Tanaka: Feeling the Beet

This week's box

Prepping those broccoli stalks

If veggies were art, Romanesco would be Picasso

Sally the spinner never disappoints, but this lettuce was too delicate to be stored away for days

Leaves drying out after their spin

The leaves are huge!

My red leaf lettuce salad: house vinaigrette and plantain croutons

Intrigued by this cookbook on veggies at Costco!

The "recipe" for radishes: ice, spread with butter, sprinkle with salt, and eat

We are hitting our stride. Opening the weekly box of Tanaka veggies and fruits still feels like getting a homework assignment, but an easier one at that. My towering stalk of broccoli goes straight in the fridge to be prepped later. The gorgeous chartreuse head of romanesco gets the same negligence. So does the head of cabbage: my first Tanaka cabbage. I cut the greens off a bunch of radishes and wash them before Googling how to preserve them (wrapped in a damp paper towel in a sealed plastic bag). I rinse off the tangerines and add them to my Tanaka citrus collection in the crisper drawer of the fridge. The strawberries are prepped and eaten immediately. They are not great strawberries, at least by Tanaka standards. Luckily, my three extra boxes of fresh strawberries from the produce drive thru are perfect in every way. Sally the salad spinner is only needed for a container of mystery lettuce! I finally cooked and ate the beets from last week: roasted, not poached (as instructed by Cara Mangini). Then my pee was pink and I thought I was in kidney failure until I remembered by beets from dinner. Vegetables are exciting!

BROCCOLI

I’m learning that not all broccoli stalks are created equal. The central stalk is still tough and woody after roasting. The narrower floret stalks, peeled, are excellent. More knife work for me on utilizing those! These are roasted and enjoyed right away. Cleo loves broccoli stem peels.

ROMANESCO

I’ve fallen head over heels for this gorgeous veggie. It roasts like cauliflower, subtly sweet. Its color is divine. It could be an art object in a museum. Look at the gorgeous color!

RED LEAF LETTUCE

After consulting with a friend and all around knowledgeable vegetable expert, it was determined this lettuce is of the red leaf variety. It was silky soft, extremely delicate, and wilted after some time with Sally the salad spinner. I suppose I should have held off on washing it right away.

RADISHES

I don’t know what to do with these. I’ve heard fancy French people slice them, spread butter over them, sprinkle them with salt, and eat them as an appetizer. I’ve had them sliced in salad or roasted. So far, they’re just being used as an occasional treat for Cleo or me. On a trip through Costco I found Eric Ripert’s book on veggies and flipped to the radish page. Guess what? This French chef advised adorning them with butter and salt and eating them raw. I’ll try it next week.

CABBAGE

We made coleslaw. So boring!

STRAWBERRIES

Tanaka needs to skip the strawberries in these boxes or add them closer to distribution time. They were not nearly as high quality as the strawberries from the produce drive thru.

TANGERINES

Tangy, delicious, and sadly ignored in our fridge.

A TREAT

The iced Oreo latte from Irvine’s Krisp Coffee. Technically, it’s not a milkshake, but who are we kidding? Photo credit The Vine

I went back to Krisp Coffee for the ultimate in desserts masquerading as coffee: the Oreo latte. Planning an interview and tasting of Krisp’s summer drinks. Cannot wait to share with all of you!

The contents of the Tanaka Farms CSA box change from week to week. You can see what’s in Tanaka’s CSA boxes each week online. Interested in enjoying some local organic produce? Sign up to join.