First off, kudos to anyone who got that reference. Now, on to the produce box. I was so excited to get it that I completely forgot to take a picture of it before I started putting away the contents–but I’ll post one next week, I promise. Overall I was very pleased with it.

Here’s what was in it:
*Leeks
*Yukon Gold Potatoes
*Bibb Lettuce
*Spinach
*Collard Greens
*Cameo Apples
*D’Anjou Pears
*Strawberries
*Asparagus
*Purple Carrots
*Red Peppers
*Tangelos (similar to tangerines)

What struck me right off the bat was how well balanced this array of produce was. By well-balanced I mean that some of it was stuff that I buy at the grocery store on a weekly basis anyways (citrus, carrots, and apples fall into this category), while other items were things that I had forgotten how much I liked (asparagus, leeks, lettuce). In particular, lettuce–it’s been *ages* since I made my salad from a head of lettuce rather than a bag of mixed salad, and with lettuce this fresh and crunchy, it was definitely a welcome change. And just to make things a bit more exciting, there was of course, the token item I had walked by a thousand times in the grocery store and never bought: collard greens. I’m sure Nige will have some suggestions as to what do do with them though.

The other concern I had had, when we signed up for the box was its size, I was worried that we were going to get enough veggies to feed a small army on our doorstep, without any guinea pigs nearby to help us get through them (Silky, my childhood pig used to go through at least one bunch of dandelion greens per week), be forced to spend the whole weekend cooking (which wouldn’t be that bad) or throw some of them out (which ould be very bad). Luckily though, this seemed not to be a problem, and the amount of food we got was very reasonable for both the price and our needs . To quote a famous movie: Produce Box, “I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”.

Speaking of things you see in the grocery store and never buy, I bought an artichoke last week. They are in season right now, and the shelves are packed with monsterous spiky prehistoric looking globe artichokes. I just *had* to buy one (well, that and there was a recipe in my favorite F&W Cookbook that I wanted to try).

It came out very well, all things considered, and the excess vinagrette has been excellent on the organic Bibb lettuce, however, it did refresh my memory as to why I didn’t buy artichokes very much. In the end, it all comes down to a princple which I have dubbed the Law-of-Lobsters (and crabs, and artichokes): They look very elegant in the store, and in the photos in the cookbook, however, when it comes down to it, an awful lot of hassle and hard work for not a lot of food.

That won’t stop me from posting the recipe though, just be warned: only a very small portion of that artichoke is edible:

Artichokes with Scallion Vinagrette

Serving info: The recipe calls for 4 artichokes. I only made one, as it was going to be a side dish with other food. I used the full portion of seasonings (onion, peppercorns, bayleaves, etc.) in the liquid for the artichoke, and it was not at all overpowering. I also made the whole portion of vinagrette thinking, (rightly) that it would come in handy for other things. However, if you don’t want left-overs, you could probably half the portions of the vinagrette. In general, you can be pretty flexible with ingredient ratios in this recipe (add more oil if you like your vinagrette milder, or less if you like it vinegarier–you can guess which side I was on). I would say count on 1 artichoke per person if its a main course, and 1/2 an artichoke per person if its a side/appetizer.

Ingredients

1. 1 quart water
2. 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3. 5 1/2 tablespoons wine vinegar
4. 1 small onion, cut into thin slices
5. 12 peppercorns
6. 5 bay leaves
7. 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
8. 4 large artichokes
9. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
10. 4 scallions including green tops, chopped
11. 6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12. 1 1/4 teaspoons lemon juice
13. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large wide stainless-steel pot, combine the water, the 2 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vinegar, the onion, peppercorns, bay leaves, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Bring to a boil.

2. Cut the stems off the artichokes and cut off the top third of the leaves. If you like, using scissors, cut off the tips from the remaining leaves to remove the thorns. Put the artichokes in the pot, stem ends down. Cover and bring back to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the bases of the artichokes are tender when pierced with a small knife, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the artichokes.

3. In a small glass or stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the mustard, the remaining 4 tablespoons vinegar, the scallions, parsley, lemon juice, the remaining 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and the ground pepper. Add the remaining 1 cup oil slowly, whisking. Serve each artichoke with a small bowl of vinaigrette alongside for dipping.

P.S. Last Sunday’s salad is still in the queue. I just haven’t got round to posting it yet.