The Produce Rut

Conor with the Hami melon

I've spent much of my life in a produce rut. There wasn't a lot of experimenting with new and exciting types of fruits and veggies in my household growing up. It was the usual salad: lettuce (iceberg), tomatoes (although they were Jersey tomatoes!), cucumbers, and maybe some shredded carrots. Maybe. In the garden we grew corn and some squash--zucchini one year, pumpkins (I think), some beans and peas. As far as fruit goes, we stayed pretty safe: apples, oranges, grapefruit, pears, peaches (both of which were often canned), and some occasional berries. At my Grandmother's house, I ate turnips, to be adventurous. And I liked them! But, I didn't have my first taste of asparagus or spinach or kiwi, or many other things until I was an adult.

When I became a fully-fledged grocery shopper/meal preparer, I bought the same old standards that I'd always had. And I think that's just the way it goes: we keep on eating what we've always been used to eating. For those who gag just a little at Brussels sprouts, it's probably because our moms didn't cook them while we were growing up.

Then, as I became more interested in health and nutrition, and gardening even, I made small changes. For instance, I haven't bought a head of iceberg lettuce in more than ten years, I'm sure. I tried to expand my tastes and experience by trying new things, and having my children be used to them as well. Many years ago I never would have thought that a spinach strawberry salad with almonds would be delicious. But I do now. And still, I walk through the produce market that I go to, and pour over seed catalogs for my one-day dream garden, and think to myself, "What is all this stuff? And if I had it in front of me, what would I do with it?"

One of the best parts of summer is the abundance and variety of food that ripens from the earth. My kids and I decided that it would be fun for us to expand our horizons a bit, and try some of the bounty that is available to us, that before we've only passed by on the way to the apples, beans, and carrots. I will say that I am extremely proud to have raised kids that eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. Even Conor surprised me the other day with his board book, when he correctly identified about 30 varieties of produce, most of which he's actually eaten. I was stunned! And this is a kid who just barely started talking! We definitely spend more on produce than on any other food category when it comes to grocery shopping.

Here's what we always buy from our produce market (this is all fresh, not frozen or canned, so obviously in the winter a lot of this is not available): 3 varieties of apples, 2 varieties of grapes, red pears, Bosc pears, white plums, red plums, white peaches, yellow peaches, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, bananas, oranges, clementines, tangelos, grapefruit (ruby red, usually), lemons, key limes, pineapple, baby carrots, 'regular' carrots, string beans, snap peas, snow peas, spinach, kale, 2 or 3 kinds of lettuce, green onions, yellow onions, 2 kinds of parsley, cantaloupe, watermelon, kiwi, mangos, red bell peppers (we don't care for the green ones), broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, sweet potatoes (sometimes), celery, tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, and garlic. Whew! How colorful! I also always have dried mango, apple, pineapple, raisins, and apricots for snacking. You might think, "That's a lot of produce!", and it is, but it goes fast around here, and it's so much cheaper than prepared snacks, especially if you can find a place to buy it that's not the grocery store.

We decided that each week we'll choose one or more new kinds of fruits or vegetables to try. Our first stop? The melon section. Lyndsay loves melons, and there are so many kinds!

Our first week we chose the 'regular' kinds, like watermelon, cantaloupe (which is really a muskmelon), and a honeydew. Then, we added a Sharlynne melon (spelled differently depending on whom you ask). We did some research online and learned that Sharlynnes are very perishable and must be eaten quickly upon purchase, so the next day we cut into that baby, and boy were we in for a treat! It was pale, like a pear inside, and the seedy center was very runny and easily poured out. It was so, so sweet. I can't even tell you how delicious it was! Lyndsay, Conor, and I ate the whole thing by ourselves over a couple of meals (and it was a 6 pound melon!) before the boys got back from their dad's.

The next week we thought we should try some squash. I usually buy crookneck squash (yellow squash) and zucchini, but I don't venture out much beyond those two. Well, I buy canned pumpkin, but maybe that doesn't count? No, I'm counting it. Anyway, I had tried spaghetti squash one time in my life and thought it was so super cool, but had never prepared one myself, so that's what we chose. We searched through recipes, and ended up adapting one to make it into a main course meal. Even Adam liked it, and he's generally not a fan of veggies.

(I know I do not have a good camera for food photography. So sorry!)

I cut the squash in half and baked it in an oven for about 45 minutes. Then, using a fork I shredded the inside flesh into the 'spaghetti' noodles. It's amazing, really. For the sauce, I used two cans of stewed tomatoes, a veggie bouillon cube, and some onion diced and sauteed in olive oil. I poured that sauce over the 'noodles', added a can of black olives, a couple of diced (cooked) chicken breasts, and then some mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, and baked the whole thing in a casserole dish. It was even better as leftovers.

Our next week, Lyndsay gravitated back to the melons. We had to get another Sharlynne, of course, and let the boys in on our new delicious treat. But we also picked a Hami melon, after great debate. This is a melon that originates in China. Today we tried it, and were not really impressed. It was a bit crunchier than we like, and while it did have a medium sweetness to it, it also had a foretaste and an aftertaste that didn't work well for me. Now, we've read that this is a long-lasting melon and will keep (and slowly continue to ripen) if left on the counter for weeks, so it's possible that we just should have waited longer. But I don't think we'll try again with a Hami. I want melons that are very sweet.

We have many other fruits and vegetables that we're looking forward to trying (do I dare try rhubarb?), and we love that with each experiment we are broadening our appetites and nourishing our bodies. So. . .what else should we try?