Veg boxes, anyone?

[peanutbutter]

Following the post about the organic veg box, I was wondering if anyone else gets one and how/if they meal plan? (Totally prepared for the thread to just sink to the bottom of the page, though )

This week I'm getting:
Asparagus
Aubergine
Broccoli
Butterhead Lettuce
Carrots
Cucumber
Fennel
Green Cabbage
Marfona potatoes
Mixed peppers
Tomato cherry vine

And a fruit box too (but we make smoothies/juice so much I'm not too worried about that)

I have some green beans in the freezer and was thinking of roasting the asparagus, cherry toms and green beans with onions, olive oil and balsamic and serving with olives for a quick hot salad - maybe some puy lentils too.

Anyone got any particularly inspiring ideas for the fennel and green cabbage (my wife isn't keen on cabbage on it's own, though I can eat a whole pan full!)

Feel free to join in with your box contents - or even what fresh produce you've bought from the market - and what you're planning on making with it.

[Risker]

I was looking at veg boxes earlier to see if they'd be any good for us, Riverford boxes to be exact. I checked the cheapest box which was £11 I think and worked out that I could probably buy the same amount for less than half the price from a supermarket (not organic, but then I have no interest in that). Shame really, I think getting a veg box delivery would make me feel like I was doing something good.

For fennel, it works particularly well thinly sliced in a salad that also includes citrus fruit, so yeah, orange + fennel = win.

Cabbage, you can take off the large leaves, cut a slice in to the white stemmy bit and steam them, then use them as wraps for a filling of something like couscous or rice.

[peanutbutter]

I was looking at veg boxes earlier to see if they'd be any good for us, Riverford boxes to be exact. I checked the cheapest box which was £11 I think and worked out that I could probably buy the same amount for less than half the price from a supermarket (not organic, but then I have no interest in that). Shame really, I think getting a veg box delivery would make me feel like I was doing something good.

For fennel, it works particularly well thinly sliced in a salad that also includes citrus fruit, so yeah, orange + fennel = win.

Cabbage, you can take off the large leaves, cut a slice in to the white stemmy bit and steam them, then use them as wraps for a filling of something like couscous or rice.

Oh orange and fennel sounds fantastic...maybe even roasted fennel and orange (and some sort of heady spice?)

I agree, they are expensive (we pay 30 quid for our veg and fruit boxes - there's only two and a half of us, but we get 'large' boxes because we eat a LOT of the stuff) but we were stuck in a rut when it came to veg so we thought it might be good to branch out a bit. Plus, and I'm ashamed to admit it, I find it super exciting when we come home to find the boxes on our doorstep...

One of the down sides is we always used to judge people we saw in supermarkets with no veg and massive pepperoni pizzas, coke etc in their trolley but now we already have our fresh produce it must look like we live on canned/dry/frozen food and I'm a little ashamed of our trolley. Goodness knows why I care what other shoppers think!

[Mymblesdaughter]

I've just started working at a community veg box scheme. It's just a local project and tries to have as much local produce as possible. Some veg is organic when available nearby. They are very reasonably priced as well. I've just cancelled my riverford box to get one from work. The riverford one does seem to have gotten very expensive. I think they started as a coop but are now a ltd company which is a shame.

I really like to make risotto with fennel and asparagus. One of the ways I use up my cabbage/spinach/chard/kale is to cook it and mix it with mashed potatoes and onions. Then fry it in a frying pan till it's cooked on the bottom. Drizzle some olive oil over the top and pop it under the grill.

I love getting a veg box as well, I've been getting one for years and really wouldn't want to be without one. It's made me try lots of different types of veg that I wouldn't have brought from the supermarket.

[peanutbutter]

Well it came today with completely different things than expected . Very excited about the beetroot bunch; I'm going to make beetballs yay!

[harpy]

We do get a lot of cabbagy things in ours especially in the winter so I would recommend developing a repertoire of cabbage recipes that you both find acceptable. For example, I like it stir-fried with mushrooms, tomatoes, potatoes which I've previously boiled, and some tofu sausage or tempeh if I have it, and coarse-grained mustard and tabasco.

I like the surprise element of the box. We don't plan particularly but we do try to use up certain things shortly after the box arrives as they don't keep so well. Someone was telling me they cook their lettuce as soon as they get theirs!

[peanutbutter]

I wash, dry and chop my lettuce, then store it in an airtight container lined with paper towels in the fridge. It keeps very well and then for the rest of the week it's quick to grab handfuls for sandwiches and salads. The lettuce we were sent this week was quite beautiful (maybe I'm just a bit sad!)

Noted, will bookmark/pin some cabbage recipes so we don't end up living on cabbage soup like Charlie Bucket and his four grandparents.

[harpy]

Mmm, cabbage soup...Actually thinking about it I may at some point have requested extra cabbage and broccoli in ours because we like them... but in the winter brassicas (along with roots) are among the few things they can grow in the UK so they do tend to crop up anyway (so to speak).

I must admit I leave the lettuces in one piece in the salad drawer and they are fine unless we forget about them altogether - when they make nice compost.

How do you make beetballs?

[peanutbutter]

I'm following this recipe roughly, as I have most of the ingredients (but will have to sub some of the herbs):

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2012/02...ge-recipe.html

We are trying to stay away from 'premade' vegan foods and get back to basics. Will let you know how it goes.

[harpy]

Looks good and not too labour-intensive (with a food processor!)

[peanutbutter]

The beetballs were a resounding success!

I substituted the dried porcinis for 1 cup of fresh button mushrooms, the herbs for 2 tsp of dried mixed italian herbs, and then a tsbp soy sauce instead of a tbsp of water. They were very tasty and very, very filling. Can't wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!

I think, with some herb and spice adjustments, it would make a good burger too - the texture is lovely.