Bountiful Harvest

...but I didn't have to do the work.

As you may know, my dad and brothers are excellent agronomists. This spring, once again, Dad planted sweet corn to sell at the local farmers' market. This fall, Dad and Evan planted broccoli to sell. The other day, I ate some, and it was as tasty as a dessert. Mom had cooked it just until it turned bright green so that it was still crunchy. YUM!!! Anyway, that is just a segway into my real story...

...Dad found a buyer for his broccoli AND the best part is that it is available right here in Charlottesville. Brett Wilson began a business of buying local, seasonal produce from the Mennonite farmers in the Shenandoah Valley and delivering it to Charlottesville, Crozet, and Lynchburg. See www.horseandbuggyproduce.com

Last night, I picked up my first delivery of the winter subscription. I received 3 pounds of potatoes, 3 pounds of sweet potatoes, 3 pounds of apples, 1 pound kale, 2 pounds broccoli, grown by Dad, 1 head beautiful Romaine lettuce, 2 heads of bibb lettuce, one gallon of apple cider, and 18 eggs! See picture!

I got home and started cooking, making two kinds of soup--my favorite Hungarian Sweet Potato and Potato Soup from Passionate Vegetarian and my very own recipe of yet-to-be-named kale soup:

Saute until tender:
1/2 onion, chopped
olive oil

Add and stir well:
1 quart canned chopped tomatoes, undrained
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. Italian seasoning (or to taste)
32 oz. organic chicken broth
1/4 cup raw sugar
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Once the above mixture has gotten hot, add:
2 cans Great Northern beans
1 lb. well-washed kale, torn into bit-size pieces

Heat until kale is tender. Enjoy!

Last night, I also made roasted vegetables, using some of the sweet potatoes and potatoes. I also cut up an eggplant and peppers and onions that I had on hand. I cut everything into cubes, poured olive oil, coarse salt, lots of pepper, and dried rosemary over the vegetables and stirred until everything was well coated. Then spread it out on a baking sheet and baked it at 450 degrees until the veggies were tender. At the last, I broiled them to until slightly browned.

I'm planning to make broccoli souffle with some of the broccoli and eggs. Maybe I'll try to bake a gluten-free dessert with the apples.

I really wish I had more people with whom to share food! I love to cook.