Weekly Share (7) June 19th – 25th

Tendersweet Cabbage
Red Gold New Potatoes
Zephyr Summer Squash
Russian Kale or Swiss Chard
Bibb & Butterhead Lettuce
Scallions
Dill

Summer Squash and Red Rice Salad With Lemon and Dill
SWISS CHARD WITH POTATOES (BLITVA)
Cornmeal-Fried Pork Chops with Goat Cheese Smashed PotatoesHeritage by Sean Brock
Eric Korsh’s Farm Lettuces Salad with Dill Vinaigrette
New Cabbage with ScallionsThe Taste of Country Cooking by Edna Lewis
The first time we would cook and serve our newly grown garden cabbage was on a wheat-threshing day. We would cut up many heads and cook them in a large iron pot with liquid from the pork shoulder and a small amount of fat for seasoning. Cabbage cooked that way was a hearty fare, good sustenance for hardworking men. We children usually had the food that was left over from the midday meal that night for supper and thought it was just great. No other food in the world seemed to have quite the good flavor of what was left over from a wheat-threshing dinner.
1 2-pound head new cabbage
1/3 cup tender green scallion tops, cut into ¼” slices
2 cups boiling water, or preferably stock from boiled pork shoulder
3 Tbls freshly rendered fat from bacon or ham
salt and freshly ground pepper
To prepare the cabbage, trim away the outside leaves and cut the head into quarters. Cut away the core, leaving just enough to hold the leaves intact. Place the pieces of cabbage in a bowl of cold water for about 15 minutes or so to wash out any dust or bugs, particularly if it has come straight out of the garden. Remove, drain in a colander, then place in a 3-quart saucepan and add the scallion tops to give added flavor and color. Pour the boiling water or stock over and toss the cabbage with two spoons to make sure that each piece is scalded. Add the fat so that it coats the cabbage, then turn the burner low so that the cabbage boils briskly but not too rapidly for 25-30 minutes –any longer and the cabbage will become too soft and its taste will change. Drain. Toss the salt to taste and a good grating of freshly ground pepper to heighten the flavor. Serve hot.
Photo Courtesy of Alexis Courtney
This entry was posted in weekly share. Bookmark the permalink.