Week 9 - I Don't Want A Pickle

Actually, I want to make some.  This week's box features some ingredients that really make me want to get old school, and take on some food preparation that is outside my comfort zone.  That said, trying to find the right supplies to make pickles (pickling salt) and fresh fruit pies (fruit pectin) had me driving all over town on Saturday, without finding exactly what I was looking for.  I guess that there isn't a lot of canning happening in my area of town?  I did end up finding what I hope are work-around ingredients and am willing to give things a try, along with a few other recipes that will serve as main courses for the family.

In the box this week

(top) Spinach, Lettuce, Basil

(bottom) Sweet Onions, Zucchini, Sugar Snap Peas, Pickling Cucumbers, Apples, Blood Oranges, Strawberries

Meal plan for the week

Weekend brunch: challah french toast with Strawberries and sliced almonds (substituting almond extract for the vanilla that is called for in the recipe); Zucchini bread (doubling the amount of zucchini)

Sunday: Basil pesto pasta with Zucchini and mint (from the garden), fresh Strawberry pie 

Monday: Sweet Onion quesadillas, salad with Lettuce and the rest of last week's Carrots

Tuesday: Spinach salad with eggs and bacon

Wednesday: turkey burgers with Lettuce and homemade garlic dill Pickles

Thursday: sesame chicken with Sugar Snap Peas

When we pick up our box at our local farmer's market, the farm has a stand open and allows us to swap out an item or two, and we can always buy more of what's available.  This week, I bought an extra three quarts of berries knowing that I wanted to take on the creation of a fresh strawberry pie, which is a new project for me.  I've never done any sort of canning before, either, so this week feels pretty exciting.  If the pickles work out, I may just have to try some fresh strawberry jam next week (assuming that strawberries will continue to be in the box for a while), so a few more quarts may be on the shopping list again next weekend!

P.S. If this is your first time at Year in a Box, read this to learn more about what our family is up to!

This week's title is inspired by Arlo Guthrie's The Motorcycle Song.