CSA Adventure: Life is the Berries
Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 10:53AM I have recovered from my manic episode concerning the corn we received last week. Who would have though a vegetable could have such an effect on one’s mental state?
We received blackberries, sweet corn, tomatoes, mixed summer squash, green beans, more cucumbers and sweet bell &/or banana peppers. I don’t think I have ever tasted a plain unadorned blackberry before. Sweet and sour at the same time, blackberries are a deliciously conflicted fruit.
The corn was again wonderful. Fresh corn is so simple to make. Bring enough salted water to a boil to allow the ears to roll freely in the water. Place hulled ears in the pot and bring back to a boil. Cover and boil for 8 minutes. Remove from pot and drain. Serve with butter and salt. What could be simpler!
If have often heard the dictum buy the freshest produce you can. I have never experienced the truth of this statement until this summer. Cucumber salad is usually a blah side dish in my opinion. Having far more cucumbers than I knew what to do with, I peeled and chopped up six, along with the shallots and tomatoes we had received in our box this week and some store bought garlic cloves I minced. I dressed the vegetables with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, salt and pepper and put the salad into the fridge to chill. It was wonderful. Everyone, even the non-vegetable eaters had some. A perfect side for a steamy summer evening.
The freshness of the vegetables really does make all the difference between blah and wow!
Catch up on the CSA adventure:
I Need to Score Some More Corn
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Reader Comments (4)
The salad sounds delicious.
I love cucumber salad, but it's usually just with onion and cucumber in a sweetish milky base which is really good, but your recipe sounds pretty good and worth a try. Thanks
I am completely fascinated with CSA's after hearing about them earlier this summer. I take the (almost) opposite approach to cooking corn. I put the corn in the stockpot with cold water and by the time it comes up to a boil, I take it off the heat and let it sit for three minutes. Then we eat it. The most popular way to prepare corn here, though, is to roast it on the grill with the rest of dinner.
We're into our second year getting our fruits and vegetables from our local CSA farm. The berries have just started coming in.
We were on vacation last week, so I don't know if we've gotten any corn yet. If so, our house sitter enjoyed it.
Every week, we look forward to our CSA box. I wonder what will come this week.