This week’s box included rhubarb, zucchini, cucumber, Kirby cucumbers, okra, honeynut winter squashes, white acorn squash, yellow summer squash, potatoes, sweet potato, garlic. You can see a video that can help with identification on our weekly update on Instagram.
Today’s box was full of surprises.
It was August 22 last year that we had rhubarb in our boxes. Those green stalks, mixed with a few stalks tinted with pink? Rhubarb. Last year was the first time I remember rhubarb showing up. I could be mistaken though.
We don’t have a page devoted to rhubarb at grassfedcow.com but here’s what I wrote last year, “Back in 2018 I interviewed Vicky Fry of Fry Farm in Bethlehem about how they were managing to grow rhubarb in the South. As I wrote then, rhubarb is something our northern cousins look forward to as a perennial and the first fruit of spring, but it’s tough to keep rhubarb growing in our humid Georgia summers. The Frys had gotten around that by growing it as an annual, starting it from seed twice a year and keeping it irrigated. They were able to harvest in the spring, and then with transplants, keep it growing through the summer. And the variety they were growing was Victoria, a green variety.
“I can’t promise that’s the variety of rhubarb we got in the box today, but since it came from a Southern farmer, I expect they have also found it to be the variety that would produce for them. Fry told me how much she enjoyed rhubarb in the traditional ways – strawberry-rhubarb crisp, strawberry-rhubarb pie (which in colder places are two fruits that tend to produce around the same time), rhubarb muffins. But she also said her customers told her they like to cut the stalks into sticks and dip them in honey. “I wasn’t sure about it at first,” she told me, “but rhubarb has a lot of complex flavors besides the tartness and it’s actually pretty good.”
And just like last year, I’m not going to eat mine raw. I’ve already chopped up the stalks and they are simmering with plenty of sugar. Stewed rhubarb? My favorite. Stir it into yogurt or serve it on top of vanilla ice cream. It’s one of my favorite fruits and I am so thrilled to see it in August. And quite frankly, I have no other recipes to offer, but of course you can find muffins, etc. on the internet or your favorite old community cookbook.
Another surprise was that white acorn squash. Ours was huge, enough to feed four. I’m going to use an idea from Atlanta meal kit company Garnish and Gather —pesto-stuffed acorn squash. No recipe, but here’s what they had to say about it: “This Pesto-Stuffed Acorn Squash is loaded with comforting flavors inspired by the season! Whip up an almond pesto with fresh basil, parmesan, and lemon, then stir into nutty farro and white beans sautéed with aromatics and sun-dried tomatoes. Pile the farro mixture into roasted acorn squash, sprinkle with gruyère, and bake ’til golden. Garnish with lemon wedges and a drizzle of pesto.” Sounds so delicious. Since the acorn squash will keep for a bit, I’ll probably make this over the weekend or even in the next week or two.
Again, we don’t have a page for acorn squash, but the recipes on the butternut page would be easy to adapt. I like stuffing an acorn squash because it makes it a full meal, but I grew up with my mother’s acorn squash, cut in half, seeds removed, turned upside down into a baking dish and baked until tender, then turned right side up and the cavity filled with butter and maple syrup and returned to the oven for a little bit. If we get another acorn squash this year, I’ll make that in her honor.
And speaking of squash, those adorable little butternuts are so charming! Wouldn’t they make perfect individual servings? Baked like my mama did the acorn squash or again, used in one of our butternut recipes. I understand they’re a variety called “honeynut” and the internet says they are the best-tasting squash of all time. Let’s find out.
Disappointed not to have tomatoes and corn this week, delighted with a big haul of Kirby cucumbers which I am eating like candy as I write this, and a bag of okra. I’ve put a recipe from Steven Satterfield of Miller Union down below. Here’s what he had to say about it, “Okra takes well to the flavors of India. I love the flavor of the char combined with the tartness of the lemon and yogurt, the heat of the chile, the depth of the cumin, the sting of the raw garlic, the coolness of the mint, and the crunch of the peanuts.”
And here’s a recipe for Potato Dill Salad, but it doesn’t use white potatoes as you might expect … it uses sweet potatoes and of course, we all got sweet potatoes today, either one huge one or two smaller ones. Since I’m a fan of dill, this sounds delicious to me, especially with some grilled Riverview pork chops. But you could skip the dill if it’s not your thing. And in place of the broccoli, maybe use more cucumber.
Potato Dill Salad
From “Your Superlife” by Kristel de Groot and Michael Kuesch
1 sweet potato, washed and cubed
3 cups salad greens of your choice<
1/4 cucumber, chopped
1/2 avocado, pitted and cubed
1/2 can (7.5 ounces) chickpeas, about 3/4 cup, drained and rinsed
1 cup broccoli florets
1/4 cup fresh dill, chopped, optional
DRESSING
2 teaspoon dried dill
3 tablespoons ground mustard
1 tablespoon tahini
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
Sea salt and pepper to taste
Bring a pot of water to boil over high heat. Add the potato cubes and cook until soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
In a large bowl, combine potatoes, salad greens, cucumber, avocado, chickpeas, broccoli, and fresh dill, if using.
To make the dressing, combine the dried dill, mustard, tahini, turmeric, and salt and pepper in a glass jar or a bowl, and stir with a fork until smooth, adding water to thin as needed.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to combine. Enjoy!
Grilled Spiced Okra
From Miller Union chef Satterfield
1 cup whole-milk greek yogurt
1 large garlic clove, peeled
1 lemon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 wooden skewers, soaked in water
1 pound fresh okra pods
1-2 tablespoons peanut oil
Kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried chile flakes
1 cup roasted, coarsely chopped peanuts
3-4 tablespoons chopped mint leaves|
Add yogurt to a small bowl and, using a microplane, grate garlic clove into bowl. Zest lemon, setting lemon aside for later use. Add zest and salt to bowl and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
If using a charcoal grill, place a mix of natural charcoal and pecan, apple, or hickory wood onto bottom grate and light. Let flames flare up and die down, about 20 minutes. If using a gas grill, heat to medium-high.
Arrange okra pods side by side on work surface with all tips facing same direction. Holding pods in place with one hand, thread skewer about 1/2-inch from top of each, leaving at least 1-2 inches on either side of skewer. Thread a second skewer about 1/2-inch from bottom of each pod. Repeat with more skewers until all pods are secured.
Brush okra “ladders” on both sides with peanut oil; sprinkle evenly with kosher salt and place on hot grill. Grill until pods begin to brown, about 2-3 minutes; flip and grill on other side.
Spread yogurt across a plate or platter. Remove okra from skewers and arrange over top, garnishing with, peanuts and fresh mint. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over top, then dust with cumin and chile flakes.