Lemongrass, Dates and Bok Choy oh my!

[Summerloco]

Today I went grocery shopping and when I went to the oriental chop to get some seaweed and stuff, they had Lemongrass. And now my question is, what do I do with it? It looked and smelled good, thats why I got it, but I have no clue what to do with it now, any ideas. Oh and does anyone know how to store it? Should I put it in a ziploc bag with paper towels like I would parsley, or should I keep it loose in a paperbag like mushrooms? Then when I went to Harris Teeter I got a few dates, I have plenty of ideas of what to do with it, but how do I store them? In the fridge or on the counter, in a container where they have some air, or in a ziploc bag? And how long do they keep fresh for? Then when I went to Wal-mart I got some bok choy, I know what to do with it, but not too sure what to store it in. I assume a plastic bag with some paper towels will work, or am I wrong.


Also when I went to Harris Teeter they had fresh figs, 4 for 5$ :( I really wanted to try them, but not sure what they tasted like so, can anyone tell me what they taste like?

[vegankristen]

I love lemongrass!! I made a Lemongrass Vanilla Bean ice cream once and it was soo good! I also made green tea cannolis with banana-lemongrass cream...mmm i love lemongrass! I juiced the lemongrass and just added that to my vanilla ice cream---I like it better in desserts. Lemongrass has a subtle flavor, so you don't want to pair it with other strong flavors. Just peel off some of the dry outer layers and throw a piece of the lemongrass into a banana smoothie, vanilla creams, or any other simple, blended drinks or desserts.

Dates can just be kept in the refrigerator in a plastic bag or container with a lid...just keep them dry.

I like my greens to have plenty of air, so i just wash the bok choy, drain them in a colander, and place them in the fridge just like that with a paper towel over the top.

Fresh figs are a find! This is the season, and the season is short! So i would go ahead and buy them! They are actually very refreshing and have a subtle sweetness to them.

Hope this helped! Enjoy!
Kristen

[berrymarymac]

Get some figs, they are amazing! It's a hard flavor to explain, it's better if you try them yourself. it's good in a salad, yum yum! ^_^

[lissomllama]

I love lemongrass. I like to make cold teas with it. Just pulverize it and pour desired amount of water over it and set in the sun for a while and have it iced or lukewarm. I also love to just munch the grass as it is or in a salad. Yum.

[mindelicious]

mrandal,
do you have a dressing using the figs or you just cut them up and put them on your salads?? And what kind of salad? very intrigued...

[Pierre]

I went to the Oriental store to get some Chinese broccoli and they have lemongrass. There's also a bunch of leaf vegetables that I can't identify and that aren't labeled, or are labeled only in languages I don't know. (Usually they're labeled in English, Chinese, and Vietnamese, but sometimes the "English" is a transliteration.) Any idea how to identify them? One looks like flower stems of some Allium; is that what it is?

[tracyinfo]

This is a little bit late for the fig response, as it is slightly too late for the season. You can still find figs, but, they are now a litte more expensive. Figs are wonderful,wonderful, wonderful. They are fruits of the goddess! (In my opinion.)

They can be eaten just as they are, or chopped into salads or pureed into dressings or shakes.

My favorite are the black ones. However, the brown and green are wonderful also.