I start cooking as soon as possible after shopping, when the memory of the market’s sun and cheerful tents are still in mind. If you can’t get to it immediately, though, put everything but the greens in a big bowl on your kitchen table instead of refrigerating it. In plain sight, your vegetables will chide you to cook them, and it feels pleasantly frivolous to spend a few moments fussing cauliflower, beets, and squash into a tableau.
Tamar Adler, An Everlasting Meal
feeling very thankful that even though i’ve been under a shelter-in-place order for over a month, that i’ve been able to buy fresh produce from the farmer’s market every week. sure, it looks a lot different than it used to. i no longer frolic through the tents, scooting around to taste cheeses and fruit samples. now, i find myself in awe of so many people working together to farm and then deliver all this fresh produce to the consumer despite the circumstances. i am so thankful.
farms have started developing a way for the consumer to place their orders online and arrange for a contactless pickup of a box curated by the farms themselves. i have been so impressed with mine every week, and it’s a bit of fun to get out and about in the car for a few minutes on an essential trip! to get a surprise box! filled with FRESH produce!
this week, my box came from the SF CUESA ferry building farmer’s market, and it was such a treat! also note: my drive from oakland to SF at noon on a saturday was FIFTEEN MINUTES. this is a drive that can take up to an hour typically. anyway, here’s a photo of the produce list that was nicely propped on top of the produce when i opened the box:
it has a beautiful wet spot from the beautiful produce that it was sitting on top of. i love it! so, even though things look different now, i am SO so so soso thankful for everything that i do have access to. which apparently now includes incredibly curated farmer’s market produce!
yesterday i made this caramelized fall-apart cabbage which was A HUGE WIN. here are a couple of pretty pics. i was a little bit in love with how beautiful the arrowhead cabbage were, which were from dirty girl produce and in my farmer’s market box from last week which i picked up at the south berkeley farmer’s market.
today i’m planning to make this galette with beet greens and maybe arugula in place of the swiss chard, because i don’t have any swiss chard! wish me luck. i will need it very much. i’ve never cooked with beet greens and i’ve never made a galette, both items prominent in this recipe for… a galette with spicy greens… go figure!
i’ve been spending time counting up and focusing on everything i still have to be thankful for, and i’m finding life to feel lighter and more peaceful when i am able to regularly view things from this perspective. it’s a great mind exercise and the way i think about ‘the thing’ shifts how ‘the thing’ actually exists in my world. so might i recommend taking a few minutes out of your day to focus on what you’re thankful for. i like to do this exercise right before i go to sleep when i’m winding down for the day.
some questions for you: what have you been cooking lately? what do you look forward to every week? what are you thankful for today? would LOVE to hear!
cooking with leeks 