Waste not.

For the past two years, we have been getting a weekly veggie box from a local, organic farm. Up until recently we were using Terra Firma which we just loved and I would highly recommend them. However, in order for them to keep their cost low, the recipient has to go pick up the box from a drop off location. This was not really a problem for me until the day I was running late to an appointment and had to go pick up the box with Charlie who needed to touch/feel/molest EVERYTHING between our car and the home that stored the boxes. Also, it was raining so that made it about 4,000 times more fun. That's when I thought to myself, "Why am I picking up this box myself like a barbarian when I can have a different company deliver organic, healthy food directly to my doorstep?" (First world problems can be so annoying sometimes.) So we switched to Farm Fresh to You which is slightly more expensive but much more convenient and provides us with equally delicious fruits and veggies.

I have never intended to waste food, even before we started getting a produce box. But now I really make an effort to eat everything we get from the farm because for some reason it just feels worse to throw those unused carrots away as opposed to the ones I buy from Safeway. It's like I can hear them screaming or something when they hit the trash. But this strange "vegetables have feelings too" guilt thing I am feeling means I have to be fairly creative. Since the food is seasonal you will often get the same food week after week. Take for example, leeks. I love leeks. But after six weeks of them, you start to run out of ideas. I'm sure it's just a matter of time before Grant comes home and asks, "Hon, what flavor ice cream is this, exactly?" Just shut up and eat it, dear.

But leeks are not the only thing I have had to get creative with. Here are a few other ways I have done my best to use everything the farm provides:

1. Make broth. Also, want to make it yellow like the kind you buy in the store? Boil the skins of yellow onions with the rest of your veggies. Or, do this. Just saying.

2. With a couple weeks of lemons and oranges backing up I decided to try to make marmalade, inspired by this recipe.




My marmalade making could use a bit of practice as it is a bit bitter and not quite the right consistency. However, served on something sweet, it's not all that bad.


Alright, full disclosure. The real reason I made the stuff was so I could give my kid a slice of lemon and take a picture of him making this face.

3. I've said it before and I'll say it again: make soup. Why? Because soup is awesome. And, you can pretty much throw any vegetable you have in your fridge in it and it will still taste amazing.


Seriously, everything is in that soup. Cabbage, kale, chard, potatoes, onions, leeks (good Lord those Goddamn leeks). If Grant had walked by while I was making it, I probably would have thrown him in.


And, guess what broth I used? That's right ladies and gents! Homemade, baby! Also, just look at the color of my Le Creuset? Next to my very colorful, healthy soup? Christ, that is one sexy piece of kitchenware.