As promised Asda have very kindly sent me one of their Wonky Veg Boxes to review. I fully support this idea. Like many people, I have been appalled to learn how many perfectly good vegetables are wasted by the farmers supplying supermarkets because they are considered the wrong size, slightly discoloured or misshapen, a peculiarly first world point of view I feel!
Asda has certainly received a lot of very good publicity for this move so hopefully the other supermarkets will soon follow suit. I really don’t care if my food isn’t a uniform size or shape and I am quite sure most people feel the same. I just hope that Asda extend this scheme quickly as it is quite hard to get hold of the boxes. I have yet to find one in my local branch, although my daughter has spotted them there a few times.
They are exceptionally good value at £3.50. The cynic in me says this price will go up if they become too popular as this will impact on the amount of non-wonky veg we all buy. We shall see. What would be ideal is a situation where wonky veg us the norm and none of us bar an eyelid!
I like the fact that my veg arrived in a nice recyclable cardboard box with no plastic packaging on any of its contents. I am looking to reduce the amount of plastic waste I create through my various purchases so this was a bonus.
The contents of the wonky veg box
5 carrots
A cucumber
2 parsnips
Cabbage
3 red peppers
3 leeks
9 potatoes
Lots of red onions
The cabbage was a little the worse for wear – probably from sitting around in a warm press office I think! I was relieved to see that the other veg was actually a little wonky as I had read other reviews saying it was fine! It was all perfectly good quality.
So…what to do with all this lovely stuff? Tonight I will begin with Spanish eggs – a kind of ratatouille base made with peppers, garlic, onions and tinned tomatoes. That goes in a baking dish and I will make little wells in this and crack an egg in each, cover with a little cheese and bake.
A spicy carrot and parsnip soup is a possibility or a parsnip gratin. Leeks and potatoes go well together in loads of things too: soup again or maybe a leek, potato and bacon bake. There are so many onions I gave some away! I use them a lot but already had some in the fridge.
The cabbage will be stir fried with onions and whatever else needs using up and, since my daughter munches on cucumbers like sweets that will disappear pretty quickly.
What would you make? Anyone else managed to get hold of a wonky box?
This is not a sponsored post. However, Asda did send me a box of vegetables free of charge. All opinions are my own.
The cabbage… actually any greens… can be brought back to crisp when it’s wilted by placing in a sink or bowl filled with very cold, slightly salted water for a short time. Just score the bottom of the core and place it in for a soak. Lettuce and spinach, kale, etc. come back when placed in a pot of cold water. You can bake the potatoes ahead of time, cool and refrigerate them for a quick stuffed potato dinner, quick skillet hash, cut up cold and added to a fast stew, etc. You could also boil and mash the potatoes and parsnips together as a side dish or to top a weekend shepherd’s pie made with a little ground beef/turkey and finely chopped carrots and onions. Lots of goodies in your box!
Great advice, thanks!
That looks pretty good for £3.50 – you should do an exercise where you go and buy similar weight/quantities of those vegetables and see what it costs. Were the vegetables quite fresh or were they looking a bit tired as well as wonky?
Only the cabbage was a bit tired. The rest was pretty good especially the peppers. They were lovely!
You might like the carrot salad I’ve been making recently. I just grate carrot and then add some chopped red onion and pour over a dressing made with toasted sesame seed oil and that’s it. Husband loves it too which is always a good sign! My favourite lunch is now toast, with slices of cheese on top, then the salad, and some chutney or relish.