Kat on Thyme

Green Day at the CSA

Seattle produce… today is sponsored by the color Green. Yesterday was the first pick up day for the Community Sponsored Agriculture co-op that the family for whom I work has joined for the season. Here in the Northwest, the season runs from the first week in June to the end of October. How a CSA works, is that people buy a share of an organic farm and then each week they receive some of the farm’s bounty. The Root Connection is the CSA that we belong to, and the farm is just down the hill from the house.  They offer pick-up locations elsewhere, but picking up produce from the farm has its bonuses. My favorite of which will certainly be the bring your own scissors, u-pick basil patch. In fact, they have a whole garden of herbs for cutting, fresh greens, and u-pick flowers that come with the farm share. And not only are the vegetables all organic, they use fertilizer from a local farm that raises cows naturally. I met the cow lady the other day when I was there, and she described her cow’s contribution to the vegetable patch as, “Good Poop!”

And good poop grows good vegetables. This time of year in Seattle, most of what’s growing is green. In fact, everything in the share yesterday, besides a lovely bunch of smooth, fuchsia colored radishes, was green. Baby bok choy, two different kinds of lettuce, dandelion greens, kale, chard, and some green I had never seen before that looked vaguely Asian, perhaps some sort of cabbage. I enjoy the challenge of working these vegetables into my menus creatively. I made a salad of green leaf lettuce, avocado and grapefruit with a pineapple and lemon thyme vinaigrette. I tossed the dandelion greens with some fruity olive oil and salt and pepper and used them as a bed for the curry and black sesame dusted ling cod. The bok choy, I sautéed with garlic and finished with a crisp white wine. And with the radishes I made a little pickle-like dish with orange zest and fresh tarragon.

All the vegetables were beautiful, and prepared simply, their flavors shone. I look forward to many more farm filled meals this summer.

Radish and Orange Pickled Salad

1 bunch radishes, sliced thinly and then julienned (I used a mandoline)
Rice wine vinegar for tossing (about ¼ cup)
Juice of one orange (save a few strips of zest before juicing)
Salt to taste
Sugar to taste
1 Tablespoon honey (or use all honey instead of the sugar-honey combo)

2 strips of orange zest, removed with a peeler and thinly sliced
About 2 teaspoons fresh tarragon (add at the end to preserve the color)

Mix the radishes with the vinegar and orange juice toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt, sugar, and honey and taste. It should be tart, a bit sweet, and pleasantly salty, although not like a regular pickle- that’s too salty. Refrigerate for about an hour to blend the flavors. When you’re ready to serve, stir in the orange zest and the tarragon.

Why the Y?

Why the Y? It’s taken me years to come up with the answer to that question. When I worked for Sea Education Association some years back now, my compadre in the galley (Erik, now owner of Pie in the Sky Bakery in Woods Hole) campaigned on behalf of his little Swiss Y-peeler. And me, I was believer in the OXO Good Grips peeler. We volleyed attributes of the two styles of peelers, each trying to convince the other that ours was the peeler to stay, as if someone were going to throw one or the other overboard at the end of our debate. The good thing about our difference of opinion was that he was never using my peeler and I never used his. It seemed like a good arrangement.

Quite a few years later, when I had quite forgotten about the Y-peeler, entered Chef Drew, another Y-believer. I just didn’t get it. Indeed the peeler was sharp, but you would think those Swiss, who make such precision time keeping instruments, could design a peeler that didn’t rust in the dishwasher. I actually bought one for Drew to keep in my kitchen, since we cooked together often, but I never used the thing. I did like watching Chef Drew’s nimble hands working the peeler, and I softened to the idea that perhaps, it might be a worthwhile addition to my toolbox. Drew still prefers the lithe little Swiss peeler, and thinks anything made my OXO is chunky and awkward, but when OXO came out with a Y-peeler, I tossed my little Swiss one in the Goodwill box and replaced it with the big, chunky, and comfortable grip of the OXO. Ahh, much better.

So of course, now that I own the darned thing, I use it all the time. I find it useful for slicing cheese for panini, and making carrot and cucumber ribbons for salads. Since I hold and use a regular peeler like I use a paring knife, I was a little uncoordinated with the Y-peeler at first, but indeed, it’s a good tool for the price and it takes so little room in the drawer, it’s a keeper.

Green Bean & Carrot Ribbon Salad with Thai Style Vinaigrette

2 Tablespoons lime juice   
2 Tablespoons fish sauce   
2 teaspoons granulated sugar   
1 small clove garlic , minced or pressed
1 small red jalapeño chile , minced  (green if you can’t find red)
2 medium carrots , peeled of skin and then peeled into ribbons
1 Tablespoon peanut oil or vegetable oil 
1 pound green beans, blanched and shocked in cold water
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves, or a combination of mint and basil
1/3 cup chopped roasted, salted peanuts
1 avocado, a few cherry tomatoes, and some slivers of red cabbage, for garnish

Whisk lime juice, fish sauce, 2 tablespoons water, sugar, garlic, and jalapeño in medium bowl until sugar dissolves. Reserve half in large bowl; toss carrots with remaining dressing and set aside. Toss blanched and shocked green beans with the other half of the dressing. Toss half the mint into each bowl and stir to blend.

To assemble the salad, arrange the green beans on a platter and using tongs, top with the carrots. Arrange the garnishes around the beans and carrots and drizzle with the dressing that is left in the bowl. Sprinkle with the peanuts and serve.

Serves 4.

Pretty in Pinks

Dirt is precious. My nursery ambitions have probably outgrown what little dirt I own, and it’s only May. I have two small flats of vegetables and flowers, still unplanted, in my entry hall, and I haven’t even gotten to buying the tender annuals, like basil. I live in a townhouse, and my yard is not small, by townhouse standards. Yet every year I find myself uprooting what little remains of the original low-maintenance (boring) landscaping that came with the house, and planting things I can eat. Why grow it if you can’t eat it? Well, surely if you have the luxury of an expansive yard, by all means, grow whatever suits your fancy. But as a townhouse dweller (dirt challenged) one has to be particular. My little yard is full of culinary herbs, as well as some medicinal ones. The flowers of all of these plants are edible, and beautiful. They make lovely garnishes and can be tossed into salads for added texture and color. I will often sprinkle the lavender colored spring rosemary flowers atop dishes seasoned with rosemary. Likewise with chive blossoms, sage flowers, or lavender. But why stop at herbs when so many flowers are edible? I browse the nursery aisles looking for exotically colored and textured plants and flowers to add to my salads, sprinkle over pastas, or adorn summer desserts. Here is a list of a few flowers that make lovely landscapes, both in the garden and on the table.

• Anise Hyssop (sweet, anise-like, licorice, pink to purple flowers) Leaves pictured above.
• Arugula (nutty, spicy, peppery flavor, white flowers)
• Bee Balm (pungent, variety of colors, pinks and reds are striking)
• Borage (light cucumber flavor, incredibly beautiful purple blossom) Pictured at right.
• Calendula (spicy, tangy, peppery, adds a golden hue to foods, oranges and yellows)
• Chamomile (faint apple flavor, good as a tea, little white daisy-like flowers)
• Chrysanthemum (slightly bitter flavor, pungent, many colors)
• Citrus Blossoms (waxy, pronounced flavor, use sparingly as an edible garnish, white)
• Cornflower (“Bachelor's Buttons”- sweet to spicy, clove-like, blue blossoms)
• Dianthus (spicy, peppery, clove-like- also called “Pinks”) Pictured above.
• Gardenia (light, sweet flavor, white blossoms)
• Hyssop (pungent, use sparingly, blue is striking)
• Jasmine (delicate sweet flavor, used for teas, white to light pink)
• Johnny-Jump-Up/Viola (bland flavor but lovely, many colors) Pictured above.
• Mallow (sweet, delicate flavor, pink to purple flowers)
• Marigold (spicy to bitter, oranges and yellows)
• Nasturtium (buds can be pickled and used like capers- tastes peppery, warm colors)
• Pansy (very mild sweet to tart flavor, many color choices)
• Rose (sweet, aromatic flavor, stronger fragrance produces a stronger flavor. Be sure to remove the bitter white portion of the petals. Rose hips are also edible. Wide color variety
• Scented Geranium (varies with differing varieties from lemon to mint- the citronella scented ones are not good to eat, white to pink)
• Violet (sweet- purple, blue, pink)

Sugared Edible Flowers for Garnishing

This is a great way to preserve your flowers. It will help prevent wilting on warm days.

1 small container pasteurized egg whites (they have them at Trader Joe’s)
Edible flowers
Super-fine sugar
A small paintbrush

Whisk the egg whites to lighten them. With a soft paintbrush, paint the flowers with egg white and dust with super-fine granulated sugar. After painting flowers with egg whites, allow the flowers to dry. Store preserved flowers in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. They’ll last a week or two.

Happy gardening!