CSA Distribution #4

CSA Distribution #3

If it’s Tuesday, you know what that means… CSA day! Yesterday was a gorgeous day and there were tons of people picking up early like we were. Pick-up on Tuesdays is from 4-6, and I usually go right around 4. The past few weeks there haven’t been too many people yet but yesterday it was actually crowded! Very cool. I did see Nate, who writes From the Ground Up, but unlike last week when it was quiet and I was able to chat with Erin, this week there was a lot going on, so I didn’t want to bother anyone – I just let him get on with his work. But anyway, hi! 🙂

This week we got two enormous (and I mean ENORMOUS) heads of lettuce, a head of ENORMOUS Chinese cabbage, a huge head of bok choi, one zucchini, one squash, 5 garlic scapes, pick-your-own peas, 5 heads of broccoli, and 3/4-lb spinach (which I actually passed on this week because I am just spinached-out). The pick-your-own peas was a lot of fun and Jake discovered that he loves (and I mean loves) peapods! How could you not, though? They’re so sweet and yummy. We also bought a dozen eggs from Thunderhill Farm. I don’t remember seeing them there before, but I hope they continue to be sold because it’s convenient and man, those eggs were delicious this morning! They’re over in Stanfordville too so I might need to check them out for poultry.

At any rate, there will of course be lots of salads with the lettuce. I think I’m going to make Dara’s Sweet Sesame Cabbage and Radish Slaw with the Chinese cabbage and I’m going to sautee the bok choi with garlic and olive oil and serve both with pork tenderloin later this week. I still have scapes from last week and thought I’d make a small batch of pesto, but Drew’s not so hot on that, so instead I’m going to make a compound butter with them to keep in the freezer for a very mild garlic bread. I might use more bok choi, cabbage, and peas for a stir-fry this weekend with leftover pork. I’ll make a quick zucchini-squash sautee with parmesan cheese (maybe add canned tomatoes too). And the broccoli will be eaten raw or steamed as a simple side dish.

By the way, I am finding so many great recipes in The Vegetarian Epicure. If you’re finding yourself stumped, see if your library has it! (Note to Dara: there are a bunch of chard recipes in there that sound great, including a crepe recipe!)

Well, I need to get crackin’ and cleaning. This afternoon D.’s dad and brother are visiting. His dad is up from Miami for a few days so that will be fun seeing him! I also would like to take down some of my spring decorations and make it a bit more summery. Have a delightful day!

CSA Distribution #3

CSA Distribution - Week #3

Will you look at that absolutely gorgeous table of veggies from this week’s farm share? I left it all arranged on the table so Drew could see it when he got home from work. (Usually it’s all packaged up in the fridge by the time he gets to see everything). He couldn’t believe it, LOL! This week we got two heads of lettuce, two heads of bok choi, 2 pounds of spinach, a bunch of turnips, 1/2 lb. of arugula, 1 bunch of broccoli, and 6 garlic scapes. As you can see, the scapes are not only delicious, but they also make a dandy bracelet:

245 | deliciously fashionable

That’s right — delicious and fashionable! I snipped some onto my cream cheese-laden bagel this morning and they are so yummy! The boys were actually fighting over the broccoli in the car on the way home. Crazy kids! Last week Drew and I discovered that we really like the turnips raw. They’re a bit midler than radish, and they are great for salads. I’m super excited about the bok choi. I plan on cooking up some stir-fry action with those. I will probably blanch and freeze the spinach to use in soups and sauces later because I just don’t think we can consume all this before next Tuesday! (I know, what a problem to have — believe me I am not complaining!) I also got to briefly meet Erin, one of the farm interns. It’s always so much fun to meet the person behind the blog!

Good stuff.

CSA Distribution #2

CSA Distribution #2

This week’s share included two heads of lettuce (I let the boys choose and they picked one green leaf and one red leaf), kale, turnips, arugula, radishes, and spinach. I could have taken more arugula or mixed in some mustard greens or another variety of greens that were there, but by that point the boys were really being a handful and some… er, how shall I put it nicely… impatient middle-aged women were crowding the bins, so I called it a day. This should more than last us the week.

When we got home Jake immediately wanted some spinach with his dinner (the boy loves it dipped in Ranch dressing), and I made a salad with the lettuces, some grilled chicken, and some shredded cheese. The only “challenging” veggies this week are the kale and turnips. I’ve asked Drew to make his famous kale soup (with mushrooms, stew beef, onions, and topped with feta before serving), so that takes care of that. The turnips are a little tougher since I have only ever had them mashed at Thanksgiving. I found a recipe for apple-carrot-turnip salad that sounds interesting so I think I’ll give that a try. I guess if all else fails, I’ll just roast them! Aside from raw in salads I’m planning on making a spinach-gruyere strata this week too. I usually make it at Christmas but since we have all this spinach… why not?

CSA Distribution #1

CSA Distribution #1

Hooray! Today was the first pickup for our farm share. We’re members of Sisters Hill Farm in Stanfordville and I have been waiting for this moment for months! I’ve been keeping up with the blogs written by two of the interns (Farmer Erin and From The Ground Up) and I have such an appreciation for these delicious vegetables. When we were kids, my Uncle Frank had a huge (and I mean HUGE) garden and probably everything we ate during the summer came from it. (I’m sure my brother will attest to the overabundance of yellow string beans every year — to this day I am not crazy about them because we had so many of them!). It’s great to have a little of that back this season. Though it might not be grown exactly in my backyard, it’s local, fresh, and organic. And not to mention delicious! Unfortunately I was kind of rushing around this afternoon, so the boys didn’t get to see the chickens or explore the farm at all, but hopefully there will be time next week. Here’s what we got:

– .75 lb. salad greens
– .75 lb. arugala
– .75 lb. spinach
– .50 lb. tatsoi (or red mustard greens)
– 1 bunch of radishes (or turnips)
– 1 head of lettuce

Afterwards, we picked up dinner (pepperoni pizza for the boys and a cheese calzone for me) and I enjoyed a fresh salad alongside it. I only wished I had a bottle of wine open tonight. (The chardonnay I got from that wine of the month club back in the fall would have been yummy with the fresh greens). I am also resisting the urge to eat the entire bunch of radishes. I promised Drew I’d save him a couple!

Now to find some recipes…