Care for your Share...The French Way!
Wednesday, 18 July 2012 08:51
Just Food
It's just past Bastille Day, and whether or not you watch the Tour de France or your idea of français is pretty much limited to the fry, July is a bounteous month for CSA members and the French have a pretty good sense of how to handle the wealth. Learning how to care for your share during the heat of summer is as much science as it is art, but you can make the most of your share by borrowing a few tricks from the pros.
Mis en place is practiced by professional chefs everywhere, and according to Wikipedia, The Culinary Institute of America defines this practices as "everything in place" as in set up. It is used in professional kitchens to refer to organizing and arranging the ingredients (e.g., cuts of meat, relishes, sauces, par-cooked items, spices, freshly chopped vegetables, and other components) that a cook will require for the menu items that he or she expects to prepare during his/her shift."
Look at your most perishable portions of your share (delicate greens, beans, berries) and devise recipes accordingly so that your hardier veggies (broccoli, cukes, root veggies) are incorporated later in the week (or month). Consider your weekly schedule and the nights you'd be more likely to order take-out than cook up a fresh meal from your CSA share. Then prep your kitchen to make sure you are spending your time eating your share rather than composting it. A super helpful blog for developing a mis en place plan can be found at The Nourishing Home and you can see the Just Food Tipsheet on Caring for Your Share by Community Chef Martha Ma on our website.
