Here is the link for this week, the first week in November – where on earth did the year go!!?
It has been cold again this past week, up here in the hills, resulting in hearty roast dinners, soups and evenings by the fire in this house. Much as I love all of the afore-mentioned, I really am ready for some warmer weather and some lighter meals – and so are my hips!
From the look of the list of this weeks produce, it seems that we all have the makings of a very nice fresh green salad to enjoy on the sunny days that are sneaking back. An ordinary salad can very easily be turned into a great meal by the addition of some crumbled feta or fried haloumi, a sprinkle of chopped nuts – toasted for the extra flavour , seeds -sunflower, pumpkin or sesame, some toasted bread croutons, chopped hard-boiled egg, chopped crunchy fried bacon and/or some barbequed steak, fish or chicken thinly sliced. Easy, fast, fresh and full of nutrients. Presented on a large, gorgeous platter accompanied with a nice dressing, some crusty bread and a bottle of our great local wine and you have a lunch fit for any guests!
Some of you are lucky enough to have rainbow chard – this would make your salad look particularly stunning and more like a health tonic with its rich nutrient content! Rainbow chard is a close relative of beetroot and silverbeet and, like them, contains an astonishing amount of goodness. This is one of those foods that needs some degree of cooking to release it’s full potential, so give it a very light steam or use very young leaves in your salads. It is ridiculously rich in vitamins A, C, E, riboflavin and B6, minerals, antioxidants, fibre and a 150gm serve will give you six times your daily requirement for vitamin K – vial for blood clotting, bone mineralisation and cell growth.
Just a final word on the mandarins we have at the moment – these are really beautiful and full of flavour, but are not that easy to peel so just section them with a knife, as you would an orange, to get to that wonderful fresh taste!
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I saw the most stunning array of rainbow chard last week at a nursery – used in a mass display instead of flowers in an arrangement – the stems being so “loud” in colour made it very eye catching but I have never eaten it – now might be the right time !!
Hi there Amanda, Kelly from Food Connect here (I’m the produce and newsletter coordinator). Have meant to write for same time in appreciation of your ‘what’s in the box’ pieces (and the others)–it’s great to have your ideas and enthusiasm out there! I sometimes worry about ‘produce fatigue’ amongst our loyal Connectors, so thanks for breathing some life into the subject and keeping it delicious.
Cheers,
Kelly McKinley
Kate – yes, the chard colours are really stunning.
Kelly – thanks for dropping a line. It is something of a labour of love as it keeps me on my toes, too!
Love your ‘whats in the box’ Amanda, think it makes me think outside the box too 🙂 Good thoughts with the rainbow chard
Agree, agree with this weather…., time for summer.