All sounds so yummy. When can I fly over for dinner?!
If I had know about your cooking prowess I would not have settled for only dive bar drinks the last time 
The spelling on that one Japanese green is MIZUNA by the way.
pronounced Mee-zoo-nah
yummy stuff, we do a mushroom and mizuna salad at my restaurant, yum!
As a Jen fan of some years standing I am very happy to be reading you again and with such high fiber content it's even better!
I believe that I recently read that your ham features would be no more so I will have to await your new twist on veggie humor some day soon. Meanwhile, happy munching to you. Again, I am so glad to see you here. Thank you.
Excuse me, but rolling down just a little, I see that Jesse has taken over the ham franchise.
LIVER BITS!!!!!
Just wanted to say, I haven't commented but I read all of your posts thoroughly and really appreciate them. It's a GREAT balance on this blog, interesting and proactive. Don't stop.
Also -- I read a great deal of Southern history, and every time you write CSA, I have to remind myself you're not referring to the Confederate States Army.
All,
THANK YOU for the kind words and the good thoughts, and thanks Jesse for posting this series! Now with more fiber!
Jen, regarding vegetable washing (and fruit for that matter). On dirty stuff, rinse them as well as you can in clear water, then draw up a sink full of water, add a little soap, and let them soak for a few, then SCRUB (get yourself a veggie brush). Rinse again VERY well. You don't need a lot of soap but the sufactants in it act as a wetting solution which allows the dirt to loosen from the veggies better.
I can't afford to buy the organic stuff - hell, I can barely afford bog agros cheapest - so I always use soap to wash my fruit and veggies (not soft stuff like strawberries of course) in order to get more of the pesticide residue off.
my very favorite thing to do with whole fennel is to roast it. chop off the feathers and split the bulbs in half. rub them well with olive oil, give them a good spritz with balsamic vinegar, put on a foil lined sheet and bake at 400° until carmelized and fork tender. served with a bruschetta it will send old country italians into flights of recited poetry about their childhood.
my favorite technique for food washing, and i live in an area where we get lots of right out of the field produce is to put one of my cooling racks in the sink with the veggies on top of it. cover completely with water. from time to time give them a gentle scrub with a soft washcloth and set them back in the water on top of the rack. gravity is your friend here. lots of stuff floats off and sinks.
All,
Been using the "full sink of water, soak, n shake" method for a while now, but WILL add a drop of soap next time. Thanks for the tip!
Still no Schav? It's a crime with all that sorrel grass! I'll track down a good recipe for you!
SteveK,
Alas, I'm not really a "soup" person unless it's a) winter and either b-1) chicken soup (Mom's or mine) or b-2) PEA SOUP.
(sad tag on)
You know, when Gilly died I still had a batch waiting for him in the freezer.
(sad tag off)
In addition to the soak and scrub of those veggies, a good spinner does a good assist when gravity isn't enough. Spin that shit offa there! You should not be tasting the "grit" on yer food! LMAO :D
Loving your series, Jen!
Anybody else notice this shout-out from James Wolcott?
http://www.vanityfair.com/online...ny-
reasons.html
Minstrelboy, you are ON RE the Fennel...prepping some NOW.
If this is as good as your Navajo Bowl of Green, you're batting 1,000.
NEXT WEEK SPOILER ALERT:
LIQUID DINNER
LIQUID DINNER
LIQUID DINNER
HATIN MY BOSS AND HIS ASSWIPE ENABLERS
...Rest of the season's strawberries, honey, ice cubes, and a goodly pour of...lavender vodka.
BLEND.
DRINK.
REPEAT.
And I'm not even done with it yet! Woot!
Oh yeah fennel got covered so it wouldn't scorch; still as hard as a tree root. Giving it at least another 40 minutes.
One other thing--a million blessings to whomever suggested just a LEETLE soap for the first soak of greens, followed by freshwater. BIG difference.
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