am going to do the same with the cilantro. Can I do that with the green onion too? I have about 6 bunches at this point. What about lettuce and spinach? How can I keep that from wilting so damn quickly? Same with celery.

Basically, I am overrun with good food that I have never really had much easy access to before and I don't know what to do with myself. Help?

[severe delays]

Well the simplest solution would be to sign up to their every other week programme...

In terms of storage, hard things keep longer than soft things. So if it's leafy or squishy then eat it in the first few days. You can cheat a little with some soft fruit by storing some in the fridge until you've eaten other things then bring it out to ripen up. Something like turnip, apples or onions keep for long periods - weeks if not months in a cool, dry spot.

For recipes take a look at www.allrecipes.com - you'll get plenty of good ideas for what to do with unfamiliar ingredients. And if you are really pushed just google 'recipe for x' to get some ideas. You'll also get information about how to make preserves or how best to cook and freeze things.

Finally, blueberry pie would seem to be a good option.

[mlerose]

We eat a LOT of fruit and vegetables, and when we live someplace where a CSA makes sense, we'll get a membership. I think your list looks like less produce than we go through in a week, honestly. As for your list:

You can store root vegetables in a cool dark place for a while. We use a lot of root vegetables in wintery soups. They can also be roasted or caramelized.

Spinach, zucchini, and green onions can be chopped up small and put in just about anything you cook (omelets, fritatas, quiches, pasta sauce, meatballs, meatloaf, casseroles).

Bok choy (is it a full size or baby bok choi?) is an asian vegetable and can be sliced thinly lengthwise and tossed into any stir-fry over rice or noodles. You can also stir-fry it with mushrooms and soy sauce and a bit of sesame oil.

Oro blanco are related to grapefruits and pomelos, though they are much sweeter and less bitter than regular grapefruits. I eat them like I would an orange, except I peel the membrane off the outside of each segment. Try segmenting it and tossing it into a citrus fruit salad along with one or two of your blood oranges, and some fresh mint if you can get ahold of it.

Now that I think about it, I am exceedingly jealous.

[WednesdayAddams]

Can't freeze green onions; they'll just turn brown and go bad faster. It would go well with Bok Choy in soup though. Any kind of soup, really. When I'm out of ideas, I go to foodgawker and start paging through. You can also do searches:

green onion recipes
Bok Choy recipes (way more than I thought there would be)

Hi, mle! I was thinking of you when I made veggie soup last night!

[HongKongFooey]

A couple of things I learned the hard way:

Don't store onions and potatoes together. They both like dark spots in the cupboard but the potatoes will make the onions go bad faster.

For blueberries and strawberries and the like. It's better to store or freeze them in single layers. I went to a restaurant supply place and bought some small steel trays (they have a name for them but I forget what it is, hotel pans or something). Anyway they fit nicely into the bottom of my freezer. Once the berries are frozen I put them into a container and then back into a single layer for defrosting. Leaving them in a pile gets you soggy and sometimes fuzzy berries when you go to use them again.

[NAF1138]

Originally Posted by mlerose

Now that I think about it, I am exceedingly jealous.

Yeah, I know. I shouldn't complain (and really, I'm not complaining). I guess my problem comes from the fact that I am having to reverse how I think about cooking. My whole adult life I have figured out what I wanted to eat, gotten the ingredients (from the store or from my own stores) and then cooked that thing. I am having a hard time now that I have to look and what I have and figure out what I want to eat that I can make with it. It's backward!

I have never cooked with a beet or turnip or bok choy (full sized) so I guess I see that part as an adventure. But while I figure out what to do with that I have a full head of romaine, a head of some other leave lettuce and a bunch of baby spinach quickly going south in my fridge.


I have switched to the every other week plan though.

[mlerose]

In that case I think the internet is going to be your best friend. There are tons of recipe sites that involve seasonal produce (and a CSA, even in LA, is usually going to have SOME element of seasonality to it), and you can always google "beet recipes" or whatever.

(Can you ask them not to give you certain things? I know some CSAs have that ability. For example, I'm not much of a fan of beets so I would have a hard time with a CSA that gave me beets every week.)

Or maybe you can make it a foodie 'raffer challenge. When you have some stuff that you don't know what to do with, post it here on the geeb and give us a chance to suggest a particular dish or recipe?

[HongKongFooey]

Originally Posted by NAF1138

I have never cooked with a beet

Roast them with beets and garlic, roast 'em, beets, garlic! *deep breath* Wait, you like garlic right?

Peel the beets. They're really messy, it's the only time I wear gloves in the kitchen. Toss 'em with olive oil and chopped garlic. Roast. I'm not sure about times and temperatures, I just wing it but I can get the appropriate times if you need them. I love beets made that way.

[NAF1138]

That's not a bad idea.

I can start a bi weekly "What the heck should I do with this" thread. I am also going to check out foodgawker that Wednesday suggested. I like Allrecipies if you are looking for something you are already familiar with, but I have gotten burned repeatedly using them to try to venture into unfamiliar territory.

[mlerose]

My go-to recipe site is smitten kitchen, which is pretty seasonally-oriented and has excellent searchable capabilities.

[Rebo]

It takes me a couple of weeks to use up a head of romaine. I like to wrap it in paper towels, and put it in a ziploc bag. Every time I use it, I change the paper towel. It seems to keep it dry, but still moist. I do the same with green onions. The green onions go bad very quickly, so as I use them, I pick off the slimy green parts.

That said, Mongolian beef uses a lot of green onions.

I make a jerk marinade in a blender that uses green onions, chopped ginger, soy sauce, orange juice, chopped garlic, and habanero pepper. Marinade chicken kebabs or shrimp in it.

My husband eats green onion sandwiches!

Baby spinach can be cooked and frozen.

Turnips are good mashed like potatoes, or in a stew.

[NAF1138]

Originally Posted by HongKongFooey

Roast them with beets and garlic, roast 'em, beets, garlic! *deep breath* Wait, you like garlic right?

Peel the beets. They're really messy, it's the only time I wear gloves in the kitchen. Toss 'em with olive oil and chopped garlic. Roast. I'm not sure about times and temperatures, I just wing it but I can get the appropriate times if you need them. I love beets made that way.

I do like garlic. I will give that a try. My wife claims to hate beets, but will try anything once. Any suggestions on other things to go with? I have only ever had pickled beets.

While I am asking silly questions, I am getting (almost) all of this produce whole. Which means I am getting the whole beet, and the carrot tops etc. Are those good for anything or is it just trash? Compost isn't an option right now since I live in an apartment.

[Rebo]

I've seen carrot tops used as a garnish much like fennel fronds - on the Food Network I guess. I've never eaten them.

I would throw them away, but maybe someone will come along and tell you how to use them in a stock...

[HongKongFooey]

Let's see. Beets. I made this Beet and Apple slaw once and it was pretty good. Not earth-shattering good but nice to have once in a while. If you can get fresh horseradish you could make an awesome horseradish dressing to go with it. I know we've made other good dishes with it. I can't think of them right now though.

[whirlingbladesofkick]

I think beet greens can be eaten the way any other hardy (cooking) green can be...I guess most people braise them. In fact, the green tops of beets were the part that was eaten for most of the history of the beet. The beetroot itself can be boiled, steamed, braised, or roasted as mentioned. We like to boil beets and dice them up in salads. You usually want to cook beets first, by whatever method, then peel them when they're cool enough to handle. Much easier to get the peels off!

Beet is definitely an acquired taste. However, Bok Choy? YUM. Just steamed or boiled up and topped with whatever flavorings you like to put on cooked green veg....I can't get enough Bok Choy.

[Islander]

Surprisingly, carrot tops are higher in nutrition than the carrots themselves. I juice them because I can, but I also snip them into soups as you would parsley. Not much flavor but lots of goodness.

[Zombies!]

Bok Choy is good with oyster sauce and finely diced garlic

[nonny too]

Most green leafy things will take longer to wilt if you place the stem in water. This is a bit of a pain in terms of fridge space, but it extends their useful fresh life (I always take a slice off the bottom before doing this).

Some vegies which don't freeze well if they're frozen raw are just fine if you blanch them first. Spinach, cabbage, bok choy, etc all fall into this category.

Green onions (I think you're talking about what we call "shallots" or "spring onions" here, depending on the state", don't freeze well raw, but if there's another ingredient you usually use them with when cooking - a lot of things I cook start with sauteing shallots and bacon, for instance - then you can freeze them after the first preparation step with no ill-effect.

For lettuce, invest in a lettuce crisper or salad spinner. Wash the lettuce when you first get home, get rid of the excess moisture and store it in the container. Some supermarkets here sell reusable bags for storing salad vegetables and I've found that they do make a difference to how long those things remain crisp. They're a much heavy plastic and a different type of plastic than normal food storage bags.

Airtight containers are your friend when it comes to salad vegetables (including celery). It's the loss of moisture which makes them go yucky so fast. I have salad bowls with lids and if I don't dress the salad, it's just fine 3-4 days later - no limp lettuce or soggy cucumber.

Pretty much any vegetable that isn't going to get used fresh and crunchy around here will end up as a soup or casserole ingredient. You don't have to make a soup or casserole right now - just freeze it in stock for later (once frozen, I then put it in a ziplock bag so I don't have a freezer full of mostly empty containers).

[nonny too]

Originally Posted by Zombies!

Bok Choy is good with oyster sauce and finely diced garlic

Bok choy and pak choy are great just lightly steamed with no seasoning at all, too.

[nonny too]

Another thing you can do with green onions is plant the white bits with the roots. I do this all the time instead of throwing them in the bin. You'll have a never-ending supply of them if you do that (which you can give away to others, as you'll be getting more in your next delivery).