FARM SHARE #1!!!!!

 Well here is the treat I have been waiting for! The FIRST FARM SHARE!
This week we got

• a head of tender lettuce
• a head of broccoli
• a bunch of hakurei turnips
• a bunch of scallions
• a bunch of rhubarb
• a quart plus a pint of the most delicious strawberries

Everyone said, "Don't be disappointed at the first share, it is always the smallest..." I was NOT disappointed. It was all beautiful!
As soon as I got home I looked for some recipes to make the most of this bounty!

The strawberries were easy. I washed them and put them in a bowl and they barely made it through the afternoon. They were beautiful and sweet and reminded me of Aunt Rosie's garden from way back.

I made an incredible salad with the turnips and lettuce that had a spicy homemade dressing and candied pecans.

We are going to pretend that the rhubarb pork chop casserole that I made looked like this picture from the internet rather than the slightly charred mess it ended up being. I forgot to take a picture before we dug in, but it was pretty ugly so no great loss. It was surprisingly delicious, though.

The only thing left after dinner were the scallions and the broccoli. I will be steaming the broccoli at some point this weekend and the scallions will go over salads and maybe a frittata. Oh, don't you worry, they will get eaten!

So my stats for the summer are good. Of the 2 weird* farm share items (turnips and rhubarb) I used them both within 24 hours.

Hurrah for me!

Hurrah for farm share!

*  "Weird" is defined as a specific term that refers to a vegetable I have never cooked or perhaps even eaten in my life. A noob, if you will...

Hakurei Turnip Salad

from JulieIrene at SparkRecipes

This salad makes use of the Hakurei Turnip (also called Asian Salad Turnips or Japanese Turnips), which are generally a fall plant. The dressing can be modified to taste and used on any salad, so enjoy!

Minutes to Prepare: 30

Number of Servings: 4

Salad Ingredients:

    4 cups greens of choice (I used the turnip greens from the turnips)

    4 small Asian salad turnips, diced

    2 apples, diced

    4 Tblsp candied pecans

    8 Tblsp dressing

Candied Pecans:

    dash Salt

    1/2 cup sugar

    1/4 tsp cinnamon

    3 Tbsp nonfat milk

    1/2 cup pecan pieces

    1/2 Tbsp vanilla

Dressing

    3 garlic cloves

    dash salt

    1 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard

    2 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

    1 Tbsp Olive Oil

    dash ground pepper

Directions

Candied Pecans:

1. Mix salt, sugar, cinnamon & milk in saucepan & bring to boil.

2. Remove from heat.

3. Add vanilla & pecans. Stir until coated & crystallized.

4. Pour on to wax paper or foil & separate with fork to cool.

Dressing:

1. Mash garlic cloves in bowl with fork.

2. Add salt, mustard & vinegar. Whisk well.

3. Whisk in oil & dash of pepper.

This salad recipe makes 4 servings. In each salad bowl, place 1 cup greens & toss with dressing. Add on top of each salad one diced turnip, 1/2 of a diced apple, and 2 Tbsp of candied pecans.

 

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Pork Chop Rhubarb Casserole

From The Rhubarb Compendium

Ingredients:

4 pork chops

3 C. rhubarb -- cut up

1 Tbsp. cooking oil

1/2 C. brown sugar

1 Tsp. cinnamon

2 1/2 to 3 c. bread crumbs

1/4 C. flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

In skillet, brown pork chops in oil; add salt and pepper. Remove to platter. Mix 1/4 cup pan drippings with bread crumbs. Reserve 1/2 cup. Sprinkle remaining crumbs into 9x13 inch baking dish. Combine rhubarb, sugar, flour and cinnamon. Spoon half over the bread crumbs. Arrange pork chops on top. Spoon remaining rhubarb mixture over chops. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle remaining crumbs. Bake 15 minutes longer.

 Once I am home for the summer I will start uploading nutritional information and maybe even Weight Watchers points, but for now, you will just have to trust that it might be healthy and is certainly delicious, unless stated otherwise.