I had forgotten about this until I went dumpstering a few nights ago with my friend Ellis...we came out with the most ridiculously awesome variety of produce EVAR.
There are a few items in this bunch that I've never really cooked with before (noted with a *), so I'm excited to experiment and learn from them.
- 1 pkg julienned vegetables (red onion, carrot, red/green/yellow peppers, zucchini, squash, oregano)
- 8 oranges
- 2 bags of apples (12 apples)
- 15 bananas (10 frozen immediately, skins on, for later banana bread/smoothie/vegan ice cream usage since I'm going out of town this weekend)
- *1 head cauliflower
- 1 eggplant
- 3 green peppers
- 1 cucumber
- *3 heads (is this the right word?) of bok choy
- 3 pkgs strawberries (strawberry season again!!!! SO HAPPY! Cut & froze 2 pkgs immediately)
- *2 pkgs cherry heirloom tomatoes
- 3 pkgs cherry tomatoes
- 5 bags green beans (4 bags cut and frozen immediately - the best instructions for freezing green beans are here)
- 3 pkgs tropical fruit medley (pineapple, mango, papaya - cut & froze 1 pkg immediately)
- 8 dinner rolls (frozen immediately)
- 1 loaf sourdough baguette
- 1 southwestern salad (eaten by Ellis)
- 1 chicken & field greens salad (Eaten by me at work)
- 1 bag organic sugar
- 3/4 bag penne pasta
I froze more than I normally would with this batch since I was going out of town for the weekend (however, I also was bringing a lot of produce for the trip). Scheduling your dumpstering around times you'll be at home (as opposed to out of town or at work a lot) is probably a good idea...
Also, use cut fruit & veggies quickly, since it goes bad first (duh). I used the julienned veggies in an omelet the day after dumpstering, and a lot of the fruit went toward breakfast smoothies.
I can't wait for more exotic produce as summer hits.
For an awesome cauliflower dish, cut into chunks (about the size of broccoli pieces if you were gonna cook broccoli). If tender enough, cut the stem into chunks as well. Place in a shallow baking dish and drizzle with olive oil or bacon fat (or both). Add salt & pepper (can also add herbs if desired). Bake at approx 425 for a while* (stirring occasionally). Remove when cauliflower is soft and starting to brown.
ReplyDelete*I never really remember how long to cook this dish. I usually just go by look/feel. I've also heard that cauliflower is good when sauteed.