Recipe From the Farm Box: Just Like Grandma Made It

My Grandmother was a saint. When I say Grandma Jenny was a Saint I don't mean she was a good person, I mean she is a literal Saint. Saint Jenny, at least she is well on her way. She was the Matriarch of a very Italian family. As smart as they come, never had an unkind word to say, deeply committed to her faith and her family. When she died in 2010 I knew that if she was right and there is a heaven, a god, and god had a son named Jesus like she believed so truly, then Grandma Jenny was up there talking his ear off while she watched our family grow. I miss her a lot. But her faith, her love and her intelligence isn't what convinces me she is on her way to sainthood. See to become a saint, in accordance with the Catholic Church, you need to perform at least two posthumous miracles, meaning from beyond the grave. And I know for a FACT my Grandmother already has ONE under her belt.

You see my extended family owns a house in Seaside Heights. This house is beloved by all who have spent many a summer there, and although my Grandfather and his brothers built it with their own bare hands it is fair to say that, well, it's a shore house and it's a little rugged. The shore house is a block from the Boardwalk, really prime location.  But when Superstorm Sandy Hit in 2012, the family was SURE it was gone. More modern homes had succumbed and squashed to nothing. The House had had a good run, we were prepared for the worse, but anxious for news. It took a while for the authorities to allow access to the Island, but when they did, wouldn't you know it, that old house was still standing. And more than that, it was standing with NO damage. Two blocks down, flooding, two blocks the other direction, wind damage, homes destroyed, millions of dollars of devastation, but our little shore house apparently stood its ground. Not even water on the first level and this year we celebrated its 50th anniversary. It was a miracle, I know it, and only one person had the love capable of preserving something so dear to the family she loved so hard, and that was my Grandma. Now I just need to keep my eye out for Miracle number 2 and I'll be direct dialing the Pope.

Anyway, ok dear reader, why am I, this little Jewish girl, telling you this story? Well because it's an awesome story, and so that you can understand why the simple recipe that follows remains one of my favorites. And it is deliciously created with only a few simple ingredients. One of which, is Broccoli.

This is why you do your research

This is one of those weeks where even though it is only TUESDAY and yesterday was only MONDAY I already feel like I don't have enough time for anything ever again. It's probably because The Husband and I have a fully booked August, and I am not quite sure if I am ever actually going to get around to watching all the TV currently building up on my DVR. Hypothetically I know it will slow down eventually but for now it feels like rush, rush, rush. Anyway. Last night The Husband walked in quite late with the Farm Box in his arms. Actually in a Large Bucket in his arms. Apparently our Farmer has been over feeding his crops. I mean some of this stuff was HUGE. And all really exciting. It makes me want to cook for days. Here's what I got:

• Chard
• Hungarian Hot Wax Peppers
• Parsnips
• Broccoli
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Red Tomatoes
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• NY White Garlic
• Blackberries
• Sweet Basil

Oh man do I really just want to bake and cook for the rest of my life. And everything was so OVERSIZED. The Zucchini looks like it was trying to escape the farm by growing weird and large. The Blackberries were fat and plump. The Heirloom tomatoes barely fit in my two hands. The Chard was as big as my head, at least and a gorgeous hot pink. And the Parsnips had greens attached that were at least 3 feet long. 

As I am going away this weekend, I wanted to try and make sure my produce lasted as long as possible. So I was doing some research on storage. One of the things I wasn't sure about was the Parsnips. I figured, since they were attached, that the greens were edible and was wondering if I should store them separately or still attached. Of course it didn't take me long to learn my mistake. Parsnip greens are NOT edible. I repeat NOT EDIBLE. This is why you research folks. Not everything that comes from the ground is safe for eating, no matter how pretty they are. Ah well, into the trash they go.