CSA share!

[shalora]

So my friend is out of town and asked if I would like her CSA share this week. Fresh food FTW! Still not sure what all of it is... ;) And really not sure what to DO with some of it, so I come to my foodie friends (yes, I'm looking at you 3catsjackson, and nicodemusrat, and herefox) for help. Please bear in mind that I am BROKE LIKE WHOAH at the moment, and have little in the

Comments

[ruhaniyyih]

Pesto is great as a pasta sauce... never heard of making it with parsely, though... Parsely goes well with potatoes. If you have any cheese and/or eggs, you can make a really good frittata by chopping up a bunch of parsely, mashing potatoes, mixing up with whatever you have (one egg should be enough to hold it together) and fry it...

The cylindrical thing sounds like leeks. Very good for soup. Rutabagas are also very good in soups and stews. I like the idea of adding them to mashed potatoes, too, as they will change the texture a little and add some flavor. Pumpkins are VERY good for soups... Easiest way to "shell" pumpkins is to cut them into chunks and bake or steam or boil, and just scrape the meat out.

Fun eating adventures!

[shalora]

Yeah, been looking at more images, and I think it's leeks. Bok choy has ruffly leaves, these are straight, and it's thinner and less leefy looking than the bok choy.

So - leaves vs white cylindrical area, which is best to use? Or just start at one end and use it all eventually?

(it's really amazing how clueless I can be about cooking...)

[kit_ping]

Cut in half, wash really really really well (they grow in sandy soil that gets up into the leaves). The green part gets woody/chewy up towards the top; I'd probably use the bottom 2/3ds or so. Depends on how old they are. Chop them like you would a green onion, sauteé in butter until the go all translucent, then add chicken or vegetable stock, cream (skippable for either calorie or cost control), potatoes, and your favorite soup herbs. (The parsley would be good here as an accent.) Simmer gently until the potatoes are done. Eat wonderful yummy potato leek soup. :9

[shalora]

I currently do not own anything even remotely resembling a picture-taking device. However, it perfectly matches this image from google:

[arethinn]

Another bag full of what sure as heck looks like parsley. Parsley is definitely a strong flavor. My friend says you can make parsley into pesto? I need to look into this. What does one then DO with pesto?

Curly parsley (the familiar garnishing kind) or flat (Italian) parsley? They have somewhat different flavors - I think the flat kind is supposed to be more pungent, but my tongue can't really tell the difference.

[nicodemusrat]

You've managed to hit a list of ingredients that I almost never use, oddly enough. :)

I second Kit's suggestion of leek soup.

The collard greens (or possibly kale) won't stir fry too well. They need a bit more cooking time to really break down. I would recommend cutting them into thin strips and adding them to a soup. Maybe get some stew beef, brown that in a pan, add the greens to brown for a minute, then add broth. The carrots and/or potatoes would also be great in this.

Turnips (or possibly rutabagas)... Do you have a mandolin or V-slicer? If not, do you have a cheese planer? Remove skins. Slice into thin wafers. Shallow fry in a pan with ripping hot oil. Veggie chips! :)

[maiden_midwife]

If you have leeks and potatoes you can make potato leek soup.
Rutebegas are good in soups too, or you can roast them with meat, and carrots.

If your plethora of veggies happens to include fennel bulb (in season this time of year) you could roast that along with the rutabegas. Here's a link to what fennel bulb looks like:
http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/images/fennel_300.jpg

Here's a helpful video about pumpkin pie from scratch:
http://www.chow.com/food-news/55335/how-to-make-pumpkin-pie-with-boris-portnoy/

There's a lot of other awesome cooking tips on www.chow.com.