10.28.2006

makin' good use of CSA produce



This is what happens when you have an overabundance of produce from your local CSA. We've had to think of a great many new uses for root veggies and cabbage.


Our CSA, West Haven Farm, invited shareholders to harvest corn smut this year from the fields. Corn smut aka Mexican truffles aka corn disease aka huitlacoche are apparently a delicacy in parts of Mexico and fancy restaurants in the U.S. The outsides have these nice shades of purple, but when you bite into them, they pop open and the smut kernel's powdery black guts come spilling out. Strange tasting; they turn any dish dingy and leave a dry taste in the mouth. Kind of mushroomy yet slightly corn flavored. We tried them in burritos and with a sausage spaghetti sauce. I have a feeling we harvested too late and suffered the penalty of overly dry, spore-filled galls. Next year I'll be the first in line to pick and eat fresh smut. I guess one can buy them canned in international supermarkets.





2 comments:

Connie said...

You guys are adventurous. I think I would have a psychological barrier to eating these (even though mushrooms are also fungi). But just your description of spore filled pods gives me the heebie jeebies! Hope you're not planning to serve any at Thanksgiving! :)

stephanie said...

hmmm...now you're giving me ideas! Actually, we just saw them in glass jars at Wegmans, so you're in luck. Don't worry, I won't subject you to anything too wild (or at least I won't tell you about it until after you've taken a few bites).