For the love of Produce...

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Replies

  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,369 Member
    I inherited a smoker this weekend. A friend who moved away two years ago came through for a visit. When she got laid off and went back to school, she made barbecue once every week or to at a local tavern to great reviews. Her smoker was still there and rarely got used. She was trying to find a new home. It has one. It's going to be a learning curve; I've never used one.

    I got an albacore loin to try out because I'm pretty good at cooking them rare with lots of smoke on a Weber charcoal grill, and it's the right time of year that they're coming off the boat fresh. Well, I cooked it and it was fine. To be honest, I would have done better on the grill, so I'm still learning.

    When it was done, I thought.... vegetables! I had harvested a few beets. I sliced them and put them on some foil. I had a couple onions. Good thing I grabbed them; they were sprouting. I spiced them up and put them in the smoker. I set a timer and checked on them. It was getting late; they weren't done yet. Well, I put them back in but didn't set a timer, and I fell asleep in my chair dammit. So I ended up with little lumps of charred inedible rocks.

    I will do better next time.

    Anyone got suggestions for smoked veggies?

    I'm bummed I ruined the beets. I only have maybe a dozen left in the ground, and it will be several more weeks before I can plant more for the fall.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,571 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    I inherited a smoker this weekend. A friend who moved away two years ago came through for a visit. When she got laid off and went back to school, she made barbecue once every week or to at a local tavern to great reviews. Her smoker was still there and rarely got used. She was trying to find a new home. It has one. It's going to be a learning curve; I've never used one.

    I got an albacore loin to try out because I'm pretty good at cooking them rare with lots of smoke on a Weber charcoal grill, and it's the right time of year that they're coming off the boat fresh. Well, I cooked it and it was fine. To be honest, I would have done better on the grill, so I'm still learning.

    When it was done, I thought.... vegetables! I had harvested a few beets. I sliced them and put them on some foil. I had a couple onions. Good thing I grabbed them; they were sprouting. I spiced them up and put them in the smoker. I set a timer and checked on them. It was getting late; they weren't done yet. Well, I put them back in but didn't set a timer, and I fell asleep in my chair dammit. So I ended up with little lumps of charred inedible rocks.

    I will do better next time.

    Anyone got suggestions for smoked veggies?

    I'm bummed I ruined the beets. I only have maybe a dozen left in the ground, and it will be several more weeks before I can plant more for the fall.

    An army of tiny eggplant. :)
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    I inherited a smoker this weekend. A friend who moved away two years ago came through for a visit. When she got laid off and went back to school, she made barbecue once every week or to at a local tavern to great reviews. Her smoker was still there and rarely got used. She was trying to find a new home. It has one. It's going to be a learning curve; I've never used one.

    I got an albacore loin to try out because I'm pretty good at cooking them rare with lots of smoke on a Weber charcoal grill, and it's the right time of year that they're coming off the boat fresh. Well, I cooked it and it was fine. To be honest, I would have done better on the grill, so I'm still learning.

    When it was done, I thought.... vegetables! I had harvested a few beets. I sliced them and put them on some foil. I had a couple onions. Good thing I grabbed them; they were sprouting. I spiced them up and put them in the smoker. I set a timer and checked on them. It was getting late; they weren't done yet. Well, I put them back in but didn't set a timer, and I fell asleep in my chair dammit. So I ended up with little lumps of charred inedible rocks.

    I will do better next time.

    Anyone got suggestions for smoked veggies?

    I'm bummed I ruined the beets. I only have maybe a dozen left in the ground, and it will be several more weeks before I can plant more for the fall.

    There is a South African BBQ restaurant that cooks broccoli and kale in the smoker. Totally divine. Google Braai(= SA BBQ event) for things to do with your smoker. This is the smoked broccoli from the last time I ate at Hammer and Tongs.
    1shblminwyyx.jpeg


  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    That restaurant smokes their potato wedges too, which are amazing.
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
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    Today's farmers market haul: Regular and cherry tomatoes, head of Romaine lettuce, a nice heap of cute little white thai eggplant, some locally-made feta cheese, patty pan and kousa squash (kousa are my favorite), shelled sugar snap peas (one stand does this to sell more once the pods start getting a little fibrous - I think the shelled sugar snaps are a pretty indulgent food, raw or blanched), ground cherries (no, I don't know what I'm doing with these ;) ).

    I need to get eating: I still have a couple of turnips and some kale left over from last week, and got some black cherries, apricots, an ataulfo mango, some apples, and a cucumber at the store yesterday. Yikes! :yum:

    @AnnPT77 - I adore patty pans! I also have to get on finishing up my produce haul. I told my husband to help me out lol
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Two meals from yesterday:

    Red cabbage (with apple, onion, garlic, vinegar) in the IP with some pan wilted kale and a handful of farro, and a seitan "brat."
    0oeewcngkyr4.jpeg

    Sheet pan broccoli and great northern beans with some lemon and garlic, plant based parm and chili flakes. Egg from my hens.
    tp71hhjzb4kx.jpeg

    Is Vegan Thursday a thing? I don't count the egg as it's from my happy happy backyard chickens.

  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    Veg heavy tapas spread. Roast cherry tomatoes, Catalan spinach, habas con jamon made with runner beans instead of brod beans, Portuguese marinated carrots. The non veggie bits where Spanish tortilla and mojama.
    gc7jllvkavyc.jpeg

  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
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    Grocery day! From the top...lettuce and purple cabbage, nectarines, avocado( I also got 2 small ones), apples, corn, bananas, mushrooms, broccoli, cilantro, grape tomatoes, blueberries, and baby carrots
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,369 Member
    I picked a bunch of lemon cucumbers today. I like to pick them just as they are turning yellow and are about the size of a large egg... or a small lemon. At this stage, they are tender, and the seeds are easy to eat. Just a few days too long and they get kind of woody, and you might want to remove the seeds. I'm too lazy for that.

    nmnm8yzjv6gx.jpg

    I cut three or four of them thin and sprinkled with just a little salt. I needed the electrolytes. It was too hot to go hike today, but for some goofy reason, I went out in the 93-degree temperature and ran 4.3 miles. Slowly, yes, but...

    Tomatoes are still a week or three away. Figs maybe about the same.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,369 Member
    I was wrong.

    I found a ripe fig while I was out watering some shrubs. Just one. I pruned the plants heavily last year, so the first (breba) crop will be small. The main crop comes later on this year's new wood, while the breba crop is on last year's new wood. We never get many from the main crop. They rot before they get ripe because, well, that's our climate. At least for now. It was delicious, and I can't even find one more.
    qj3e8v5wg4jk.jpg



  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,619 Member
    My dad's previous property had a large fig tree. I think they were usually ripe around 4th of July??? I loved it when the next door neighbor would make fig jam and homemade honey wheat buns!
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    My fig tree is enormous this year but everything is still green. I got half a dozen ripen about a month back but it's still working on the rest.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    Jealous of all the homegrown fruit. We do have some store bought peaches and persimmons of my favourite type. Best eaten standing over the kitchen sink.
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
    w20lfwae0vzy.jpeg

    Tonight. Finally made pretty food.

    Butter lettuce, watermelon radish, roasted warm cauli, herbs (cilantro, mint) crescents of deseeded Persian cucumber. Miso dressing, the one I guilty pleasure. Weird oils in it.
    Seed crunch stuff. Capers.

    Then unceremoniously dumped a tub of cottage cheese on it. Cottage cheese is many great things. But not picturesque, IMO.
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    Jealous of all the homegrown fruit. We do have some store bought peaches and persimmons of my favourite type. Best eaten standing over the kitchen sink.

    Yesssss.
    My whole garden croaked. Too hot. Also poor soul and a vengeful 🐿
  • purplefizzy
    purplefizzy Posts: 594 Member
    mtaratoot wrote: »
    I was wrong.

    I found a ripe fig while I was out watering some shrubs. Just one. I pruned the plants heavily last year, so the first (breba) crop will be small. The main crop comes later on this year's new wood, while the breba crop is on last year's new wood. We never get many from the main crop. They rot before they get ripe because, well, that's our climate. At least for now. It was delicious, and I can't even find one more.
    qj3e8v5wg4jk.jpg



    So jealous!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    Not fresh produce but I discovered chick pea flour fries and really like them. I do them in the air fryer but they would work under the broiler or shallow fried.
    https://olivesfordinner.com/2018/07/chickpea-fries-with-yogurt-tahini-sauce.html
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    I love fresh broadbeans but cannot believe the edible parts to waste ratio, especially if the skins are leathery and you need to double pod. We have some frozen broad beans too. I have never double podded frozen ones before but wondering if they are as painful to do.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,300 Member
    I have so many small globe tomatoes that I can't keep up. It's only 1 plant, but I am only 1 person. So they are globe tomatoes, shaped like a slicing tomato, but about the size of roma tomatoes. Which makes them not the best for sandwiches. I am getting tired of slicing them on top of avocado toast or having tomato and cucumber salads. Using a few later this week in hummus veggie pasta but I have no clue what else to make with them!
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I have so many small globe tomatoes that I can't keep up. It's only 1 plant, but I am only 1 person. So they are globe tomatoes, shaped like a slicing tomato, but about the size of roma tomatoes. Which makes them not the best for sandwiches. I am getting tired of slicing them on top of avocado toast or having tomato and cucumber salads. Using a few later this week in hummus veggie pasta but I have no clue what else to make with them!

    I don't have a have a garden but bought a 5 kg box of so-so tomatoes from the green grocer very cheap when there was a glut. Roast tomato sauce is an option if the weather is not too hot to have the oven on. I gave a third of the finished batch to the girlfriend who came to help make this. This was the portion that went into our freezer.

    If your tomatoes are really good you won't need to roast them, which is a more manageable way to make tomato sauce for freezing in hot weather.

    cohnn4u1pa4s.jpeg
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,571 Member
    acpgee wrote: »
    Athijade wrote: »
    I have so many small globe tomatoes that I can't keep up. It's only 1 plant, but I am only 1 person. So they are globe tomatoes, shaped like a slicing tomato, but about the size of roma tomatoes. Which makes them not the best for sandwiches. I am getting tired of slicing them on top of avocado toast or having tomato and cucumber salads. Using a few later this week in hummus veggie pasta but I have no clue what else to make with them!

    I don't have a have a garden but bought a 5 kg box of so-so tomatoes from the green grocer very cheap when there was a glut. Roast tomato sauce is an option if the weather is not too hot to have the oven on. I gave a third of the finished batch to the girlfriend who came to help make this. This was the portion that went into our freezer.

    If your tomatoes are really good you won't need to roast them, which is a more manageable way to make tomato sauce for freezing in hot weather.
    (image snipped for length)

    One of the beauties of roasting tomatoes, though - besides the rich, concentrated flavor - is that they get quite a bit smaller, thus requiring less freezer space. I love them roasted a bit further than sauce consistency (but not all the way to dry or leathery) and mixed with pasta plus just some nice grated aged cheese and some minced garlic or freshly garlic-ed good oil.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,369 Member
    Athijade wrote: »
    I have so many small globe tomatoes that I can't keep up. It's only 1 plant, but I am only 1 person. So they are globe tomatoes, shaped like a slicing tomato, but about the size of roma tomatoes. Which makes them not the best for sandwiches. I am getting tired of slicing them on top of avocado toast or having tomato and cucumber salads. Using a few later this week in hummus veggie pasta but I have no clue what else to make with them!

    Let them get REALLY ripe, slice them, and dehydrate.

    If you slice them REALLY thin and dry them until they are uber crispy, they are so intense with flavor. I call them "tomato chips." Then you can save them for later in the year when you can't harvest them.

    I have six tomato plants. What the ocelot was I thinking? Sungold - always yum. Estrena - allegedly a better version of sungold. Green tiger -- a football shaped thing that seems like it has some roma in it, but it's small, and it's green with stripes when ripe. Cosmonaut Volkov - have grown before, and they do well here. Valencia - orange, small slicing tomato that I hope is really good. Berkely Pink Tie Dye - heirloom tomato that I don't actually expect to perform well in our climate, but I loved the name. As a one-person household, I am going to have to find some fun things to do with the bounty. For now it's cucumber season.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    Hubby came home from the market with cherries. Wow. Must remember to get more while they are in season.
  • acpgee
    acpgee Posts: 7,990 Member
    I can't believe the hubby found samphire (aka salicornia) in the supermarket, something I love but haven't eaten in about 12 years. Grows in salt water tidal marshes. so a pre salted vegetable.
    7hhj4if2w6xj.jpg




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