This week’s bag features Asparagus! The fleshy green spears of asparagus have been considered a delicacy since ancient times. Today the shoots are prepared and served in numerous ways including stir-fried, steamed, sauteed, grilled, pickled, or even eaten raw. Water makes up 93% of asparagus’s composition. As a result, the spears have a very high respiration rate which make it more perishable than most other vegetables. By wrapping the ends in a damp towel, you can offset the respiration rate and prevent the spears from losing water, wrinkling and hardening. Nevertheless it’s best if you consume asparagus within approximately 48 hours of purchase. What else is in this week’s bag?

 

 

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This week’s bag features ‘Ulu or breadfruit! ‘Ulu is an important staple crop and component of traditional agroforestry in the Pacific islands.  As a dietary staple it is comparable in importance to tropical staples such as taro, plantain, cassava, sweet potato and rice.  The name breadfruit is derived from the texture of its ripe flesh when cooked, which is similar to freshly baked bread, though it has a potato like flavor. Ripe fruit have yellow or yellow-brown skin and soft, sweet, creamy flesh that can be eaten raw or cooked. ‘Ulu is a versatile crop and can be eaten at all stages of maturity. The fruit is a good source of dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. What else is in this week’s bag?

 

 

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This week’s bag features Long Beans! Also called Chinese longbeans, yardlong beans, snake beans, or asparagus beans, these beans are typically about half a yard long. They are a variety of cowpea and grow on a vine. Unlike green beans, the texture of long beans causes them to become waterlogged and bland when cooked with water. Instead, long beans are best cooked in oil: sauteed, stir-fried, or deep-fried which keeps their texture fresh and intensifies their flavor. What else is in this week’s bag?

 

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This week’s bag features Zucchini! Zucchini has a reputation among home gardeners for having overwhelming production. However, they’re are many ways to eat the fruits both cooked and raw. They can be prepared in a variety of techniques including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, etc. They can be baked into a bread or cake. Zucchini can also be enjoyed raw, sliced or shredded in salads or lightly cooked. What else is in this week’s bag?

 

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This week’s bag features Cilantro! The fresh leaves of the herb are used for flavoring and as a garnish while the dry seeds of the herb are called coriander. The taste of cilantro is related to an olfactory gene. Some people taste cilantro as a fresh, lemony or lime-like flavor while others characterize it as soapy. The leaves of cilantro are widely used as an ingredient in South Asian, Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Mexican cooking. What else is in this week’s bag?

 

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