It’s Week 13 of Dinner Plans and we are celebrating the early days of Spring!
Over the weekend I got to pick tulips in San Francisco for their annual Tulip Day in Union Square and it felt like the perfect way to ring in the days where everything is in bloom. Our CSA boxes are slowly going to reflect that shift, too, as we start to see spring onions and the first asparagus at the farmers market.
Seasonal Cooking Tip: Preserving Lemons at Home
When it comes to seasonal cooking, this year I’m sharing a weekly tip here focused on preparing ingredients, preserving foods, and kitchen hacks that help you save time.
This week we’re talking about preserved lemons. It’s an unbelievably easy way to “save the season” when it comes to preserving citrus. Lemons preserved in kosher salt are a great condiment to use in a variety of seasonal meals. From zesty salad dressings to umami accents for fish and more, preserved lemons are a powerhouse of a pantry item. Here’s how to make them:
Take 5 organic lemons from your farmers market haul or backyard garden and give them a good scrub, but don’t scrape off the zest. Have 3 or 4 more on the side at the ready. Essentially, you need enough lemons to fit very snug in a medium Ball jar (16 ounce jar).
Next, slice each lemon from the top to within ½ inch of the bottom. We are almost cutting them into full quarters but leaving them attached at one end. We then rub kosher salt over the cut surfaces before reshaping the fruit. Cover the bottom of the Ball jar with more kosher salt. Squeeze all the cut lemons into the jar, breaking them apart if necessary. Sprinkle salt on each layer as you go. Press the lemons down to release their juices and make way to squeezing as many lemons as you can. Close the jar and let ripen at cool room temperature, shaking the jar every day for 3 to 4 weeks, or until the rinds are tender to the bite. Then store it in the refrigerator.
When properly stored in the refrigerator, preserved lemons can last for up to a year. They should be kept completely submerged in their juices to prevent spoilage.
Dinner Plans for Week 13
We picked our Riverdog Farm box this week and I added a few more pounds of the Gold Oak Mandarins to our order. I love knowing we’ve got local citrus we can enjoy. I’m testing a mandarin cake and a mixed citrus curd for springtime tarts. Stay tuned for that.
I have kimchi paste I’ll use for our daikon radish to make a quick daikon kimchi for some fried chicken or ground beef stir fry bowls for the week. The Napa rabe has been delightful in quick sautés, one-pot pastas, and breakfast scrambles.
Here’s what we have in our CSA shares this week:
Riverdog Farm:
- Gold Oak Gold Nugget Mandarins
- Gold Beets
- Napa Rabe
- White Daikon
- Green Dandelions
- Spring Onions
Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:
Sunday: Roast Turkey Breast with Golden Beet Salad
Monday: White Bean Ragout with Dandelion Greens Pesto (adapted from here) and Roast Veggies
Tuesday: Masa Breaded Salmon Tostadas with Cabbage-Cilantro Slaw
Wednesday: Roast Carrot Tart in Puff Pastry
Thursday: Single Skillet Spaghetti with the Napa Rabe and Ground Pork
Friday: Baja Fish Tacos with Kumquat Jalapeño Salsa
Saturday: Pizza with Bell Peppers, Sausage, and Capicola
From favorite recipes to new things with a wide variety of ingredients, cooking delicious food with our CSA definitely gets us out of a dinner rut and reduce food waste. I share meal ideas for our busy weeks with our weekly newsletter. Finally, Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be in the know when they’re live. 😉
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