Carrots

Care & Storage

For Eating Fresh: Remove the tops and then store the carrots unwashed in a perforated plastic bag in your fridge for up to a month.

Availability

June - November

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Recipes

Vegan Cream of Carrot Soup

2 lbs carrots, pealed and chopped
4 cups vegetable stock
Salt to taste
3-4 tbsp margarine or olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup soy milk
1 tsp grated (or powdered) ginger
Dash of sherry

Bring stock, carrots, and salt to a boil. Cover and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Let cool. Heat margarine or oil in a medium pan and sauté onion and garlic until softened. Add to the carrots and stock and puree. Return to the burner, add soymilk, and heat slowly. Add the ginger and sherry and season as needed.

The Best Carrot Cake Ever
Credit to Robin Gucker

2½ cups grated carrots
1½ safflower, grapeseed, or canola oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Whisk together oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. Fold in grated carrots. Pour into a greased and floured pan and bake 45-50 minutes. 

Broccoli Raab

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Care & Storage

For Eating Fresh: Wash and dry the broccoli raab (you can eat the stalks, the leaves, and the florets). Store in a perforated plastic bag in your fridge's crisper for up to a week. 

To Freeze: Wash and then blanch for 3 minutes in boiling water. Cool immediately.

Availability

May - June, September - October

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Recipes

Pasta with Sausage and Broccoli Raab
Adapted from The Joy of Cooking by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker

A classic Italian recipe for Broccoli Raab. 

¼ cup olive oil, preferably extra virgin
4 sweet Italian sausages (about 1 pound), casings removed
3 large cloves garlic, finely minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 large bunch (1 to 1.5 lbs) broccoli raab, washed, dried, and coarsely chopped
1 lb orecchiette, mini shell pasta, or other short dried pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup grated pecorino or domestic kasseri cheese

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook, breaking the meat up with a spoon, until nicely browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the broccoli raab and cover and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in 6 quarts of salted water until tender but firm. Drain the pasta, leaving some water clinging to the noodles, and add it to the skillet over low heat. Toss to coat and combine, then remove to a large serving bowl. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve immediately, passing additional grated cheese.

Bok Choi

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Care & Storage

For Eating Fresh: Store bok choi in a perforated plastic bag in your fridge's crisper for up to a week.

Availability

June - July, September - November

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Varieties of Note

Purple
Green
White stemmed

The purple and green varieties are more delicate then the larger white stemmed varieties, and are often grown for baby bok choi. All three varieties, but especially the purple and green should only be cooked lightly, and are best added to soups or stir-fries at the very last moment.

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Basil

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Care & Storage

For Eating Fresh: If you have stems of basil, trim the bottoms and put in water on your counter for up to four days. If you have basil tips, use immediately. DO NOT put basil in the fridge - it will get brown and weird.

To Dry: Bundle the basil stems with a rubber band and hang upside down in a warm, dry, dark place. Store dried herbs in an airtight container in a dark place.

To Freeze: Wash, drain, and chop the basil. (Tip: Ice trays make good herb freezing containers. They provide ready-made single meal servings.)

Availability

August - October

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Varieties of Note

Italian
Italian Purple
Thai
Thai Basil has a sweeter flavor than the Italian varieties, with notes of lemon, cinnamon and clove. It is often used in combination with hot peppers in traditional dishes such as curries and drunken noodles, and the flavor is better able to withstand cooking then the delicate Italian varieties.

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Recipes

Peaches and Basil
An amazing combination of flavors, for a mid-summer treat

3-4 Ripe peaches
About ¼ roughly chopped fresh basil leaves
Maple syrup or honey (optional)

Slice the peaches into wedges and arrange on a platter. Sprinkle with the chopped basil and drizzle maple syrup or honey over the top to taste.