Farm Fresh To You

I want to give a shout out to Farm Fresh To You. It is an organic produce delivery service that drops off a grocery box at your doorstep every week which contains a beautiful variety of seasonal veggies and fruits gathered from small organic farms. You may ask, "Why on earth would you have a box delivered to your house when you go to farmer's markets every week yourself for your catering company?"


Initially I asked Matt this same question. 


The truth is that yes, we do take great pleasure in strolling through the market's stands, discovering all of it's eclectic offerings. By making this trip each week rather than relying solely on our purveyors, we not only see for ourselves what is peaking, but we also get to cultivate relationships with the dedicated farmer's who grow the produce that we love so much. Mc Grath Farms, Schaner Farms, Pudwill Farms and Weiser Farms are teams we look forward to connecting with regularly. They gaggle over this crazy weather, how it's affecting their crops and how that translates to what they will be selling. We offer them food we make with their bounties and they in turn grant us with specialties that they grow (and raise). Our Heirloom Van explodes with ripe aroma for our drive back to the kitchen. It's truly one of the most joyful aspects of our job.


But, there's something about receiving this random box of produce away from our Eagle Rock kitchen, at our house, something we had nothing to do with picking out that is so much fun. It's like listening to the radio and an old song comes on that brings you back. Sure, you have the cd, but it's so much more thrilling to hear it spontaneously played, gently prodding you to take a moment and enjoy the surprise of it.


Rutiz Farms has been showcasing some beautiful artichokes. We didn't grab any for the kitchen, but as if Farm Fresh To You knew I was in remiss, they arrived at our door last Tuesday. They were compact and heavy for their size, all three of them. Perfect.  And they were delicately meaty and delicious for a satisfying late-night dinner. We roasted some baby fingerlings and sweet potatoes that had arrived as well, and cut up one of the five avocados, adding a touch of soy sauce. 


Much gratitude goes out to Farm Fresh To You for supporting organic farms and for filling me with gleeful anticipation for what treasures will arrive at my door in the week ahead.

ROASTED ARTICHOKES

Preheat oven to 450 F. Line a sheet tray with parchment or foil. Rub olive oil on this lining.

Peel small leaves away from the body of three medium sized artichokes. Peel it's stem and trim off the bottom of it. Then slice in half from the stem to the tip and then peel away fibrous hairs.

Place the artichokes in a pot of cold, salted water and 1/4 cup vinegar. Bring to a boil and remove from the water. 

Use your fingers to rub the artichokes with olive oil and place them, with their hearts down, on the prepared sheet tray.

Roast until crisp, about 7 minutes.