The kids are back to school and the weather feels like August – hot and humid, but cooler weather is on the horizon and it is clear we are on the path to autumn.
This year I made a commitment to do better at preserving than I did last year and so far, so good. I have canned 3 kinds of pickles, made multiple varieties of pesto for the freezer, and blanched and frozen kale, broccoli and beans. I have also sliced and frozen zucchini, which doesn’t require blanching.
We are awash in tomatoes from our CSA and our own garden, so we’re trying to eat those, and for the San Marzano variety my neighbor and I have a deal – I grow them, he cans them and we split the end result. So far just a couple of quarts, but I expect more in the coming weeks.
I also tried canning Candied Jalapenos for the first time – no real idea how they turned out yet – and it is time for our first batch of Salsa Verde was made and jarred. We also are starting to get Poblano peppers from our garden and the CSA, and those are being seeded, cut into strips and frozen for use in Buffalo Skillet Enchilada Bake this fall and winter.
August had us spending a huge amount on food – we had run down almost everything in the house other than tomato sauce and paste, and some stockpiling for the next few months was in order. I tend to stockpile in the fall and spring, but next spring if all goes we’ll be cleaning out for renovation, so this may well have been our last stock up. The only things left are apple picking and to go to my sister’s in upstate NY later in the fall to get our bulk veggies.
But even without that, We are full to the gills on foodstuffs, and more is rolling in to be preserved every week. So it’s definitely time to eat all the foods. And the good news is that this time of year it’s easy to try to hit our 30 plant-based foods a week.
But first we’re trying to keep up with the plethora of CSA produce that keeps rolling in and there’s likely a couple more batches of basil pesto to make, although I’m running out of pine nuts, so we’ll switch to walnuts.
So what specifically are we eating? This past week was really hot, so our meal plan had to stay flexible. Here’s what we ate last week and what we’re eating this week, just as I launch into multiple weeks of business trips, punctuated by a few days at home in between each. Once my trips are done for a bit at the end of the month it will be cooler and we can cook more, but last week’s meals were mostly ad-hoc because no one cared enough about it
Breakfasts: Last week I made a big batch of waffles and froze most of them for quick weekday breakfasts
For lunches: Lemon Cranberry Quinoa Salad was last week’s pre-prepared lunch, minus the avocado so that it lasts longer. This week I’ll be traveling so I’m just making hardboiled eggs for Eli and the kids
Preserve: Pesto, salsa verde, drying sage and oregano
Use up: We have a lot of potatoes and oranges to eat
Saturday: We tried Coconut Curry Meatballs over basmati rice and homemade Naan, although we didn’t have ground chicken or turkey on hand, so I used a combination of ground pork and beef and kept some out for those who are still feeling their way around curries, i.e. our youngest. I added Raita and sliced veggies to go with it. We didn’t have sweet potatoes so I added peas instead. It was good but I would skip the chicken broth in the future.
Sunday: A batch of Ravioli Lasagna, garlic bread and salad for a simple rainy-day comfort meal
Monday-Wednesday nights I’ll be away, so Eli will make the kids ham, which isn’t my favorite.
Thursday: Eli will make us dinner, a chicken something with Brussels sprouts
Friday: We’ll have our CSA share for the week – 5 weeks left to go- and that means salad along with Rosemary ranch chicken and potatoes on the grill
Saturday: We’re heading out to pick apples, so I’ll make Cinnamon Sugar Swirled Apple Bread and maybe Mulled Apple Cider Cakes for the freezer, and to go with make-your-own pizza night
Sunday: Chicken and Rice circa 1975 – a simple rice bake with chicken thighs or leg quarters, a little onion and whatever else you have, all baked together with a quart of chicken broth as the liquid.
Monday: It seems like the heat won’t be quite done with us yet even past the middle of September, so we’ll go for tacos. Most of the work is making guacamole and cutting up the veggies.
Tuesday I’ll hit the road again and we’ll make another meal plan when I get back!
What are you eating?
Little House on the Fairy Hill 