March Produce Roundup

welcome back to the produce report. it’s been an interesting month to say the least, replete with exotic-seeming and yummy plant matter, mostly courtesy of the co-op.

pomelo

i neglected to write down the exact variety of this one but the fruit was very large and very easy to peel, in the way a sumo mandarin is easy to peel, but not in the way that some mandarin varieties are easy to peel but dry. obviously this thing was juicy. sarah and i agreed it had a certain savory quality that made it hard to eat entirely in one sitting, and we agreed a bit of salt would be great on it. i let a segment sit out for a while and the exterior got a bit dry in a way i liked. i’d buy it again if i saw it!

escarole

escarole i learned five seconds ago is the broad leaf variety of endive, which i tend to love in salads for its bitter, soft texture. but escarole just doesn’t have that certain something needed to be a salad’s main player. it kind of felt like eating a bowl of weeds, which has a time a place, but i think this green is better as a guest star.

conical cabbage

besides having a fun alliterative name conical cabbage delivered on flavour and texture. i find buying a whole head of cabbage can be wasteful because it’s so hard to eat the entire thing before it goes bad. this cone was the perfect size though. it was slightly sweet and more tender than napa. we had it raw with lemon and salt, and braised with beans in broth, and it held up beautifully in both dishes. i would get it again and sear it with brown butter and capers next time. this one’s a standout!

asparagus

y’all know what it is. but it needs to be said, when they’re all skinny like this they’re so tender and perfect with just a little salt and oil, roasted. there’s been quite a few batches like this the last few weeks so we’ve been cashing in. perfect!

palestinian sweet lime

honestly let this one sit in the fruit bowl for a while because i wasn’t sure what to do with it, but we finally gave it a taste and i really regretted not using it sooner. it tasted like an overly sweet lemonade, really juicy. it felt more like a fruit to enjoy on its on rather than a component in something else.

thumbelina carrot

had to pick up these little guys. flavor was basically the same as any carrot, maybe a little sweeter, but ended up pickling them with peppercorns and aleppo chili flakes. so crunchy.

cauliflower

for valentine’s day sarah and i got some italian food. the standout from that meal was a warm cauliflower salad. i felt compelled to replicate it. i roasted a couple of heads, added some parm, some olives and capers, green onion, radicchio, and some cured meat and thoroughly enjoyed.

definitely going to start prepping roasted cauliflower as snack moving forward. it’s great cold and works well for lunch.

another perfect month! can’t wait to try more stuff!