Beets!

I need to tell Aaron: it's an important day today! I'm making the first pickled beets of the year.

I think I'm going to make pesto to have with pasta for dinner tonight, as well as a big salad, and some pickled beets, of course.

CSA pickup day is always hard, because part of me wants to cook it all! right now! But I think that will be okay for tonight.

Then maybe I'll do greens tomorrow -- beet greens, and chard. I also want to soak more chickpeas to make more hummus. I've been on a binge lately. Plus greens and chickpeas are always delicious together . . . maybe I'll hunt around some cookbooks for inspiration . . .

Oh, and then there are garlic scapes, and shelling peas . . . that just shouts "risotto" to me. I could use some of my chickpea broth for risotto . . .

Last night I made Indian: lentil curry/dal with brown lentils; greens sauteed with ginger and garlic (it was spinach and bok choy -- not exactly traditional, but it's what I had) and basmati rice, plain except for a few cardamom pods thrown in for subtle flavor. And I rinsed and soaked the rice, which I don't often do, but it made the grains more separate and elongated. I'm not sure it made much difference taste-wise, but it looked cool. Oh, and a yogurt sauce with finely chopped cilantro and scallions and salt. That might have been the best part of the whole meal. I just ate leftovers now.

I've decided the key to getting these things ready -- cleaned, trimmed, etc. -- is to start early in the day. Right now (it's 2.30) I have basil soaking to get the mud off (it POURED yesterday -- did I mention?) and I'm about to go soak some lettuce.