Box Contents June 5, 2009

This week's box contains:

Tarragon
Purplette Onions
Erbette Chard
Cilantro
Collard
Tokyo Turnips
Potatoes
Spinach
Strawberries
Salad (promptly swapped for more turnips)

There's a mix this week -- of things I know what to do with and things I don't. Onions, chard, turnips, potatoes, spinach, strawberries -- no problem. Full bunches of tarragon and cilantro, collards, and turnip greens -- not really a problem per se, but new territory. Like the thyme last week, full bunches of herbs can be a bit much for a couple to consume, so they are in vases to stay fresh. I have no experience with collards or turnip greens, but will give it a go.

Tonight's dinner included:

• The Vegan Chef's Glorious Greens Gumbo over Grilled Polenta Cakes
• Fresh Strawberries with Mint
  

We also made mashed potatoes for our 3 year old goddaughter, who's not a gumbo fan. She did, however, have a great time cutting the polenta into interesting shapes!

The gumbo recipe is rock solid. We made a few changes based on what we had on hand and the results were great. I've never had turnip greens before and have had mixed results with collards, so this was definitely a success. Here's the changes we made:

• Doubled the salt.
• Swapped Cajun seasoning for Creole (not sure there is much of a difference) and tripled the amount.
• Skipped the cabbage and substituted Erbette chard for kale.
• Substituted carrots for the green pepper.
• Swapped polenta cakes for brown rice.

Sean added Adells Cajun Andouille Sausage to his plate, definitely a plus from his perspective. I stuck with the vegan version and didn't miss a thing. Excellent, very satisfying meal. Next time I'd swap a sturdier green for spinach, which pretty much melted.

Believe it or not, we consumed almost everything in the box in one meal! Leftovers for sure, but the only ingredients not used were the herbs and the turnip bottoms.