It’s CSA 2022 week 3: let me show you the box from Beaverland Farms that came today. I get excited about a great box of produce, and this week we get rhubarb: the earliest crop of Michigan’s fickle spring. I adore rhubarb.
People argue about whether rhubarb should be thought of as a vegetable, or as a fruit. Clearly it’s one of those oddities that’s treated as if it were something else. It’s the stalk of a leafy plant (definitely veg) but scatter it with sugar and spices and put in in pies (fruit). The leaves are poisonous, but the stalks are delicious. Rhubarb may be an odd plant, but I love it, not only for the taste and the color, but because it marks the beginning of the truly local harvest.
Today’s delicious CSA 2022 week 3 box holds:
- rhubarb
- spinach
- carrots
- leeks
- sunflower shoots
- parsley
- lavender
- little red potatoes
- mixed lettuce
Our farmers suggest making rhubarb jam seasoned with lavender, but I’m thinking of a rhubarb crumble instead. What’s a crumble, you ask? Think of a crisp – a baked fruit dessert, with a streusel kind of topping. A crisp’s topping contains oats or nuts, while a crumble’s does not: it’s not so crisp and crunchy.
More ideas that come to mind from this box of good stuff:
- buttered new potatoes with leeks & parsley
- classic leek & potato soup
- carrot ginger soup
- roasted carrots
- oatmeal carrot muffins
- rice with spinach, lemon, & feta
- creamed spinach
- a big salad: I’m thinking with chicken, bacon, & avocado, all of which I have on hand
Follow the season with me: I’ll show off my CSA box each week, and then spin ideas of how I might use all the good stuff. Feel free to chime in with comments or questions.