Ep. 19 Why repetition is beautiful + thank your farmers (oh, and some pickles)
How I used up my farmer's market produce & what's in season in California
“Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous, and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.”
— Thomas Jefferson
What’s in season for April?
Asparagus for one. And, it has a short season so snatch it up now if you’re into it. I was super excited at the farmer’s market last weekend (Hillcrest, San Diego for locals). I hadn’t actually been in forever and found myself quite elated with the abundance of produce possibilities and inspired by new local vendors I hadn’t seen before. Yes, elated. I left feeling as though I had a new lease on life. We took the 101 down the coast through California’s central valley where,
About 25% of the nation's food, including 40% of its fruits, nuts, and other table foods, is grown on just 1% of the country's farmland. Thank your farmers.
How I’ve used up my market veg this week:
Celery
Juiced, along with the beet tops (among other goodness, lots of ginger) for some daily juice shots. I like to make a big jar of juice at the start of the week to have on hand for daily shots. The remainder of the celery I have plans for, but this is an easy one as I find most recipes/salads etc. It’s easy to use up.
Basil (with roots sitting in water)
Made pesto that night & planted the still rooted plant in the garden (it’s not doing well, but I’m still fingers crossed hopeful. Although, I actually think I need to pull it & move on).
Beets
Tops went to juicing. Beets were steamed & pealed. I used to be a foil roast packet girl, I’ve since changed my ways to steaming! Love it. Personally, I find it SO much easier. They’ve since become a beet salad with toasted chopped walnuts, fennel, chives (I didn’t have onion), balsamic, olive oil, s+p, some chopped fennel and fresh dill. If you make, don’t over-do any of the flavors.
Broccoli
Steamed and in the fridge to add to salads, etc. I can eat it with nothing but some coconut oil and sesame seeds with the upmost contentment. I did add to a really good chickpea pasta with veggie sausage & red sauce the other night.
a clean & labeled fridge is one of my favorite things. Just call me Julie Andrews.
Brussel sprouts
Eh, they’re still there, but will be roasted soon. It’s technically the end of Brussel sprout season so I don’t recommend buying if you see ‘em
Fennel
Tops became pesto (below) and bottoms have gone in the above beet salad & more to come on the remaining. Hot tip: Fennel is like apples and will oxidize easily, it’s good to keep in lemon water or water or something after you cut into it. Look it up if you need to.
Cauliflower
Still in my fridge. This one has moved to top of the list to use up, but there’s so many options! When I get too overwhelmed and too much time has passed, it might just end up getting roasted with said above Brussel sprouts.
Green Beans
Those got pickled-dilly-bean’ed (more on that below).
Local apple cider
This is a treat for our house. My husband mixes apple cider with a Topo Chico for like a fizzy apple cider drink and swears by it. Try it.
Asparagus….
So glad you didn’t ask… see below:
Asparagus
So I grabbed two bunched of asparagus - I can’t remember if there was a deal or not, but apparently I really wanted asparagus. In my mind, the first thing I do with asparagus is risotto. Try as I might to think outside my go-to, if there’s a semi-decent but not great bottle of white wine on hand, it’s happening. Which, I had just the wine as a ‘gift’ in one of the hotels we stayed at traveling down the coast in Point Reyes.
I’m also laughing at my own predictability… this was literally my camera roll:
Apparently last year, one day apart, I did the exact same thing. But, but added leeks (noted). Quick glance I thought this was fennel (or it was just on my brain). This year, I did indeed also buy a beautiful fennel but went with Hetty Lui McKinnon’s fennel frond pesto and have had russet potatoes on my shopping list for some homemade gnocchi for the last 2 days (that’s next episode). Her cookbook, Tenderheart has been on my list since it’s pre-order days (I’m still kicking myself for not getting), but I spotted it at the library the other day, did an actual-audible ‘OH!’ I was so excited.
What I really want to mention within all of this - is that I do truly love making risotto.
After I dug through my freezer and found an old batch of frozen homemade stock (of which, I was so grateful for), I started to second guess myself. Of course I wanted to share my risotto with you all, but I thought — ‘I’ve so done that before, like, so many times. And, who am I to talk about risotto so much? You sure do talk about quiche a lot. It has to be more exciting. It’s old news.’
But the thing is, it’s not.
Risotto is one of those, series type dishes. Develop a relationship with. You keep making it, refining it, testing it. Making new combinations, trying different approaches and techniques. Even after so many risottos, I still have to read about 3 different recipes to get my legs under me. And, not everything needs to be new all the time. Not every dish needs to be new and innovative.
It’s like we’re all living in this constant conflict with what we’re being fed (literally, physically, visually, mentally, emotionally). It’s constant stimulation. Oh, AND! Everything is the ‘best you’ll ever try!’ ‘the most requested!’, ‘ it went viral sensation’, Can it just be… a gosh darn sandwich? Cookie? Breakfast? Why must it be always, ‘the most’? Oh, and, everything is ‘protein, protein, protein’. Enough already. We get it. You’re eating a lot of protein at each meal and it’s changed your life.
I just apparently like to make asparagus risotto at the end of March. I’m okay with same. I’m okay with repeat, I’m actually…. really okay with celebrating the season. I think I’ll mark my calendar for next year. All Hail the Asparagus season! Have you ever actually ever tried to grow asparagus? It’s not an easy crop, at all! So respect. I’ve got another bunch to play with so that’s fun.
Wanna chat risotto? I’ve made a lot.
Pickles
I love pickles. I love pickles. The other fun thing is? I’ve got a somewhat shabby cucumber in the fridge I’m looking to use up & you better believe it’s getting pickled. But, do I go dilly? or sweet? or spicy? or herby?
The beans from the market I specifically purchased to pickle. One of my favorite spots in San Diego is The Rose Wine Bar next to Secret Sister in South Park, San Diego. For so, so many reasons I am compelled to write a separate SD favorites episode. Until then, I will tell you that they make their own bloody Mary mix and it is… truly outstanding. I didn’t even think I liked bloody Mary’s. The best part about it is they give you a skewer of their homemade pickled veg and I just… I relish in every bite. The cauliflower, the carrots, the beans. While I love being out in the world, I also crave a very luxurious happy hour moment in my own home. I figured, I can totally create a vibe - mezze - platter - veg - charcuterie moment for myself that includes some dilly pickled beans. Let’s totally do that.
I used this recipe that is for carrots but subbed beans. Oh, and I totally misread that it calls for coriander seeds and accidentally added cumin seeds, so it got both. No harm, no foul. My actual foul was, however, after I poured the hot pickling liquid over the beans I didn’t let it cool down at room temp and popped them right in the fridge. I tried one the other day and they’re good! But, I won’t make that mistake twice. It would have really solidified the flavor more, I’m thinking.
Oh! Pickled red onions? Uh huh. The number of times I’ve read food writers/chefs n’ the like say, ‘I keep a jar of these on hand at all times. I put them on everything.’ Well isn’t that just lovely for you. Now I feel like I’m missing out. I do make this sporadically so I don’t have a go-to recipe on this one.
This has been my bread & butter pickles recipe since forever. I sweat by it, love it, will always be grateful for finding.
That’s all for now. Stay brave out there loves.
xo Justine
P.S. If you made it this far, here’s a few other Thomas Jefferson quotes on agriculture that really… sat with me.
“Whenever there are in any country uncultivated lands and unemployed poor, it is clear that the laws of property have been so far extended as to violate natural right. The earth is given as a common stock for man to labor and live on. The small landowners are the most precious part of a state.”
“If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny”.