Two Gadgets I can’t do without…..Anymore!

I’ve been involved with Vegetable and or Fruit CSA’s for over 4 years now. With participating in a CSA, there is a little more commitment to preparing food and cooking. For people who are not super experienced cooks or do not have the kitchen gadgets to make life easier, cooking can be a messy time consuming chore. However, this past year my life in the kitchen became a little easier. I acquired 2 new kitchen gadgets that I can’t believe I ever did without. The first gadget that came my way, came as a surprise birthday gift from a friend who is the chef chief and bottle washer to 8 kids. That makes her very experienced in the kitchen. She sent me a emersion blender. My friend knew I was making a lot of soup and knew it would be easier to use an emersion blender than transfer hot soup from pot to blender. Since acquiring an emersion blender I also use it for many other tasks. The blender she sent me can also be used as a simple food processor with a bowl and blade attachment. It also came with a whipping attachment. Haven’t found a way to use that though. The rest of my family has found pleasure using the emersion blender to make milk shakes. The second gadget was a hand me down. My neighbor received a new salad spinner for her birthday and passed on her old one to me. What ever did I do without out a salad spinner in my life. Greens from a CSA and a farmers market are often pretty dirty and sometimes buggy. Rinsing only does not work for greens. Greens have to be dunked. The design of my salad spinner provided a removable colander type bowl that I use to submerge my greens twice before spinning. Prior to this wet counter tops and a roll of paper towels were involved. It is so much easier chopping the greens or making a salad when the greens are dry, the finished product is always better too. During the height of the greens season I get into the habit of taking care of all the greens all at once then storing them in containers in the fridge. My kitchen is pretty basic in terms of gadgets but these are two that I am really happy to have handy. They have made managing my CSA bounty a little easier. What are your favorite kitchen gadgets that have made your CSA life easier?

Teresa

Check out emersion blenders here

Check out Salad Spinners on Amazon

Food parings get me motivated

I need to get working on this blog again.  It’s been over a year since I’ve felt really motivated.  About a year ago I found out that the CSA I was volunteering at was being absorbed by a bigger CSA and after a few weeks I realized there was no place for me in the bigger CSA.  Turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  I ended up purchasing a share in a start up CSA.  It’s been a wonderful experience.  While this time of year my stores are waning (I’m down to a couple of squash, some parsnips and popcorn), I’ve been able to enjoy fresh items purchased at the local winter farmers market.

I’ve been cooking, taking pictures and reading books over the past year.  I have lots of  interesting information to share.  It’s just a matter of sitting down and putting it together.  Writing a blog with decent content is easier said than done.

So what got me motivated this time was a fantastic article I came across.  I needed to find out what spices paired with cherry (I was subbing dried cherries for dried apricots) and came across this great reference article titled,  “Flavor profiles that pair well in recipes” on the Nouveau Raw blog.  Anyway I though the info was good.  I was also thinking I might use it when I go to the oil store to create vinegar/oil pairings for salad dressings.  I’ve learned that the right parings can make all the difference in a salad.  

Not much information but I hope you’ll be hearing from me more often.  

Teresa