On Feb 27, 11:41 pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> bulka wrote:
> >> The items which have thrown me for a loop in the past are Armenian
> >> cucumber, mizuna (which is still a bit problematic for me), and perilla.
>
> > Don't tease me. What are those things?
>
> Armenian cucumber is a kind of melon which tastes a bit like a cucumber and
> which looks like a two-foot-long bright-green serpentine (it's also called
> "snake gourd") grooved cucumber.
>
> Mizuna is a green related to mustard. It's supposedly a salad green, but I
> don't find it all that pleasant in salads. The best use I've found for it,
> and I'm still not all that happy with it, is to lightly cook it and serve it
> cold with buckwheat noodles, soy, and sesame. Wikipedia mentions that mizuna
> can be pickled, so maybe I'll try that if I get it again.
>
> Perilla is a wide-leaf herb related to mint. The perilla variety called
> "shiso" is commonly found in sushi, but that's not the variety we got. Ours
> had a fairly strong cinnamon aroma, and I ended up making a quasi-Thai
> catfish stew with it.
>
> Bob

Cool. And thanks. I'll try to remember some of that.

Late last summer, a Chineese family showed up with a stall at my
farmers'. Everybody else had tomatoes, cuke, zuke, peppers - all the
normal stuff.

His table - I didn't recognize anything. Ridiculous long eggplant,
gorgeous leafy things. When I asked - "Oh, it good in stir fry".
Same answer for everything.

Bought a lot of stuff. Some ended up stir-fied, some pickled, some
salad.

I love this guy. Hope he comes back in May. And, while I was talking
to him, got his familiy registered to vote.

Where are you with your interestinig CSA? I'm just outside Detroit.

Bulka