Red d’Anjou Pears – These are ready to eat now!
STORE:
Refrigerate ripe pears for up to 5 days.
PREP:
If you’re serving uncooked pears, cut them just before using; sprinkle the flesh with lemon juice to prevent browning.
USE:
Red D’anjous can be enjoyed like an apple, or try baking, roasting, sautéing, or poaching in wine; when cooking, use fruit that is still firm.
Avocados:
STORE:
Avocados should be stored at room temperature to allow them to ripen to their desired stage. Place in a brown paper bowl or in your fruit basket to ripen them.
The avocados in this week’s box are a variety called Bacon Avocado. These have an exceptionally bright green color, even when ripe, and don’t store long, so enjoy within a day or two of delivery! Bacon avocados are known for their delicious string-free flesh & mild flavor. The fruit is typically softer to the touch than your usual Haas avocado, so be careful not to squeeze when handling. Test for ripeness by gently feeling the wide end of the avocado. There should be a slight soft impression when its ready to eat.
PREP:
To peel, grip the avocado gently on one side with one hand. With a large, sharp knife in the other hand, cut the avocado lengthwise around the seed. Open the two halves to expose the pit. At this point there are a few ways you can proceed to remove the pit from the avocado half that has the pit. One way is to make another cut, lengthwise on the avocado half that has the pit, cutting around the pit, exposing it so that it is easier to remove. You can also use a spoon to scoop out the pit.
At this point, you can either scoop out the avocado flesh with a spoon (for making guacamole), or slice the avocado into segments. To make it more easy to scoop out the avocado flesh, take a small dinner knife and gently make cuts in the avocado flesh in a cross-hatch pattern, careful not to break through the avocado peel. Then use a spoon to easily scoop out the avocado pieces. If you are making guacamole, don’t worry about slightly discolored or brownish sections. Scoop them up with the rest of the avocado to mash.
Garlic
STORE:
Stored in a dark, cool place where air can circulate around it, garlic will keep for up to 2 months.
PREP:
Remove the outer, papery layer of skin and pull off individual cloves. If they’re tight and can’t easily be pulled free, use the ball of your hand to press and roll the head against your cutting board to loosen the cloves. To remove the skin of an individual one, crush the clove lightly and swiftly with the side of a broad knife, use a paring knife to cut each end off, and then peel away the skin. When sautéing garlic, do so briefly and over low heat under close monitoring; burned garlic is bitter.
Images from flickr.com