The Good Food Box—Perfect for the Student Chef

"EAT MOSTLY PLANTS, ESPECIALLY LEAVES"

—Michael Pollan

What would you do if you received a large box of surprise mix, fresh, ready-to-eat fruits and vegetables today? I'm talking a large box here—like 40 pounds of large! As I heaved the mystery carton onto my pull-cart and secured it with bungee cords to haul to the car, it occurred to me that I probably should not have stocked up on produce earlier in the week.

My carefully packed Good Food Box included local Alberta potatoes and carrots!

Can you believe that all of this was in the above box?

The Community Kitchen Program of Calgary offers monthly delivery of the Good Food Box to depots around the city, for as little as $20 for a 20-25 pound box! This is possible through bulk purchases from local farmers as well as wholesale clubs. Volunteers portion out the produce and fill the boxes, which can vary in contents from month to month. I picked up my GFB at the Students' Union Volunteer Services of the University of Calgary, where orders can be placed for upcoming deliveries.

As a student, I appreciate the value of the box as well as the time I saved from not shopping for the contents. My goal now is to use up all of the produce while it is still fresh! Something I hear frequently from fellow students is that they don't have a lot of cooking experience, so I will be posting the recipes here, as I work my way through the box, starting with the leaves. Please comment below with recipe requests using the ingredients pictured above.

Recipes

Tossed Salad

Salads are a great study snack—pack the leftovers for a meal to-go!

Ingredients:

1 head of lettuce—this month's box contained Romaine

1 tomato

1 carrot

Other things you'll need:

cutting board

knife

vegetable peeler

colander

large bowl or container

What to do:

1. To clean the lettuce, cut off the base about an inch from the bottom, and tear away any visibly brown  pieces from the leaves. Place leaves in the colander and run under cold water, rubbing away any visible dirt or insects. Stack the leaves in batches on your cutting board, and slice into long strips, then crosswise into bite-size pieces, placing the cut lettuce into your bowl as you go along. Save a few large slices of lettuce to use for sandwiches or wraps over the next few days.
2. Peel the carrot with the vegetable peeler, sliding the peeler away from you. Trim off both ends and rinse under cold water. Hold the carrot over your salad bowl, and using the vegetable peeler, peel away carrot "chips" directly over the lettuce—these are thin enough to eat even if you have braces! When the carrot has just a few inches left, place on cutting board and carefully cut into sticks to wrap up for tomorrow's lunch.
3. Rinse the tomato under cold water, then place on the cutting board and trim the stem and blossom  ends, as well as any blemishes on the skin. Cut into chunks or wedges, and top off your fresh salad!

You don't need to purchase store-bought dressings to enjoy your salad—just drizzle a teaspoon each of olive oil, and balsamic or red wine vinegar over each serving, and finish off with a few grinds or sprinkles of black pepper. 

Create a meal by adding some rinsed canned chickpeas, chopped hardboiled egg, or a slice of fried tofu!