Twenty Bag | Feb 15

In the February 15 Twenty Bag: Bloomsdale spinach, Cara Cara oranges aka Red Navels (South Georgia/Florida citrus), Brussels sprouts, celery, rainbow carrots, butterhead lettuce, broccolini, cauliflower.

Thank you Harleston Towles and Rooting Down Farms!

Lowcountry temperatures are doing their typical winter seesawing—75 one day, 45 the next! As long as there’s a little chill in the evening air, I’m inspired to make a dish that will warm the heart and home. I’ve got two batches of soup—cauliflower and chicken stock—on ice, and I’ve been waiting on this Bag for a third.

Yay! More celery to pair with last week’s to transform the humble vegde into New York Times food writer Sam Sifton’s dreamy Creamy Celery Soup. Like many of my favorite cream soups, it’s quite easy to put together, and requires just a few (similar) ingredients: onion, garlic, perhaps a potato, an herb or two, and in this case—a splash of white wine. Cream is optional, in my opinion. I’ve found that after processing the soup with an immersion blender, the velvety texture is rich and thick enough as it is! Pass the baguette, please.

I blanched last week’s broccoli and folded it into my classic quiche recipe instead of leeks, and subbed cheddar and Romano for the usual Gruyere and fontina.

If you’re looking for an elegant prep for the Brussels sprouts, try this fantastic recipe that zhushes them up with chestnuts and heavy cream.

For more ideas, a quick search of sweetgrass + grits will take you to plenty more recipes—all curated with an eye toward the weekly Twenty Bag harvest.

Harleston’s storage tips: If greens of any kind begin to wilt at any point or at pick up, put them in a big bowl of ice water for 20-30 minutes. Almost all produce is washed and should go in the refrigerator. Spinach should stay in it's respective plastic bag.  Oranges on the counter, or in the fridge.  Carrots will keep in a plastic bag for months.  Brussels, celery, lettuce, broccolini, and cauliflower should go in a plastic bag of sorts.