It's Not Easy Being Green

This week my favorite bakery closed down and I was a little preoccupied with the last worthy chocolate cream pie to ever touch my lips. (I know, a little melodramatic).

Now that I have indulged, I am back on track and ready to tackle my next CSA challenge. While there was no whipped cream hiding underneath the veggies, there definitely were a few surprises that I didn't expect.
The first one was Purslane and if you've never heard of it, you are not alone. You MUST click here to see the nutritional benefits of this "gourmet weed". 
 

The Vitamin A and Omega 3 content will blow you away!

 You can saute it or use in a salad but just be sure not to cook it at high temps to avoid ruining its precious nutritional content.

Next in my mystery box was green tomatoes. Now, some people feel the need to resuscitate these to the color of red, but I accept them for who they are. (There are some tomatoes that are not destined for a Good Gravy. But you certainly can try.)  Click here for tips on how to ripen them.

If you're like me, and accept all green tomatoes "as is", then read on:
For a fried green tomato recipe even Jessica Tandy would love,  click here.

And for a great remoulade sauce to dip them in, click here.  For additional tips on how to eat them click here.

But if you'd like to know what was on every Thanksgiving and Christmas spread in my house growing up, it was Grampa Rico's Pickled Tomatoes.  I was nuts about these as a kid and loved eating them right out of the jar. 

If you are afraid to tackle anything pickled, fear not. It's very easy.

First, sterilize your jars and click here to see how. Next, wash your green tomatoes and cut up into wedges. Add them to the jar(s). You can also add a few whole cloves of garlic to the mix.

By the quart:

Boil 1 cup water and 1 TBS salt. Let it cool. Add the liquid to the jar of tomatoes. Fill the rest of the jar with white vinegar. Add 1 tsp of pickling spices (sold in the spice section, Job Lot 99 cents!) to the jar and cover tightly.

Let the jars sit for 3-5 weeks on shelf in a cool area.

Add these to your salad or antipasto. Store in fridge after opening.

Also included in my CSA box this week: Eggplant, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, and long hot green peppers. More recipes to come. Please share what you are doing with your goodies this week. I'd love to know!