Even though this area's had a fairly mild winter, the pickings at the
farmers' markets have been pretty slim: Eggs, citrus (mandarins, limes,
Meyer lemons, pumelos, and blood oranges), some kiwis, Asian greens, and
spaghetti squash are the main items available. If you show up to the market
early enough, you might be able to get some Delicata squash, but they get
snapped up pretty quickly. We've also got vendors selling seafood, beef,
pork, and lamb.

Lin found a very good recipe for spaghetti squash[1], but since I like a lot
of variety, I'd rather not have it again anytime soon. Are there any good
savory uses for kiwis? I suppose a kiwi salsa with a seared tuna steak would
be pretty good, but our currently dreary weather (drizzly with temperatures
in the 40F range) seems to favor braises, stews, and roasts. Maybe some kind
of braise with lamb, oranges, and Chinese broccoli?

What would you make on a drizzly day using the ingredients listed?

Bob
[1]
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/e...ipe/index.html

On Feb 17, 9:39*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
wrote:
> Even though this area's had a fairly mild winter, the pickings at the
> farmers' markets have been pretty slim: Eggs, citrus (mandarins, limes,
> Meyer lemons, pumelos, and blood oranges), some kiwis, Asian greens, and
> spaghetti squash are the main items available. If you show up to the market
> early enough, you might be able to get some Delicata squash, but they get
> snapped up pretty quickly. We've also got vendors selling seafood, beef,
> pork, and lamb.

You were supposed to stock up when local produce was cheap at harvest
time. A cellar full of winter squash; carrots, parsnips, turnips and
rutabagas all buried in sand, crocks of sauerkraut and sauerruben
working away in one corner, dried beans and chilis -- you shouldn't
have had to buy produce till spring.

In article om>,
"Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:

> be pretty good, but our currently dreary weather (drizzly with temperatures
> in the 40F range) seems to favor braises, stews, and roasts. Maybe some kind
> of braise with lamb, oranges, and Chinese broccoli?
>
> What would you make on a drizzly day using the ingredients listed?
>
> Bob

Reservations out, I think. ;-)

Barb

On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:36:35 -0600 in rec.food.cooking, Melba's
Jammin' > wrote,
>In article om>,
> "Bob Terwilliger" > wrote:
>
>> be pretty good, but our currently dreary weather (drizzly with temperatures
>> in the 40F range) seems to favor braises, stews, and roasts. Maybe some kind
>> of braise with lamb, oranges, and Chinese broccoli?
>>
>> What would you make on a drizzly day using the ingredients listed?
>>
>> Bob
>
>Reservations out, I think. ;-)

Couple walks in to a dubious looking restaurant. "Two for dinner,
please."

Waitress asks "Do you have reservations?"

"Yes, but we're willing to take the chance."

On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 08:05:09 -0800, David Harmon >
wrote:

> Couple walks in to a dubious looking restaurant. "Two for dinner,
> please."
>
> Waitress asks "Do you have reservations?"
>
> "Yes, but we're willing to take the chance."
>

Good one!

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

spamtrap1888 > wrote:

>On Feb 17, 9:39*pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >

>> Even though this area's had a fairly mild winter, the pickings at the
>> farmers' markets have been pretty slim: Eggs, citrus (mandarins, limes,
>> Meyer lemons, pumelos, and blood oranges), some kiwis, Asian greens, and
>> spaghetti squash are the main items available. If you show up to the market
>> early enough, you might be able to get some Delicata squash, but they get
>> snapped up pretty quickly. We've also got vendors selling seafood, beef,
>> pork, and lamb.

>You were supposed to stock up when local produce was cheap at harvest
>time. A cellar full of winter squash; carrots, parsnips, turnips and
>rutabagas all buried in sand, crocks of sauerkraut and sauerruben
>working away in one corner, dried beans and chilis -- you shouldn't
>have had to buy produce till spring.

There's that, plus I believe artichokes and brussels sprouts are
also in season, along with green garlic, green onions, and
celery, kale and cabbage in general. Asparagus is just starting.

I'm not sure exactly what "Asian greens" means. (Bok choy? Nappa
cabbage? We did get a nappa cabbage in past couple weeks.)

(Northern California.)

Steve

On Feb 18, 1:25*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
> spamtrap1888 > wrote:
> >On Feb 17, 9:39 pm, "Bob Terwilliger" >
> >> Even though this area's had a fairly mild winter, the pickings at the
> >> farmers' markets have been pretty slim: Eggs, citrus (mandarins, limes,
> >> Meyer lemons, pumelos, and blood oranges), some kiwis, Asian greens, and
> >> spaghetti squash are the main items available. If you show up to the market
> >> early enough, you might be able to get some Delicata squash, but they get
> >> snapped up pretty quickly. We've also got vendors selling seafood, beef,
> >> pork, and lamb.
> >You were supposed to stock up when local produce was cheap at harvest
> >time. *A cellar full of winter squash; carrots, parsnips, turnips and
> >rutabagas all buried in sand, crocks of sauerkraut and sauerruben
> >working away in one corner, dried beans and chilis -- you shouldn't
> >have had to buy produce till spring.
>
> There's that, plus I believe artichokes and brussels sprouts are
> also in season, along with green garlic, green onions, and
> celery, kale and cabbage in general. *Asparagus is just starting.
>
> I'm not sure exactly what "Asian greens" means. *(Bok choy? *Nappa
> cabbage? *We did get a nappa cabbage in past couple weeks.)
>
> (Northern California.)
>
> Steve

Not here. The soil is still frozen, although the top inch or
two might be starting to thaw after a week of warm weather.
We won't see any local produce (except hothouse-grown)
until May.

No, thanks. I can't go from October to May with so little
variety. Thank you, California, Florida, Texas, Mexico, and
Chile, for providing fresh produce all winter long.

Cindy Hamilton

Steve wrote:

> I'm not sure exactly what "Asian greens" means. (Bok choy? Nappa
> cabbage? We did get a nappa cabbage in past couple weeks.)

It's a variety: middling-sized bok choy, Chinese celery, Chinese broccoli,
and a few whose names escape me but which are all fairly bitter and used in
stir-fries.

Bob

Steve wrote:

> I believe artichokes and brussels sprouts are also in season, along with
> green garlic, green onions, and celery, kale and cabbage in general.
> Asparagus is just starting.

It's at least a month too early for artichokes, green garlic, or green
onions here. Kale *should* be in season, but there's not much of it in the
market for some reason. (I'm not sure why; kale is supposed to be best after
a frost.) Brussels sprouts finished up around the middle of January.

Bob

On 2/17/2011 11:01 PM, spamtrap1888 wrote:

>
> You were supposed to stock up when local produce was cheap at harvest
> time. A cellar full of winter squash; carrots, parsnips, turnips and
> rutabagas all buried in sand, crocks of sauerkraut and sauerruben
> working away in one corner, dried beans and chilis -- you shouldn't
> have had to buy produce till spring.


I know it may be hard to believe, but in many areas of the country
cellars (and basements) don't exist.

gloria p

On Feb 18, 8:04*pm, "gloria.p" > wrote:
> On 2/17/2011 11:01 PM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
>
>
>
> > You were supposed to stock up when local produce was cheap at harvest
> > time. *A cellar full of winter squash; carrots, parsnips, turnips and
> > rutabagas all buried in sand, crocks of sauerkraut and sauerruben
> > working away in one corner, dried beans and chilis -- you shouldn't
> > have had to buy produce till spring.
>
> I know it may be hard to believe, but in many areas of the country
> cellars (and basements) don't exist.
>

That should not hinder the determined:

http://www.amazon.com/Root-Cellaring.../dp/0882667408

"This book is a vast resource of information about root cellars, how
to build them, and how to use them. The Bubels contend that even city
apartments dwellers can arrange some sort of cold food storage area
with a little imagination and a few suggestions from those who have
done it before. The book has 6 parts: choosing good storage vegetable
varieties, harvesting for keeping quality, storing crops in the root
cellar, root cellar ideas for those who don't currently have a root
cellar, root cellaring experiences, and recipes. At the end of the
book is a bibliography for further reading, a list of plant sources,
and an index. The book is amply illustrated with diagrams and black-
and-white photographs. "

On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:52:53 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> It's at least a month too early for artichokes, green garlic, or green
> onions here. Kale *should* be in season, but there's not much of it in the
> market for some reason.

Several vendors had green onions at the Alemany market the weekend
before last. Didn't see green garlic or artichokes. Kale was there
too, but I was focused on chard. I should get some kale and try oven
roasting it with salt ala the food bloggers must try snacker (to
replace potato chips) last year.

> (I'm not sure why; kale is supposed to be best after
> a frost.)

I read here that it's supposed to be sweeter after a frost, but you
can't prove it by me.

> Brussels sprouts finished up around the middle of Janu

Didn't see Brussels sprouts at the farmer's market, but I bought some
*local* winter strawberries and they were sweet & delicious even if
they didn't look all that great. Whole Foods has much prettier and
even sweeter local strawberries this week.

It's supposed to rain all day tomorrow like it did today, but if
there's a break in the weather - I'd like to go and see what's
different. California Kumquats should be arriving soon... but I still
haven't made marmalade out of the Seville oranges I bought last time.



--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:04:05 -0700, "gloria.p" >
wrote:

> On 2/17/2011 11:01 PM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
>
> >
> > You were supposed to stock up when local produce was cheap at harvest
> > time. A cellar full of winter squash; carrots, parsnips, turnips and
> > rutabagas all buried in sand, crocks of sauerkraut and sauerruben
> > working away in one corner, dried beans and chilis -- you shouldn't
> > have had to buy produce till spring.
>
>
> I know it may be hard to believe, but in many areas of the country
> cellars (and basements) don't exist.
>
I thought it was just the norm in the West/Southwest. That's not the
case?


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 19:52:53 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"

> It's at least a month too early for artichokes, green garlic, or green
> onions here. Kale *should* be in season, but there's not much of it in the
> market for some reason.

Didn't realize you were that far out in the boonies.

I just discovered that the bagged wild arugula at Trader Joe's is
actually not bad. Not the same as local-grown-in-season, but at
least it's there.

Also, mushrooms should always be in season.

Steve

sf > wrote:

>On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:04:05 -0700, "gloria.p" >

>> I know it may be hard to believe, but in many areas of the country
>> cellars (and basements) don't exist.

>I thought it was just the norm in the West/Southwest. That's not the
>case?

That's mostly the case.

Personally, I would not want any usable space below grade, except
possibly for a wine cellar, and even then I am suspicious of moisture,
ingress of water, outright flooding, etc.


Steve

On Feb 18, 10:16*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:

> I just discovered that the bagged wild arugula at Trader Joe's is
> actually not bad. *Not the same as local-grown-in-season, but at
> least it's there.
>

I like it. I make straccetti with it all the time. More flavorful than
their organic arugula.

sf wrote:

> I bought some *local* winter strawberries and they were sweet & delicious
> even if they didn't look all that great.

Lin bought some Watsonville strawberries for Valentine's Day. They were
pretty good, especially with the sour-cream dip she made for them. But I
still favor the strawberries which grow only a mile from my house.

Bob

Steve wrote:

> I just discovered that the bagged wild arugula at Trader Joe's is
> actually not bad. Not the same as local-grown-in-season, but at
> least it's there.

I'll keep that in mind; I don't go to Trader Joe's often, but when I do
that's the kind of thing I'd like to purchase.

When I spoke with one of our local farmers last Tuesday, I asked if he was
going to be selling purslane or nettles this year. He'd never even
considered selling them; they do find them growing in the fields, but they
just throw them away as weeds. Nettles won't be out for another month or so,
and purslane probably not until May or June.


> Also, mushrooms should always be in season.

Oh yeah: I don't normally have Saturday off from work, so I don't go to the
Auburn farmers' market regularly. But I took last Saturday off and went to
that market, where I found a beautiful cluster of oyster mushrooms about the
size of a grapefruit. (It weighed a full two pounds!) I cooked them at 250F
in a covered casserole dish with olive oil and garlic, then added the whole
shebang to a pan of eggs which got scrambled with the mushrooms. We had that
with sherry cocktails[1] and grilled artisan bread as an early-evening tapa,
since dinner was pretty late.

Bob
[1] Sherry cocktail: fino sherry, amontillado sherry, a tiny bit of sweet
vermouth, and a twist of blood orange peel

On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:24:06 -0800 (PST), spamtrap1888
> wrote:

> On Feb 18, 10:16*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
> > I just discovered that the bagged wild arugula at Trader Joe's is
> > actually not bad. *Not the same as local-grown-in-season, but at
> > least it's there.
> >
>
> I like it. I make straccetti with it all the time. More flavorful than
> their organic arugula.

Now I have to look for "wild" arugula. Is your version of straccetti
like this? http://www.annamariavolpi.com/straccetti_arugula.html

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 23:22:19 -0800, "Bob Terwilliger"
> wrote:

> sf wrote:
>
> > I bought some *local* winter strawberries and they were sweet & delicious
> > even if they didn't look all that great.
>
> Lin bought some Watsonville strawberries for Valentine's Day. They were
> pretty good, especially with the sour-cream dip she made for them. But I
> still favor the strawberries which grow only a mile from my house.
>
But if the local berries are not in season, Watsonville berries are
pretty darned good.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 06:18:17 +0000 (UTC),
(Steve Pope) wrote:

> sf > wrote:
>
> >On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:04:05 -0700, "gloria.p" >
>
> >> I know it may be hard to believe, but in many areas of the country
> >> cellars (and basements) don't exist.
>
> >I thought it was just the norm in the West/Southwest. That's not the
> >case?
>
> That's mostly the case.
>
> Personally, I would not want any usable space below grade, except
> possibly for a wine cellar, and even then I am suspicious of moisture,
> ingress of water, outright flooding, etc.
>
I have a full basement, but I'm built into a hill and I don't have an
underground stream running through my property. When I lived in
Michigan, we had a full basement and a sump pump to keep it dry.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 21:04:05 -0700, "gloria.p" >
> wrote:
>
> > On 2/17/2011 11:01 PM, spamtrap1888 wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > You were supposed to stock up when local produce was cheap at harvest
> > > time. A cellar full of winter squash; carrots, parsnips, turnips and
> > > rutabagas all buried in sand, crocks of sauerkraut and sauerruben
> > > working away in one corner, dried beans and chilis -- you shouldn't
> > > have had to buy produce till spring.
> >
> >
> > I know it may be hard to believe, but in many areas of the country
> > cellars (and basements) don't exist.
> >
> I thought it was just the norm in the West/Southwest. That's not the
> case?

In places where the water table is high (e.g., New Orleans), cellars are
very uncommon. A lot of new houses don't have cellars due to
construction costs. It's a whole lot cheaper (emphasis on cheap) to
build on a slab or a crawlspace. I recall very few cellars in NC other
than daylight basements. Many of the houses here in Seattle have
garages as part of basements, as does ours. We store a few canned goods
and wine bottles down there, but not much else. After the sewer fiasco
of earlier in the month (the joys of living in a 60-year-old house), I'm
much less inclined to do much storage downstairs other than in the
second fridge.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

sf > wrote:

>On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 06:18:17 +0000 (UTC),

>> Personally, I would not want any usable space below grade, except
>> possibly for a wine cellar, and even then I am suspicious of moisture,
>> ingress of water, outright flooding, etc.

>I have a full basement, but I'm built into a hill and I don't have an
>underground stream running through my property. When I lived in
>Michigan, we had a full basement and a sump pump to keep it dry.

Yes, if there is natural drainage (hill property in rocky geology, not
mud) then a cellar is fine in northern California. If you're in the
flats it's a no-go.

My sister had such a hill property in S.F., and we located our wine
cellar there until she had to sell the property.

Steve

On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:55:09 -0800, Cindy Fuller
> wrote:

> I recall very few cellars in NC other than daylight basements.

I've never heard the term "daylight basement" before. What is that?

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On Feb 19, 1:39*am, sf > wrote:
> On Fri, 18 Feb 2011 22:24:06 -0800 (PST), spamtrap1888
>
> > wrote:
> > On Feb 18, 10:16*pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
>
> > > I just discovered that the bagged wild arugula at Trader Joe's is
> > > actually not bad. *Not the same as local-grown-in-season, but at
> > > least it's there.
>
> > I like it. I make straccetti with it all the time. More flavorful than
> > their organic arugula.
>
> Now I have to look for "wild" arugula. *Is your version of straccetti
> like this? *http://www.annamariavolpi.com/straccetti_arugula.html
>

That works. I don't use hot pepper though.

In article >,
sf > wrote:

> On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:55:09 -0800, Cindy Fuller
> > wrote:
>
> > I recall very few cellars in NC other than daylight basements.
>
> I've never heard the term "daylight basement" before. What is that?

It's a "basement" that usually has a garage or some other exit. Part of
the basement is below ground level. The local real estate term for this
type of house is a "raised rambler".

OB Food: Lazy Presidents' Day here. Tonight's dinner, courtesy of the
SO, is bul gogi.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

On Mon, 21 Feb 2011 13:42:05 -0800, Cindy Fuller
> wrote:

> In article >,
> sf > wrote:
>
> > On Sat, 19 Feb 2011 08:55:09 -0800, Cindy Fuller
> > > wrote:
> >
> > > I recall very few cellars in NC other than daylight basements.
> >
> > I've never heard the term "daylight basement" before. What is that?
>
> It's a "basement" that usually has a garage or some other exit. Part of
> the basement is below ground level. The local real estate term for this
> type of house is a "raised rambler".
>
> OB Food: Lazy Presidents' Day here. Tonight's dinner, courtesy of the
> SO, is bul gogi.
>
Okay thank, I haven't heard either term before this.


--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.