green and granola

We recently started our CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, box pickup.  We’ve been anticipating and excited for months about getting our weekly installments of fresh, locally grown vegetables to play around with in the kitchen.  We decided to split the box with Granola’s mom, and with the amount of veggies we all consume, we’re now finding we’re questioning that decision! I’ve been spending less time in the kitchen than I’d like, hence the lack of posts, but we’ve still been cooking.  Now that we’re getting fresh produce, that we haven’t necessarily menu planned for – every week – we’ll be having more posts regularly.  Or at least trying. 

The first week’s box was filled with lovely overwintered parsnips, spinach, chives, black radishes, and other things.  You can see the vegetables and learn more about the CSA as well as Harmony Valley Farm, here. The recipe I decided to go with was a combination of the parsnips and some yellow potatoes I had in the fridge.  I came up with it from a memory of a previous parsnip soup that Granola made, and the result was very tasty.  I think next time I would stretch it out a bit, maybe throw in some other root veggies for variety, but it was altogether very satisfying with a light salad.

1 tbsp olive oil                                                   1 bunch of ramps, cleaned and diced 1 small yellow onion, diced 4-6 medium yellow potatoes, cleaned and diced (skins on) 1 bunch of parsnips, peeled and diced 2 tablespoons vegetable boullion 4 cups water

2 cups 1% milk

 

Heat olive oil in large stock pot.  Add cleaned and diced ramps as well as onions, cooking on medium until soft and fragrant.  Add potatoes and cover, cooking for 10-15 minutes with occasional stirring.  Throw in diced parsnips and cook for another 10 minutes, stirring periodically.  After potatoes and parsnips have become soft, add water, milk,  and vegetable bouillon.  Use your immersion blender, if you have one, or put contents of your pot into a food processor or blender and puree until slightly chunky.  Taste and add ground pepper or salt to your preference.  Ladle into bowls and add freshly chopped chives.  Serve with salad and bread.  The salad I made had lovely fresh spinach and black radishes.  Enjoy!