Vegbox full of weird stuff I have no hope of getting family to eat

[LowFatMilkshake]

I ordered one of these for the first time and it's due on Tuesday. Have just checked the website for what the box will contain and was horrified to see that while all other boxes have things like potatoes, carrots, parsnips, swede etc, I have none of this but instead mine contains 2 types of brocolli, artichoke and beetroot and celery.

As a family we are not great veg eaters and I though by getting the biggest box with added fruit it would have lots seasonal veggies I could roast or make soups with to improve our diets, but it's not even got spuds. I will have a real tough time getting DH to eat anthing in this one.

DH was not pro vegbox before hand, so my chance of getting another next week will be zero unles I can convince him these veggies are 'worth it'

Blimey. I've never cooked artichoke, but on the bbc website you can put in an ingredient and it will give you a recipe! Celery does quite a nice soup, or have as 'dippers' with houmous and soft chees mixed with pineapple. Yum. We are big Broccolli eaters so no probs with that. It is lovely in a stir fry, or you could make broccoli cheese like cauliflower cheese...

love artichokes ! boil them and then tear off the leaves, dip the fleshy bit in melted butter and enjoy!

brocooli- makes fab soup, just need to add potato to thicken

betroot - roasted? boild and then in a salad?

celery..can be braised or eaten dipped in hummous !

Yuck.

I'd cancel it.

Pass it on to me please.

My vegbox company let you give them a list of your veggie no-nos beforehand and guarantee these items never darken your doorstep.

You normally get spuds, carrots and onions every week as your staples plus your seasonals though!!!

Depending where you live there are loads of companies who offer these now - I've tried a few to see which is best value (not always the cheapest)

The Abel and Cole website has a (realy useful) list of weird and wonderful veg with recipe suggestions for each if you don't know what to do with something - Jerusalem Artichoke mash anyone

Can you change your order to the more 'standard' box? Sounds as if it would be better for you.

Meanwhile... you could still make soup with what you've got. Broccoli is fairly 'standard', so you should be OK there. I'm not a fan of beetroot personally (and it's pretty hard to disguise unless your diet is already predominantly purple!) but you could make borscht, perhaps. Celery, otoh, is easily hidden. I have a celery-hating dh, but I can still get away with chopping it (very) finely into sauces and stews. I tend to put very finely diced carrot and celery into ragu-type sauces for spag bol and lasagne, for example. HTH... sure some more adventurous people will be along soon with some more advice.

I always use celery in spag. bol. or other tomato-based pasta dishes - just whizz it in the food processor with some onion, carrot and garlic and fry it gently before adding the other ingredients.

We are also big broccolli eaters (including the almost-2yr old!) so that wouldn't be a problem here. Jerusalem artichokes can be roasted like potatoes and are lovely - I tried them for the first time a couple of weeks ago when I got them in my veg box and although I was dubious they were much nicer than I imagined. You can also make chips out of them!

Beetroot - can't help you sorry, I can't stand it!

fresh beetroot miles nicer than the prepered kind, pickled or no!

but if you dont like this box or company, try another - theres a few about i think

Blimey, BonyM... we have the same diet!?!

jerusalem or globe artichokes?? i don;t know about jerusalem ones...

This company changes what's in the box weekly and when I ordered it it was still listing last weeks items.

Here what my box has:

beetroot
broccoli
celery
grapes
jerusalem artichoke UK
kale UK
mushrooms UK
oranges
purple sprouting broccoli UK
apples

No staples!!

Here's the mini box:
carrots UK
cauliflower UK
onions
orla potatoes UK
swede UK
leeks UK

The small:
carrots UK
celery
mushrooms UK
onions
orla potatoes UK
parsnips UK
leeks UK
cabbage UK

The medium box:
broccoli
carrots UK
celery
kohl rabi
onions
orla potatoes UK
parsnips UK
squash
leeks UK
cabbage UK

The large:
carrots UK
chillis
fennel
jerusalem artichoke UK
kohl rabi
mushrooms UK
onions
orla potatoes UK
parsnips UK
spring greens UK
leeks UK
cabbage UK

Every box except mine would have been brilliant!

But thanks for your idea's gonna give them a try!

I use celery in tomato sauces or stews as well. with broccoli you can make a very tasty pasta sauce that is much loved by our family: steam the broccoli. then fry a clove of garlic in olive oil with anchovies (if you like them). add the broccoli (you can then squash them with a fork). add to past with parmesan cheese.
no idea what to do with beetroot, it's the only veg I don't like

lulumama - jerusalem

Make beetroot soup:

Ingredients:

Beetroot
Onion
Garlic
(Celery, carrots, if you like)
Bay leaf (caraway seeds, if you like)
Enough stock to cover veg - I use beef

Peel and chop the veg into smallish chunks. Place in a large pan with the bay leaf

• Cover with the stock, bring to boil.

• Cover, reduce heat & simmer for about 1 hour or until the vegetables are soft.

• Remove bay leaf and liquidise the soup until smooth, adjust the seasoning.

• Serve with a swirl if cream or sour cream.

Roast the beetroot - I hate beetroot and it's lovely roasted - need to orast for AGES though & cut small.

Jerusalem artichokes are fab - wonderful , rich, creamy soup ... but a b*gger to peel & they make you trump like you won't believe . Good mashed or chipped too - basically similar to sweet potato

Who's your veg box with?

Box comes from Rivernene.
Thanks for the soup ideas, esp beetroot, hopefully being pink, I will get DD to try it

What's the name of the box? I have just started ordering from river nene and have been really pleased.

I get the winter box and then order potatoes as an extra. (And apples and bananas).

I have found that you need to order the same box for a couple of weeks to see what variety is in it. Otherwise if you change the type of box you often end up getting the same veg as they rotate what's in each box (if that makes sense?)

I ordered the Fruit and Veg box

Everyone has given me ideas though to see that all the veggies get used. Not sure how I will get DH to eat brocoli in any form, but I can always make a soup and a cheese dish and feeze them.

Now does anyone know where I can buy an apple corer? I want to make apple rings for DD but everywhere I have tried has told me they are an 'old-fashioned' item

John Lewis will have your apple corer.

i bought an apple corer from sainsbury's last week.

try riverford.co.uk for recipes for your "weird" veg (which sound fine to me!)

I have a great tomato sauce recipe from Jamie Oliver that contains celery. Its great because it makes quite a large portion so you can split it into batches and use it for all sorts.

You could make a chicken pie and put the brocoli in. Again I have a lovely recipe for a sauce that could go in that.

Beetroot, boil and then skin. Cool and eat with salad.

If you want the recipes, I'll be happy to give you them.

raw beetroot is delicious grated, dress with vinaigrette and top with toasted pumpkin/sunflower/sesame seeds mixed with soy sauce. Nice mixed with grated carrot although the carrot goes purple too

Thanks bundle - as I said this is a new thing for us, I want to rely less on supermarkets etc and so I ordered the veg box.

We are usually a carrots, parsnips and swede house (onions and spuds too), with salad in the summer consisting of lettuce and cucumber (I also have tomoatos but DH doesnt). So this is all a bit new, but I am determined to make t work and not to waste a single thing!

DH was bought up in a house with oven chips and burgers. When is tayed there I went to make a cake (just a betty crocker add water and egg thing) and they did'nt even have a measuring jug!!

My mum was much better with home made foods and always meat and two veg etc, but there was'nt sch a range of veggies that there are now.

Have ordered the Dinner Ladies cookbook, afer a MN recommendation and am determined to turn this family around! Will look at Tesco for my corere if not try others you mentioned - if I can get to them (non driver)