Tried and True - Croutons

Crunchy food is fun.  Crunchy food tastes good.  Some people don't like crunchy peanut butter but in general it seems that crunchy foods are quite popular.  Which is why the following words appeared on the package of the "Sweet Butter Premium Croutons" I bought at the grocery store last week.   "Our crispy, crunchy toppings add taste and excitement to salads and more!"

Who could resist?   Only $2.00 for five ounces of excitement -- about 2 1/2 cups of little cubes containing wheat flour, malted barley flour, various minerals like niacin and riboflavin, high fructose corn syrup, whey, canola or sunflower oil, wheat gluten, dehydrated butter, nonfat milk, calcium propionate, calcium peroxide, calcium sulfate, ascorbic acid, salt, sugar, butter oil. soybean oil, natural flavors, turmeric and extractive of annatto (for color) and more.  Here they are.  I have to admit, they didn't taste too bad.  Just a little of that "fake flavor" aftertaste.   Kids might like these better than homemade, at least at first, because they are used to that extra sweetness and saltiness and "natural flavor".  Plus they do look good - all golden brown and toasty.

Maybe it is because I have recently turned 60 and am jaded as well as hopelessly old fashioned and frugal in my food tastes.   But I just don't need that much excitement - at least not from my croutons.  So I make my own at home.  I personally find that quite pleasurable, if not exciting. 

I made two kinds of crouton - the cubed kind and the sliced kind.  All you need to try this is a loaf of good french bread (or other good artisan type bread with some substance.  Smooshy bread just won't do here) and a little olive oil or butter.  A clove or two of garlic is optional.  The list of ingredients for the cubed croutons is:   wheat flour,  yeast, salt, olive oil and fresh garlic.  The components of the sliced kind are wheat flour, yeast and salt.  Water of course was used to make the bread.  Lanesboro water, because I made it myself.  We can talk about that another day.

Cubed croutons - excellent with all kinds of soups or salads. 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut or tear bread into little bite sized cubes or pieces.  Is is ok - even preferred - if the bread is stale.  If you find day old bread on special snap it up so you can make croutons (or french toast).

Pour olive oil into a bowl - about 1 tablespoon for each heaping cup of bread cubes.  If you wish, smash a clove or two of garlic and let it sit in the olive oil for an hour or two beforehand to infuse the oil with garlic flavor.  Fish out the garlic and save it for another use.  Add bread to oil and quickly stir around so olive oil is uniformly distributed.  Place on a baking sheet in one layer.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crunchy.  If you want, turn off the oven and leave bread inside a little longer to ensure that it dries out completely.
Store in tightly sealed bag or other container at room temperature for a week or two - if they last that long!

I admit the homemade croutons are not as flashy looking as the storebought kind.  But they won't let you down.  Plus they are not as spendy.  And I think they taste better. 

Sliced croutons - use in soups or as a base for cheese, pates or other snacks or appetizers.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Slice bread about 1/2 inch thick.  Place in one layer on an ungreased baking sheet.  Bake about 10-12 minutes, or until bread is crispy.  Optional - brush with a little olive oil after baking. Cool.  These can be stored in a tightly sealed bag or other container for a week or two.

Focus: KOHLRABI

Kohlrabi - Brassica Oleracea var. gongylodes

Kohlrabi means "cabbage turnip" in German.  It belongs to the cabbage family and has been around for at least 500 years so far as we know.  It is especially popular in  Central European countries and has not been available commercially in this country until fairly recently.

 When it is young and not too big (less than 3 inches in diameter) - it is known for its mild, delicate, peppery and even sweet flavor and its crunchy, juicy and crisp texture.  It is not a root vegetable, even though it looks like one.  The bulb grows above ground and is really a swollen stem.  It can be eaten raw or cooked.  The leaves can be prepared in the same way as turnip or collard greens. (fairly long braising)  Unless very small and young, the bulbs should be peeled prior to eating or cooking.

Preparation
Kohlrabi can be boiled, steamed, sauteed or braised.  It can be shredded, cubed, julienned or mashed.
It is very compatible with many seasonings and flavors, such as bacon, dill, caraway, cream (what isn't compatible with cream?), onion, garlic, ginger,  nutmeg, thyme, mustard, lemon and parsley.

Flavor
Some people describe the taste of kohlrabi as similar to a radish.  Some say it is like a combination of cucumber and broccoli.  Whatever it tastes like, some people are crazy about it.  This is what The New Basics cookbook had to say: "Kohlrabi, once tasted, can become an obsession, for it seems to exude freshness - almost a peppery version of broccoli."

Storage
Separate the leaves from the bulb.  Do not wash until ready to eat.  The leaves can be stored in a bag in the refrigerator for a week or so.  If the bulb is stored in an open or perforated plastic bag, it should keep several weeks.  My sources did not agree on storage time.  The range for a refrigerated bulb was 5 days to one month.  Since your CSA kohlrabi is very fresh when you get it, I think you could store it for at least 3 weeks if you needed or wanted to.

Nutrition
Kohlrabi is very high in vitamins C  - a one cup serving supplies 149% of your daily requirement.  It is also high in fiber and potassium.  One cup is only 40 calories.

Serving Suggestions

Last night I decided to julienne a bulb of kohlrabi.  Once it was peeled and cut up, I put it into a pot of boiling water for about 5 minutes.  It was still tender crisp when I drained it.  Then I sauteed it in about 2 t. of butter and added about 1/3 cup of heavy cream, about 2 T. chopped fresh dill and a little salt and pepper.


I cooked that a few more minutes, cover off, until the cream reduced by about half.  We ate it as a vegetable side dish.  One bulb was enough for three servings.

Because of its fresh taste,  this dish could stand up quite well to something like fried fish or chicken.  Or even baked ham or a pork roast.  We had it with pinto beans, greens and brown rice.

Kohlrabi serving ideas - remember to peel  before cooking or eating unless very young and tender)

Raw Kohlrabi
Slice -about 1/4 inch.  Dip halfway into fresh lime juice and then chili powder.  Arrange on plate.

Slice or cut into sticks.  Serve with other fresh raw vegetables as part of a crudite platter with favorite dip.

Grate. Squeeze moisture out.  Mix with beaten egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper,  minced onion.  (about 1 egg, 2 T. onion and 2 T. crumbs per cup of grated kohlrabi.  Add other herbs or spices to taste.)  Fry patties in hot , butter, olive oil or other fat.  These patties would be nice served with plain yogurt and a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Grate or cut into small sticks or cubes.  Mix with equal amount of grated or cut up fresh apple.  Add a mustard vinaigrette sweetened with a little honey or maple syrup.  Makes a lovely salad or side dish.

Thinly slice or coarsely grate kohlrabi.   Spread butter or cream cheese on two slices of good quality dark pumpernickel bread.  Sprinkle with fresh or dried dill or caraway if desired.  Place slices of kohlrabi on bread and lightly salt.  Eat open faced or as a regular sandwich.  This would be excellent with a little summer sausage.

Grate or cut into very thin strips.  Use as you would cabbage to make coleslaw.  Good with grated carrot, onion and chopped parsley or dill.  I would add some fresh or powdered mustard and a pinch of sugar.

Cooked Kohlrabi

Steam or boil cubed kohlrabi about 10-15 minutes or until tender.  Mash with a little butter, salt and pepper.  Can also be mashed with cooked potatoes in desired proportion.

Cube and roast like you would carrots, rutabagas or parsnips.

Julienne (that means cut into little sticks about 1/4 inch thick).  Stir fry with garlic, ginger, cashews, carrots and shitake mushrooms.  Add a few spoons each of soy sauce and rice wine, a teaspoon of sesame oil and a pinch of sugar.  Serve with rice or rice noodles.

Cube and add to soup or stew.  Kohlrabi would be good in a Hungarian Goulash type of stew - with pork or beef, onion, peppers, paprika and sour cream or creme fraiche.

Bonus Recipe - added September 23, 2010
Kohlrabi-radish salad
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds grated or julienned kohlrabi and radish (about 2/3 kohlrabi and 1/3 radish) - about 8 cups total
3 T. onion - finely chopped or grated
1/2 cup fresh parsley and dill, combined as desired (lightly packed)
Dressing
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
3 T. sugar
1/3 cup yogurt
1 T. dijon mustard
salt and pepper

Hands On -- Beating and Whipping

I just love cooking action verbs.  You know, words like baste, beat, blend, boil, braise, and blanch.  And those are only "B" words!   Cooking, like sailing or surgery or plumbing, has its own special vocabulary.  If you don't speak the language it can be a lot harder to do the work.  So every so often I think it will be fun for us to take a closer look at a cooking verb or two.  This will help us turn recipes on a page into meals on a plate. 

Today's words are "beat" and "whip".

When a recipe tells you to "beat" something, what exactly does that mean?  Is a special tool or appliance required?  Is beating about speed?   Is it the same as stirring but faster?   Is beating a cake batter different from beating an egg?   And how exactly is whipping different from beating?  Can you see how fast this can get confusing?

No wonder it is becoming standard practice to "dumb down" modern recipes.  So many people are not literate when it comes to kitchen verbs.  I just hate to see this happen.  Our food will be so much more boring if nobody ever tells us to fold, gratinee or macerate because they think we can't comprehend.  It is up to you and me to ensure that our children and grandchildren do not grow up in a world where the only cooking verbs they are expected to know are Open and Heat.

 I consulted some of my favorite all purpose cookbooks for guidance.  This definition is based on one from Marion Cunningham's 1990 revision of the Fannie Farmer Cookbook:
Beat:  To mix food or liquids rapidly and thoroughly in order to make a mixture smooth and light by incorporating as much air as possible.  If you're beating by hand, use a whisk, a fork, or a wooden spoon in a rhythmic, over and over motion, lifting and plopping.  

This is pure Julia Child and is really good ergonomic advice:  When you beat, train yourself to use your lower-arm and wrist muscles; if you beat from your shoulder you will tire quickly.

For "whip", Marion Cunningham came through again:
Whip: To lighten and increase the volume by beating.
But Alice Waters has more to add:
To whisk rapidly into a froth  
And then there is Better Homes and Gardens New (it was new in 1962) Cookbook definition which I think is the best one. 
To beat rapidly to incorporate air and produce expansion, as in heavy cream or egg whites

Here are the tools I use to beat or whip. 

Whisk(also called a wire whip)

Whisks are very effective for beating eggs and sauces and for general mixing.  They come in many sizes and don't require electricity to work.   The most common are balloon type.  The very largest are good for beating egg whites.    I really love my flat whisk.  I own one medium sized balloon whisk but I have to admit I never use it.  I think a flat whisk is much better than the round kind for getting out lumps and getting into sides, corners and bottoms of pans or bowls.  It would not be as good as a large balloon whisk if you needed to whip egg whites or heavy cream. 

Little springy thingy
I inherited this from my late Aunt Evelyn.  She was a proud, frugal, teetotaling, kind of grumpy Methodist.  She was also a schoolteacher, gardener and cook.  She loved Lawrence Welk and making clown dolls.  I don't know what this little beater is called but I like to use it for light duty beating tasks.  So sometimes when I am scrambling eggs I remember Aunt Evelyn.

Egg beater

I don't think people use egg beaters much any more.  I like to use mine for whipping cream. (I don't believe in non dairy topping like C*** W***. )  I chill the beater and the pottery beater jar ahead of time.  The whipping goes very fast.  This is a great job for a child.  Let them lick the beater.  Another nice thing about an egg beater is that it beats and whips with no carbon emissions.

Portable electric mixer
I have one of these in harvest gold but it is packed away in a box somewhere so I can't show it to you.  I guess that tells you everything you need to know.  It was ok when I was a beginning cook and hardly ever made bread, cookie dough or angel food cakes.   But once I got my Kitchen Aid workhorse, the portable mixer gathered dust.

Heavy duty stand mixer
I have had this mixer for about 25 years.  I am confident that I will have it for another 25 years if I live that long.   It is not the most powerful or fancy Kitchen Aid.  In fact I think it is the basic model.  But it has served me well.  Over the years I have acquired attachments such as the meat grinder, sausage stuffer and grain mill.  Some kind of heavy duty stand mixer is a valuable kitchen helper.  If you don't own one you might start dropping hints.  It is about 180 shopping days to Christmas.

And don't forget good old fashioned wooden spoons or a fork.

Time for me to beat it. 

Tomorrow:  Focus on Kohlrabi

Dig In - Compost

If you are cooking out of a Featherstone Farm CSA box,  you probably have some interest in where your food comes from.  And I bet that you might also be interested in what happens to food waste.  That is why today's topic is compost.  Compost makes soil wonderful.  Wonderful soil grows good food and absorbs water better so as to decrease erosion.  Composting removes materials from the solid waste stream, both saving money and reducing the need for landfills.   If you don't already compost,  I am asking you to think about adding this excellent habit to your daily life.  Depending on your living situation, it probably would be very easy.  It won't take you much more time than flossing.

And even if it does take a little time and effort, it is worth it.  You will feel better knowing you are doing something positive for the planet.  You know -  Circle of life.  Ashes to ashes.  Dust to dust.  Food to food.  

My husband is the extreme composter in our family.  I had no choice.  I couldn't beat him so I had to join him.   We even compost when we are away from home.   A few years ago we spent about two weeks in Brooklyn, New York cat sitting when my sister and her husband were away.   They live in an apartment with just a teeny little lawn in the front.  We cooked, so we had some kitchen waste.    Coffee grounds, egg shells, fruit and onion peels, vegetable trimmings.  The usual.   We saved this waste in a plastic container in the freezer.   It was starting to fill up, so we needed a compost solution.  We knew nothing was available at the apartment.  Recycling yes.  Composting no.

Our quest was an eye opener.   When we asked at the neighborhood supposedly green and sustainable food co-op about composting, we were met with blank stares.  They just put all that stuff in the dumpster along with the rest of the garbage and didn't think about it after that.  Finally we discovered that the New York Greenmarket (the city farmers market system) did have a compost program.  We put our frozen stuff in a plastic grocery bag and headed out for the subway and a greenmarket that we knew had a compost collection barrel.  We did this two Saturdays in a row at two different markets.  We saw other New Yorkers doing just what we were doing.   Even in Manhattan.   I was so thankful for the Greenmarket composting barrel.  Without it, we would have had to bring our compost home on the airplane.  That might have been a new experience for the TSA. (Transportation Security Administration)

Learning how to compost is like learning anything -- start small, practice and you will get better at it. Maybe you have a friend or neighbor who would be your compost mentor.

Here's some Q and A to get you started.

1.  What kinds of things should we compost?
Anything organic that does NOT have any animal products or any kind of fat or oil.  You can compost any fruit or vegetable matter, coffee grounds, egg shells, tea bags.   No meat.  No milk products or butter.  No cooking oils.  No bones.  If you stick with these rules you will avoid almost all problems connected with creatures invading your compost pile or with bad odors.

2.  What kind of container do we need in our kitchen?
You can spend a lot of money on cute containers with covers and charcoal filters etc, etc.  I discourage you from doing that.

Here is our kitchen compost container.  It is a funky old open aluminum pan.  We empty it every day into a five gallon plastic pail that lives outside near our back door.  Getting the compost out of the kitchen and the house fast is the secret to no smells and no fruit flies. 

Here is our five gallon pail.  These pails come with covers.  They are very inexpensive and are widely available at home improvement or farm and building supply stores.  You wouldn't even have to use this step if your backyard compost spot is handy to your kitchen.  We do this because our compost pile is not in our backyard.

3.  What do we do when our five gallon pail is full?
Find an out of the way and somewhat shaded place somewhere in your yard and designate it as your compost spot.  Improvise some kind of container. You can use chicken wire or old wooden pallets.  Go to this link at the Minnesota PCA to find a concise pdf file with some great how-to composting tips.  http://www.reduce.org/

There are also a wide variety of purchased compost bins and systems out there.  I can't recommend any of them because we mostly use basic compost piles on our small piece of rural land.  Frank has put together a few round enclosures with old recycled wire fencing.  Do you have any experience to share?  What kind of purchased or homemade compost bin do you use?  Do you like it?  I would love to see some pictures.  So would your fellow CSA members.  Maybe you could share your pictures on Featherstone's facebook page.  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushford-Village-MN/Featherstone-Fruits-Vegetables/80513594952?v=app_2373072738#!/pages/Rushford-Village-MN/Featherstone-Fruits-Vegetables/80513594952?v=wall&ajaxpipe=1&__a=7

3.  We live in an apartment.  We don't even have a balcony.  How can we compost?
I have two ideas for you.  First, see if you can locate a community garden or farmers market grower or a neighbor with a yard and a compost pile or a nearby restaurant or food store that composts.   Ask if they will take your compostable food waste.  If they say yes, then congratulations.  You have found a compost buddy.  Be nice to this person or business.

Second, talk to your representative on the city council in your town.  Ask if the city has considered starting some type of composting program.  This is still not very common but I predict that within the next decade we will see a lot more centralized composting in cities.  Why not help make this trend happen faster?  Here is an article from the Washington Post about curbside composting. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/13/AR2008061302768.html

4.   Does my city have rules about backyard composting?
Probably - unless you live in a small town.  In Minneapolis, for example, you must have some kind of bin.  And there are size limits.  Here is a great link so you can learn all about composting in Minneapolis.  http://www.ci.minneapolis.mn.us/solid-waste/compost.asp
Before you start to compost in your backyard it probably is a good idea to call your city office to find out if there are any rules you need to know.  One example is the city of Plymouth, which has good information about composting on their web site.  http://www.plymouthmn.gov/index.aspx?page=425

Tomorrow: Hands On - Beating and Whipping (it's not what you think)

Inspiration - Week #3

One thing I like about cooking out of the CSA box is that it simplifies my life.   Some of you may be thinking, "What is she talking about?  This CSA thing is complicating my life.  Just look at the huge pile of lettuce and braising greens I need to deal with this week!"

Let me explain.  I don't go to large supermarkets too often - because the nearest one is about 40 miles away and because between our garden and the CSA box and our local farmers (milk, cream, meat, eggs) I just don't need lots of things from a big grocery store.   (I also like to shop at area co-ops for things like beans, grains and spices).  Anyway - I was in a large supermarket this past weekend and it was wonderful and terrible at the same time.  The wonderful part was all the choices -- quite an amazing array of items.  You could buy the components of just about any kind of exciting or ordinary meal you could imagine - especially if money was no object.

But the terrible part was the same as the wonderful part -- all the choices.  I am an experienced and pretty disciplined grocery shopper, so I can handle the sheer magnitude of it all pretty well.  I just stroll right by the fancy bakery section (most of that stuff looks better than it tastes anyway).  I don't slow down for the steaks.  Not even a passing glance at Chef Boyardee and Hamburger Helper.   I did have to hunt to find the house brand of shredded wheat hiding amongst the circus of cereals.

This all made me wonder how normal, busy people (especially inexperienced cooks) manage to get in and out of these places with their sanity and budget intact.  I mean it.  I guess that is why brand names and advertising are so effective.  They give people some way to navigate through the flood of food.  Some way to get help with all those meal decisions.  I also think it is why most people pretty much eat the same thing over and over -- it is just too hard to make all those choices. Or why they eat out a lot.  Sure you have to choose something on the menu but someone else will take responsibility for implementation.

So that is one reason I like my CSA box.  Fewer choices.  Simpler life.   A molehill, not a mountain, to climb.   So let's talk about some meal ideas for this week.

Recipes with an asterisk printed below.  Check blog archives for recipes and posts on poached eggs and wilted lettuce.   After the recipes, see my step by step pictures : washing and drying red oak lettuce.   How very exciting.

Tomorrow: Dig In -- Compost

Pasta with beet greens and diced roasted beets*; Bread; Fresh pear 

Filled Butter lettuce cups with Asian style dressing*; Ice cream (if you eat such a healthy supper you can eat a nice serving of ice cream and feel really good about it.  You could even have a cookie too.)

Braised greens*,  Rice (make extra rice for fried rice another day),  Grilled, baked or broiled meat, fish or chicken or tofu

Red oak lettuce salad with pancetta or bacon and a warm oil and vinegar dressing (basically wilted lettuce) and a poached egg on top;  Toast or cornbread

Fried Rice* ; Seasonal Fresh fruit

Hamburgers or meat loaf,  oven roasted or mashed potatoes,  Raw or lightly steamed veggies (green beans, snap peas and kohlrabi?)  and dip, side salad with simple oil and vinegar dressing.  Garnish the salad with roasted beets if you have extra beets.  A sprinkling of sunflower seeds would be good, too.

Pasta with Beet Greens and Diced Roasted Beets 
1. Roast beets
(Note:  roasting the beets takes some time - you can do this ahead and refrigerate the beets until you need them.) Scrub beets, cut off tops to 1/2 inch.  Put in a covered dish with 1/2 water or wrap in foil and bake in 350 degree oven for about 45 minutes or until tender. larger beets take longer.   When beets are cool enough to handle, skins should rub off with your hands.  Use a peeler if the skin is stubborn.
2. Steam beet greens
Wash and then steam beet greens 5-8 minutes.  Drain greens,  cool and coarsely chop or cut into strips, set aside.  (add cooking water to pasta cooking water for extra nutrition.  Or save for soup stock)
3. Cook and drain pasta.  Keep warm.  (Warm the serving plates too - a nice touch.)
To assemble :
Saute the chopped beet greens in some olive oil with a handful of chopped garlic scapes or some chopped onion or garlic.  Add diced beets in desired amount, along with a handful of golden raisins or even dried cherries or diced prunes.  Stir in pasta, along with some cheese.  (blue cheese, ricotta, or some kind of soft goat cheese would all be good).  Serve topped with toasted pine nuts, walnuts or hazelnuts.

Filled Butter Lettuce Cups with Asian dressing
Wash and dry individual leaves of butter lettuce - place on a large serving plate.
Chop the following (I suggest 1/2 inch dice or even smaller)  Proportions can vary according to your taste and the amount of items you have on hand: garlic scapes, sugar snap peas (raw or very lightly steamed), peeled kohlrabi, carrots, onion, radish, cucumber, cilantro, roasted peanuts.  You can also add tofu, hard boiled egg, mushrooms or cooked chicken or other meat or fish to the filling or on the side.  Some cooked brown or white rice, at room temperature,  would also be a nice addition to the filling.  If desired, serve the various filling ingredients separately instead of mixing all together.    Children might enjoy choosing their own filling ingredients.
Dressing: 
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sunflower or vegetable oil
1 T. toasted sesame oil
2 t. soy sauce
2 t. sugar
a little salt, red pepper flakes to taste
optional - add a T. of toasted sesame seeds

Serve the lettuce leaves, filling and dressing separately.  Each person can serve themselves - making lettuce rolls to eat out of hand or filling "cups" of lettuce to eat with a knife and fork. 

Braised Greens
Wash greens in a sink or larage pan of water.  (I cut off about 3 inches of stems before washing.)
Lift out and drain - greens don't need to be perfectly dry.  The small amount of water clinging to the leaves will help cook the greens.  Finely chop one bulb of green garlic or 3-4 cloves regular garlic.  (More or less garlic depending on amount of greens to be cooked and your tastes)
Heat 2-4 T. olive oil in a large pan (again - amount depends on how many greens to be cooked and your tastes)  Saute garlic for a few minutes.  Add a little hot pepper flakes if desired.  Add greens (whole or sliced)  and cook, covered, about 5 more minutes.
Braised greens are good served with a sprinkle of either soy sauce or balsamic vinegar or your favorite hot sauce. 

Fried Rice
Fried rice is a great way to use up all kinds of meat and vegetables.  You can have it your way.  There are a few basic principles I suggest you follow.
First, you should have about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cooked, cool or cold rice per serving set aside and ready to add once the vegetables are cooked.
Second, it really makes a difference if you add some finely chopped fresh ginger and garlic ( or garlic scapes) to this dish.  It is a good idea to always have fresh ginger and fresh garlic around the house.
Third, you need some type of Asian seasoning.  If you don't have soy sauce you can use oyster sauce, black bean with garlic sauce or other favorite seasoning.  Sometimes I like to add a spoon or two of Hoisin sauce because I like that little hit of sweet barbecue flavor.   I also like to add a splash of rice wine or Chinese cooking wine or even sherry to help get the sticky bits off the bottom of the pan at the end.  Another really nice touch is toasted sesame oil.  A little - like a teaspoon - goes a long way.

Heat some cooking oil in a heavy pan or wok.  Stir in some minced ginger and garlic.  Then add vegetables of your choice.  You can use cut up sugar snap peas, green beans, broccoli, carrot, asparagus, garlic scapes - whatever you have on hand.  A little celery or onion or mushroom is always nice.  I even add chopped radishes at the end for extra crunch.  Stir fry the vegetables for awhile until they are just crisp-tender.  Then stir in the rice and soy sauce or other favorite seasoning.  If the rice is lumpy just break up the lumps with your cooking spoon.  If you have some bits of scrambled egg or omelet or cooked meat or other protein this is a good time to add them.  Bean sprouts and chopped fresh cilantro are good too.  A few big handfuls of fresh lettuce, cut into thin strips, is also a great addition to fried rice right at the end of cooking. It will cook down to nothing.  So if you get tired of lettuce salads - you can always add lettuce to fried rice.
If you make it a practice to have cooked rice on hand, fried rice is a great fast meal and a great way to use up all kinds of vegetables.  Experiment with flavors until you come up with your own special version.

Washing, Drying and Storing Lettuce 

It is for sure a little more work to prepare a fresh head of leaf lettuce compared to buying a ready to eat bag of salad shipped in from California or wherever -- but there is simply no comparison as to quality and flavor.  With this lettuce, you can make a salad you can be proud of.  Sometimes I like to roll the dried lettuce in a clean kitchen towel before I bag it just to make sure it is extra dry.  I think it keeps a little better that way.

Tried and True - Rhubarb Sauce

You have to crawl before you walk.   So before you attempt a rhubarb custard pie, it is a good idea to know how to make good old basic Minnesota rhubarb sauce.   This simple but important knowledge has been passed down by generations of Grandmas.  And now I - a card carrying Minnesota Grandma - pass it on to you.

Before I get to the details of rhubarb sauce preparation, I would like to tell you the Featherstone rhubarb backstory.  So you will know where your CSA rhubarb came from.  I am the perfect person to tell you this story - since my husband, Frank Wright,  grew your rhubarb.  He is one of what is probably only a handful of professional Minnesota farmers.  Here is a video of him picking rhubarb. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9mBYU4XsDd8

I also happen to be one of the four famous Rhubarb Sisters.  What? You never heard of us?  How can that be?  Have you been living in a cave?  We've been singing about rhubarb going on four years now.   check us out here  http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/features/photos/performances/2007/06/02/06.html

Plus I live in Lanesboro, the rhubarb capital of Minnesota.  We have a special Rhubarb Festival the first Saturday of June every year. http://www.rhubarbfestival.org/  I am not telling you all this to brag - because a Rhubarb Sister is nothing if not humble.  I tell you to establish my rhubarb cred.  I take my rhubarb seriously.  I know whereof I speak.

In a year or two, Featherstone Farm will be free from dependence on foreign rhubarb.  Featherstone is in the process of establishing their own perennial rhubarb crop in new fields.  So for now they found the best rhubarb guy around - Frank - and contracted with him to deliver about 1,200 pounds of rhubarb over the last two weeks.  Your  rhubarb was grown in the rich soil of our very large garden just a mile outside of Lanesboro, on the Root River.  About 15 miles from Featherstone.  The rhubarb in your CSA box was grown with love and care -- and lots of well composted horse manure.  Every stalk was hand harvested and field washed by either me or Frank.  (Mostly Frank)

Here are some pictures of this year's rhubarb harvest.  You need to pull the stalks from the bottom - no cutting.  (I think I need to work on my pulling form.)

 Frank is loading a bin of rhubarb on to the back of his pick up truck.  Love those arm muscles.

 Do you have a rhubarb plant somewhere at your house or apartment?  I hope so.  Because as wonderful as your CSA rhubarb is, in my opinion it is not enough.   If you don't have access to homegrown rhubarb, then check out your favorite farmers market.  And think about planting some for the future.  If you need a plant or two, let me know.  Maybe Frank could help you out.

In our house rhubarb sauce is a staple.  I freeze at least 10 quarts to get us through the winter.  We eat it plain for breakfast or as a simple supper dessert.  We spoon it over ice cream.  We plop in biscuit dough and bake it for rhubarb cobbler.  We add vinegar, onions, raisins and spices and make a chutney.  We put it in a blender with yogurt and ice cubes and maybe a few berries for a rhubarb smoothie.  We swirl it with whipped cream for rhubarb fool.  We steam some biscuit dough with the sauce for rhubarb grunt.  (A fruit grunt could also be called a slump.  Either way, it is steamed biscuit dough - it turns into dumplings -  with sweetened fruit sauce.  You could use apples or blueberries just as well as rhubarb.)

RHUBARB SAUCE RECIPE
5 cups rhubarb (can be fresh or frozen), cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces
1 cup sugar
one or two 1/4 inch slices of fresh ginger (optional)
Mix rhubarb and sugar (and ginger if you are using it) in a non reactive saucepan and let sit about an hour.  Bring fruit slowly to a boil and simmer, uncovered, until rhubarb is soft but still retains some shape - about 10 minutes.  Taste - add a bit more sugar if desired.  Cool.  Store in refrigerator or freeze.
If you want to add strawberries or raspberries, do so about one or two minutes before you stop the cooking process.

Here is some rhubarb sauce to which a few handfuls of fresh strawberries was added in the final minute or two of cooking.  Doesn't it look good?  Sweet and tart at the same time.

Focus: GARLIC (Allium Sativum)

"My final, considered judgment is that the hardy bulb (garlic) blesses and ennobles everything it touches - with the possible exception of ice cream and pie."  Angelo Pellegrini, The Unprejudiced Palate, 1948  And if you think these are strong words, then you should hear Mark Bittman:  "Garlic is probably the most important vegetable in recorded history(really) because of its universal value as a seasoning."  How to Cook Everything

My thoughts exactly.  And my fellow Americans apparently agree.  Back in the 1920's U.S. per capita garlic consumption was about half a pound a year. It hovered at that level until the 1970's, when the rate of consumption started climbing.  By 2000 we were at about 2.5 pounds per year. This is an encouraging sign.  Less encouraging is the fact that about three quarters of our garlic consumption is in dehydrated form.

World garlic production
Some of you might have read my Focus post last week on asparagus.  Remember the part about China growing so much asparagus?  Same with garlic.   China grows about 75% of the world's garlic.  Of the garlic that the U.S. imports, 75% comes from China.  In 1999, 40,000 acres were devoted to garlic production in the U.S. (90 % in California).  By 2008 that figure had decreased to 25,440 acres.     Fresh garlic commands a good price at Minnesota farmers markets -- from $5 to $10 a pound.  So there is some financial incentive to grow garlic here - as long as consumers are willing to pay a premium for the fresh and local kind.  I am glad we are growing some garlic in Minnesota.  Considering it is such an important vegetable it just seems right that we do some of the work ourselves.

History, use and nutrition
Garlic originated in central Asia and has been cultivated for thousands of years.   Throughout history it has been used for medicinal as well as culinary purposes.  Chinese medicine has long used garlic to lower blood pressure and treat heart disease and high cholesterol.  Garlic has antibiotic, antiseptic and antioxidant properties.  It contains vitamin C, potassium, phosphorus, selenium and sulfur compounds.

Peeling
Garlic comes in the form of a bulb or head, which contains individual cloves.  After garlic is mature, the bulb has a papery outer covering and each clove has a papery covering.   Each cook has his or her own ways to peel garlic.  I have never favored the various gadgets and presses.  I just put a clove or two or three on a board and then whack them with a little block of wood.  Once the clove is partly smashed,  it is easy to remove the peel.  If you are peeling a large quantity of cloves at one time, you could try putting them into boiling water for just a minute to loosen the skins.  If you are roasting garlic, no peeling is necessary - you just squish out the soft insides after the bulb is cooked.

Storage
I like (no - I NEED) to have fresh garlic on hand in my kitchen at all times.   Some times good garlic is hard to find.  Featherstone produces hard neck garlic - which tends to be mild in flavor and grows well in northern climates.  It is sold dry in August and can be stored 3 to 6 months.  You might consider stocking up on local garlic when it is in season.  I am lucky because we grow most of our garlic in our own garden.  But despite our best efforts to store the garlic in a cool, dark and dry place,  by this time of year our garlic is looking pretty sad.  In fact I really have not had any good garlic for about 6 weeks now.  (Note: best to store garlic at 32 to 40 degrees; 60-70% humidity)  That is why it is so exciting to get scapes and green garlic in our CSA box. 

How to use scapes and green garlic
Green garlic is simply immature garlic, and garlic scapes are those curly wild looking green things.  I know you have lots of questions about these less familiar forms of garlic, so let's talk about how to use them.

Scapes

Scapes are the shoots that grow from the heads of hardneck garlic. They are a spring time culinary delicacy and hard to find.  They are often discarded - at least by the big producers, probably because most consumers don't know what to do with them and they are handled and marketed differently than mature garlic.  So lucky you, now you get to unlock the mysteries of scapes. 

Here are a few ideas:
Chop fresh scapes finely. Add to cream cheese along with some chopped fresh dill for a spread for crackers or sandwiches.  This would make a good omelet filling too.
Add finely chopped fresh scapes to mayonnaise (see this week's post on how to make mayo at home)
Puree with oil, parmesan and walnuts or pine nuts for a pesto - use with pasta or pizza
Chop and add to spaghetti sauce
Cut to desired length and saute with fresh asparagus
Cut up and add to soups or salads

Green Garlic

Since this garlic is immature, the tough papery skin has not yet formed.  I just slice off the root end and the green part of the stalk and chop up the whole bulb.  I do take out that small hard core in the middle.  That is why they call this hard neck garlic. Save the green stalk for soup stock. You can use it as you would regular garlic -- in salad dressings, soups, sautes, stir fries, etc.  I have put a simple recipe for garlic lovers below. If you want to delve deeper - this is a good link:  http://localfoods.about.com/od/greengarlicgarlicscape/a/aboutgrgarlics.htm

SIMPLE DOUBLE GARLIC SPRING PASTA 
Cook your favorite "long pasta" such as spaghetti, linguine or fettucine in well salted water.
While the pasta cooks, heat up olive oil in a large skillet.  (About 2 T. oil per serving) Chop a bulb of green garlic and about 6 garlic scapes.   (This should be enough for about 8 T. oil (8 T = 1/2 cup)  It is okay to use more garlic if you love it. Saute both garlic and scapes at low to medium heat until soft.  Don't burn or brown.  Set aside.  Drain pasta, saving a little pasta water.  Toss pasta with oil and garlic.  Add a little water if too dry.  Serve with grated parmesan, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.

Tomorrow:  Tried and True - Rhubarb Sauce