What's in the box?

My "Family Box" arrived from Chef's Garden today. I had almost forgot I ordered it. My friend Tami at Dine In Diva told me about Chef's Garden so I just had to check them out.

Chef's Garden says on it's website "Bring "Sustainable" and "Green" into your kitchen today." Sometimes, in Ohio, it is a little hard to "bring sustainable and green" into your home. My apartment doesn't not even have recycling. Whaaat? Coming from California that is like saying there is no trash pick up. So I drive out of my way to some hidden dumpsters in my town of Cuyahoga Falls and toss in my recycling hoping that it really is going to be recycled.

I digress. So I am trying to be a better human in Ohio. I thought I would give Chef's Garden a try.

I opened the box and audibly gasped. It was so beautiful. Nestled amongst dark green baby spinach with roots attached was a plastic clam shell of microgreens and edible flowers. Ohhhh! Under the clamshell was a smaller clamshell of micro basil and herbs. Awww - so cute. Under that was a colorful heap of root vegetables that seemed to be bottomless. I cleared my counter and sorted out the whole box. I was so excited - orange carrots; red skinned carrots; pale yellow carrots; short, squat
thumbelina carrots, red beets, red thumb fingerling potatoes with red squiggles inside, yellow fingerlings and a few other things I didn't recognize. All the root veggies looked like they had been pulled out of the ground that morning with just a cursory rinse. Everything was gritty and dirty and wonderful.

Once sorted, I set about scrubbing, then peeling and chopping a large colorful pile. Drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and fresh thyme I roasted two trays. That night before dinner I cut one of the radish. Long and wide like a daikon turning to green close to the top, it was a bright spring green inside. We got out the butter dish and kosher salt and Grace and I proceeded to munch away. All sorts of ideas came to mind for root veggie adventures not the least was the radish sandwich Grace took to school the next day. Butter and fleur de sel on wheat bread and the radish slices kept with an ice pack to stay cold and crunchy for lunch time assembly.