Countdown to Farm-dom

So we should find out this week/next weekend whether or not the farm is a go. Or should I say that we will find out THAT the farm is a go. By way of preparation for farm living, I've been trying to decide what I want to grow when I'm a farmer. Desired characteristics for produce include 1)delicious-ness (no brainer) 2) preservability (can I can it, freeze it, or put it by in a root cellar WHICH WE WILL HAVE) 3) interestingness. Having been working A LOT from home these days, I have been able to start paying more attention to making dinner, and what it's going to look like when done. I have discovered the lost art of presentation at the table. Expect to see more pictures of this soon- Like tomorrow.

So by way of preparation for my preparation of trying to decide what I will want to grow, I've been experimenting with all the cool stuff coming through the farmers market. I've been making a point to buy things I have never tried before. I just this very year started eating squash and the possibilities on that front alone are astounding. Taste/texture wise, the variety bowls me over, and the possibilities of fun fooding with them would make Martha Stewart hot.

So here (because I know what the people want) are this week's "As yet untasted foods" from the Sunday market (the one downtown, under the highway where homeless people live 6 days a week, but on Sunday it's the market space)

Left to Right: Daikon radish, hubbard squash, rutabaga, Romanesque cauliflower, watermelon radishes.

Now the cauliflower is so cool it deserves it's own closeup:

It's a fractal! And that's just cool. I am also transfixed by it because it is angly and pyramid having, and veggies are usually roundish. I don't know what I'm going to do with it, but it's going to be awesome. And you can't tell me this won't look cool. It might look so cool it deserves new serving plates. It's much prettier than it represents in my pictures, I may go steal one of someone else's pictures later for show. And I'm pretty sure I'm growing some next year. Oh yeah, it's on the list.

Daikon and watermelon radishes will be shredded on salad, and since the Daikon is huge I may also try roasting some of it, and I have also heard that there is some soup that can be done with it, though I remain skeptical.

Rutabaga is basically a Scottish turnip, so I'll roast as always, because I am obsessed and in love with the visual and tasty beauty that is purple onion/brussel sprouts/carrots/turnip/sweet potato/red potato tossed with olive oil and roasted. I can eat pretty much my body weight in that combo, and completely without guilt, which is just about my favorite damn thing in the world to be able to say about a food.

And here, just for context and because I went a little nuts at the market, is my complete haul:

Carrots, ginger, red potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad mix, daikon, squash, cauliflower, rutabaga, radishes, brussel sprouts. And I intend that it all be eaten this week.

HN and I are on a "we should eat more (local) veggies" kick, so when he told me this morning that he wasn't coming to the market and that I should just take his money and go, I did my best to keep this in mind. And I took his money, and I went. Next time I go unsupervised I will need to bring 2 bags and a porter because although it doesn't seem to look like much, it was heavy. In fact the only reason that I only came home with one squash was because it was all too heavy. The cauliflower weighs 5 POUNDS. It's huge! and that's awesome! Because I am the only one who eats it, and I mean to experiment my way through it all in preparation for the awesome thing I am making and bringing to Thanksgiving. Next week will involve a large squash purchase, that is the purchase of a large squash, not large as in quantity of varietals. I know this, because I have an idea that I want to bring to life and see if it tastes as good as it looks in my head.

And now I am off to forget about the rest and mess with the best. Tonights cauliflower experiment shall be: Roasting! Because I'm throwing together a rather large quantity of the others this way, I thought I should give the tried and true favorite a whirl. And also, this would be my preference for working out because it seems it would do most to retain the cool lookingness of the veg, and that is paramount.

And here just because is Star getting pwned by kitty. He's not content to just put himself in her bed anymore. Now he's the Big Spoon.