290/1000 (edible) plants

New this week: 23

1. almond milk

2. black mustard seeds

3. black truffle

4. butter lettuce

5. bunashimeji mushrooms

6. celeriac

7. Double Red apple

8. French sorrel

9. Fuji apple

10. Golden Russett apple

11. green daikon

12. lingonberries

13. Mara des Bois strawberries

14. nettles

15. nigella seeds

16. parsnips

17. Pink Lady apple

18. plantains

19. quince

20. red daikon

21. Sea Island red peas

22. Splendor apple

23. vanilla

Grand total: 290

Kitchen notes

insight: “Gee, that sounds like a lot of work for just one person.” “Yes, but the person is me.”

stale bread: Sturdy bread gone stale and soaked in a hot flavorful liquid, as on the 15th, makes a fine dish all on its own, no additional futzing around required.

mature borage leaves: On the 19th I looked for recipes for borage leaves. Every one I found directed me to focus on the tender tips. What tender tips? There are no recipes for mature borage leaves; they are like eating a rug. I’ll try to find young borage leaves some time in the future, but meanwhile I am not including borage leaves on my list of edible plants because the ones I was able to buy are not edible.

combinations: shiso leaves & bulb fennel on the 19th (Sundry salads are useful for finding combinations. I love shiso with fish and meat but in general it doesn’t play well with other plants, so I’m happy to discover shiso plus fennel.)

nomenclature: On the 20th, I told Mark, “I’m making a quince pie, and I can make it vegan if you’d like some.” Either there’s a typo on the cornstarch can or we have different definitions of the word “thicken.” Why didn’t I say “I’m making a quince dessert”? Why the excessive specificity?

Monday, 15 January 2024

lunch: back in my own kitchen again, broth from last week’s cardoon soup w/cheese & pepper ravioli (Eataly cacio e pepe)

supper: stale Giusta pumpernickel bread soaked in hot milk, sauced w/tkemali & mixed cottage cheese & sour cream; roasted leeks w/walnut butter inspired by Carla Capalbo; both sprinkled w/dill, cilantro, mint, & tarragon; smoked salmon

dessert: more of the soaked stale pumpernickel w/Harry’s Berries Mara des Bois strawberry jam

1. cilantro

2. dill

3. leeks

4. Mara des Bois strawberries*

5. mint

6. plum (tkemali)

7. tarragon

8. walnut

Tuesday, 16 January 2024

lunch: egg noodles w/simmered goat heart, applesauce #3 (Splendor, Pink Lady, Fuji, Double Red), Wildbrine garlic sauerkraut, sour cream, & cottage cheese

supper: broccoli w/tahini sweet & sour sauce inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi (tahini, crushed raw garlic, tamari, honey, red wine vinegar, topped w/cilantro, sesame seeds, & nigella seeds); Golden Russett apple, Fiore Sardo cheese

1. cilantro

2. cabbage (sauerkraut)

3. Double Red apple*

4. Fuji apple*

5. garlic

6. Golden Russett apple*

7. nigella seeds*

8. Pink Lady apple*

9. sesame seeds

10. Splendor apple*

Wednesday, 17 January 2024

lunch: Catskill Smokehouse Mexican chorizo, Anson Mills Sea Island red peas, Doritos nacho cheese tortilla chips

snack: applesauce #3 w/Calvados & Maldon salt stirred in

supper: honest-to-god Frenchy green salad (butter lettuce, Little Gem lettuce, castelfranco, French sorrel, chervil, lovage, dressed w/emulsification of olive oil, red wine vinegar, & Edmond Fallot Dijon mustard)

dessert: sour-milk pancake made with batter from supper on the 11th, burratine cheese, & Mara des Bois strawberry jam

1. apples

2. butter lettuce*

3. castelfranco

4. chervil

5. corn (Doritos)

6. French sorrel*

7. Little Gem lettuce

8. lovage

9. Mara des Bois strawberry

10. Sea Island red peas*

Thursday, 18 January 2024

lunch: chicken schnitzel sandwich from Foodlab in the Alley (panko fried chicken cutlet w/lingonberry chutney, market greens, & aioli on ciabatta); unidentified lettuces

dessert: last of the grapes from the 9th

supper: plantains in coconut gravy inspired by Ruby Tandoh (plantains, Brazil nuts, grated ginger, grated turmeric, black mustard seeds, cumin seeds, crushed red pepper, all fried in coconut oil, doused with coconut milk, crushed tomatoes, lime juice, and Red Boat fish sauce); mature borage leaves [see Kitchen notes]

1. black mustard seeds*

2. Brazil nuts

3. coconut milk

4. coconut oil

5. cumin seeds

6. ginger

7. lettuce, unspecified

8. lime juice

9. lingonberries*

10. plantains*

11. red pepper

12. tomatoes

13. turmeric

Friday, 19 January 2024

lunch: roast parsnips w/D'Artagnan black truffle butter; sundry salad of Little Gem lettuce, shiso leaves, bulb fennel, pomegranate seeds w/Kewpie yuzu kosho dressing; nettle purée (blanched nettles, onion sautéed in butter, steamed potato, fresh mint, milk, sour cream, all blended smooth)

supper: boiled little onions w/more black truffle butter; komatsuna dressed w/Kewpie; pickled herring

1. black truffle*

2. bulb fennel

3. komatsuna

4. Little Gem lettuce

5. mint

6. nettles*

7. onions

8. parsnips*

9. pomegranate

10. potato

11. shiso

12. yuzu

Saturday, 20 January 2024

lunch: kinda-sorta budae jjigae inspired by Eric Kim (red daikon, green daikon, jalapeños, onions, Polish sausage, kimchi, kimchi juice, brown sugar, soy sauce, gochujang, soy noodles, scallions)

dessert: quince crumb pudding (crushed ladyfingers, Mitica quince membrillo, cornstarch, oat milk, almond milk, vanilla sugar)

supper: baked artichokes (baby artichokes, olive oil, confit garlic, black olive tapenade, crushed tomatoes, Parmigiano Reggiano); Eataly caccio e pepe ravioli

1. almond milk*

2. artichokes

3. black olives

4. cabbage (kimchi)

5. chiles (gochujang)

6. cornstarch

7. garlic

8. green daikon*

9. jalapeños

10. oat milk

11. olive oil

12. onions

13. quince*

14. red daikon*

15. scallions

16. soy noodles

17. sugarcane

18. tomatoes

19. vanilla*

Sunday, 21 January 2024

lunch: leftover baked artichokes from last night with a microwave-shirred egg

dessert: Ashmead's Kernel apple w/salt & Big Spoon Roasters toasted coconut almond butter

pantry: pickled red daikon (umeboshi paste, mirin, muscovado sugar) inspired by Gourmet Traveller

supper: my céleri-rave rémoulade, with thanks to Simone Beck (grated celeriac, capers, sabzi #1 from the 27th of December, chopped cornichons, Kewpie mayo); mushroom Stroganoff (butter, bunashimeji mushrooms, crimini mushrooms, onions, ham chunks, sour cream)

1. almond butter

2. artichokes

3. Ashmead’s Kernel apple

4. black olives

5. bunashimeji mushrooms*

6. capers

7. celeriac*

8. coconut

9. crimini mushrooms

10. cucumber (cornichons)

11. dill (sabzi #1)

12. fennel tops (sabzi #1)

13. garlic

14. mint (sabzi #1)

15. olive oil

16. onions

17. plum (umeboshi paste)

18. scallion (sabzi #1)

19. tomatoes