For the love of Produce...

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Replies

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    The fancy veg score. Very pleased to find this stuff.
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  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,066 Member
    @acpgee @mtaratoot I want to come over for artichokes! I wish I had the room to grow them! I put buckets on the walkway just so I could grow Gutahs (Armenian cukes) and peppers, heirloom tomatoes are way behind size-wise but I planted them too as well as doubling my herb garden. I'd love to grow artichokes!
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    When you get your stock home and realise the fridge/freezer is on the blink... yikes. Repair person on the way, cross all the things for me.

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    Bonus:
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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    When you get your stock home and realise the fridge/freezer is on the blink... yikes. Repair person on the way, cross all the things for me.

    You probably want to have some of the fragile leafy stuff tonight but I would be tempted to make the asparagus.

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    Planning to steam the artichokes we have to dip in hollandaise tomorrow as a starter. Any ideas on a main to have afterwards? Thinking of a simple pasta such as cacio e pepe but would welcome ideas.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    Steamed artichokes with hollandaise.
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  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    pancakerunner wrote: »
    Not sure if anyone has posted about fiddleheads, but my dad recently turned me on to them.

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    sauteed in butter... similar in taste to green beans/brussels sprouts

    I have never seen these before😲
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    pancakerunner wrote: »
    Not sure if anyone has posted about fiddleheads, but my dad recently turned me on to them.

    sauteed in butter... similar in taste to green beans/brussels sprouts

    I grew up eating these in Ontario and Quebec in Canada. These are immature fern heads which later become toxic as the leaves mature. I would stick to eating frozen fiddleheads for this reason. They are delicious. Similar in taste to green asparagus, if I remember correctly.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    I love fiddleheads in season (which is the only time I see them here). But I've never bought them to cook for myself; only had them at restaurants.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    I found fiddleheads kind of meh, not worth the expense/trouble, even though I adore asparagus, to which many compare them. They're OK-ish to eat, don't get me wrong. But I don't understand the fuss. I like them better pickled than as a cooked veg. I like them even better as grown up ferns in my garden. ;)

    As an aside, it's amusing me to see this, given that I just had conversation on another social media platform (with a mix of foodies and gardeners) about "fiddleheads" the botanical term, vs. "fiddleheads" the culinary item. It was provoked by me calling these "fiddleheads" (which they are, botanically), but you probably wouldn't enjoy eating them (wrong fern). :lol:

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  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,227 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    pancakerunner wrote: »
    Not sure if anyone has posted about fiddleheads, but my dad recently turned me on to them.

    cq0lsp58m36f.png

    sauteed in butter... similar in taste to green beans/brussels sprouts

    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much work for what you get with these IMHO. Not for me.

    I have a friend who feels this way about artichokes. He has a "work to eat" ratio kind of thing. He even thinks fresh Dungeness crab is too much work for too little reward.

    Poor boy.
  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,066 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    pancakerunner wrote: »
    Not sure if anyone has posted about fiddleheads, but my dad recently turned me on to them.

    cq0lsp58m36f.png

    sauteed in butter... similar in taste to green beans/brussels sprouts

    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much work for what you get with these IMHO. Not for me.

    I have a friend who feels this way about artichokes. He has a "work to eat" ratio kind of thing. He even thinks fresh Dungeness crab is too much work for too little reward.

    Poor boy.

    Artichokes are worth it! Trying to get a piece of meat off a chicken wing without fat or skin not worth it.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
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    Tonight's super veg dinner - kitchen fridge is not cooling so all my veg is crammed into the little spare we luckily have. Week of 90 degrees, great time for fridge issues... quick steamed some fresh cut corn, on spinach with a spiralized zucchini, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and avocado with some Bolthouse lemon basil dressing and a sprinkle of S&P and dried onions. Cantaloupe was perfect and sweet, dumped my protein in it.
  • pancakerunner
    pancakerunner Posts: 6,137 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    pancakerunner wrote: »
    Not sure if anyone has posted about fiddleheads, but my dad recently turned me on to them.

    cq0lsp58m36f.png

    sauteed in butter... similar in taste to green beans/brussels sprouts

    Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much work for what you get with these IMHO. Not for me.

    not a lot of work at all imo
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,227 Member
    Yeah, but that's not crab. It's k-rab. Nothing wrong with surimi, but it's not crab. Goes well with those chanterelles (or similar mushroom; hard to tell). Are those hearts of palm? Looks tasty, but I think I'm going to go get me a CRAB.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,227 Member
    Oh, I buy and eat surimi. I just don't call it crab :smile:
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,227 Member
    Still looks tasty, and yeah - I want some. If not for the damn virus, I'd be right over.

    I'm probably too late.

    Oh well. I guess I'll cut another 'choke.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Trying my hand at making a weird combination of Indian style spinach plus eggplant with tofu, mostly because I had eggplant, tofu, and spinach that needed to be used. Smelling good so far.

    Had a giant salad for lunch with homemade Caesar like dressing (not a Caesar salad since no anchovies and no croutons).
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Had a giant salad for lunch with homemade Caesar like dressing (not a Caesar salad since no anchovies and no croutons).

    A girlfriend in college who was a brilliant hack in the kitchen would make caesar dressing by adding SE Asian fish sauce (also based on anchovy) to vinaigrette. I think she would mix in either an egg yolk or some commercial mayo.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    Does anyone have experience with making asparagus and artichoke stock? The last few occasions we ate white asparagus and artichokes we saved the peels and hard stems in a separate bag in the freezer. Hubby remembers advice not to boil asparagus trimmings for hours, as it gets bitter after a long simmer. Haven't found much advise online so any advice appreciated.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Trying my hand at making a weird combination of Indian style spinach plus eggplant with tofu, mostly because I had eggplant, tofu, and spinach that needed to be used. Smelling good so far.

    Had a giant salad for lunch with homemade Caesar like dressing (not a Caesar salad since no anchovies and no croutons).

    Bustardized Indian food is easy, I make it all the time. For sure it will smell good and still taste good.
    Making proper Indian food is not easy at all, too many moving parts are involved.

    Yeah, it turned out great.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,227 Member
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    Tomatoes.

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    And cilantro.

    I like how you plop in the eggs and put the lid back on to braise the eggs in place without moving them until they are cooked to perfection.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    A first harvest of pea shoots for tonight's salad.
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  • Katmary71
    Katmary71 Posts: 7,066 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    A first harvest of pea shoots for tonight's salad.
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    @acpgree You reminded me that I need to get those going, they look awesome! I have 18 new herb seedlings plus three new vegetables that aren't hooked up to the drip system yet (and it's upper 90s this week!) and some kitchen scraps growing, would peas and Mung beans do ok with that weather? I can put them in the shade if it's better for them.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    Katmary71 wrote: »
    acpgee wrote: »
    A first harvest of pea shoots for tonight's salad.

    @acpgree You reminded me that I need to get those going, they look awesome! I have 18 new herb seedlings plus three new vegetables that aren't hooked up to the drip system yet (and it's upper 90s this week!) and some kitchen scraps growing, would peas and Mung beans do ok with that weather? I can put them in the shade if it's better for them.

    I am in London and the weather here is definitely warm enough to germinate soaked marrowfat peas and popcorn kernels. I did cover while germinating with a baking tray for warmth and darkness for the first week which I think helped the germination rate. They are doing quite well on west facing balcony where the balcony on the floor above keeps them out of the sun for part of the day. But as you can see there is no other shade. I remember reading that microgreens don't need full sun. This is the growth on day 20 after sowing. The oven tray is on the balcony because I have been bottom watering. Those plastic containers that berries and cherry tomatoes are sold in, which already have holes on the bottom are a good depth for planting microgreens.

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  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,946 Member
    @Katmary71 it sounds like you are somewhere with a warm climate. I think the peashoots like that. I normally plant mine at the height of summer in August. This is the earliest I have tried them with success. I tried in the middle of winter but got a pathetic germination rate.
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
    Cheated last night- grabbed a glass noodle salad from a local fusion place.
    Shrimp, ground chicken, herbs, glass noodles, lots of light vinegar chili lime dresssing.

    Added:
    a head of micro-shredded green cabbage. More cilantro. Some shredded broccoli stalks, some quick roasted broccoli (blistered in coconut oil, splash of red boat, some GF good soy.)

    Ate a steamed Ube (the looks-white-cooks-purple) yam for dessert.

    Big improvement over the usually (bunch of roasted whatever with cottage cheese on top) slip I’ve been fueling with.

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