CSA 2014 - Week 10

If I'm not mistaken, this is the halfway mark for the season.  This was also the first fruit week of the year, much to the delight of the boys.  If you've ever spent a meal with my boys, you know that they will eat just about any fruit you put in front of them.  Most nights they demand fruit for dessert - if there's no ice cream available :)  The fruit comes from Hill Orchard, which is where we took the boys apple picking the first two times we went picking.  Last year we went to a different orchard that seemed much more commercialized, and just not as much fun.  We'll be returning to Hill this fall with the boys - you can't beat it.

This week's share included 3 pounds of peaches, 1 pound, six ounces of yellow plums, a pound of onions, two large scallions, a head of cabbage, a pint of cherry tomatoes, the most delicious-smelling bag of basil ever, a pound of green peppers, and a cantaloupe.

We are so lucky to be able to offer our boys such beautiful, nutritious, organic vegetables.  And to be able to bring them to the place where their food is grown so they can understand the work that goes into putting food in their bellies.  We are also very lucky that Brad has such a green thumb.  The boys love to "help" him work in the garden, especially harvesting - whether the veggies are ready or not.  Thankfully, both boys are already showing an interest in helping to cook, too, so they'll be ready when they need to face the kitchen of their own.  No dry noodles with a seasoning packet in a hot pot for my boys!

This week's veggies are headed for a couple of great dishes - well, I hope they'll be great.  The tomatoes and basil are headed, along with last week's kale, for a pasta dish.  The peppers and onions, along with two eggplants and some tomatoes Brad grew, are headed for a lentil dish.  The boys have already taken care of six of the plums.  We were instructed by the farmer to let the cantaloupe ripen for 2 or 3 days on the counter before we cut into it.  Not sure what we'll do with the cabbage.  Maybe a slaw?  Brad's really good at cole slaw.  We'll see.  

CSA 2014 - Week 9

An egg week!  We also got one pound of lemon cucumbers, a pound of tomatoes, a pound of squash, a bunch of kale, a bag of beans, a bag of pea tendrils, and a bag of carrots.  The carrots made it into a pot of chicken soup; the squash was grilled and served alongside burgers; and the cucumbers were served with hummus as part of lunch a few days.  The kale is excited to be set aside for a new pasta dish we're going to try this week.  The eggs usually find their way into many breakfasts.  I have been baking with them despite their variety of sizes and haven't had a problem yet.  The tomatoes have been part of many salads, snack plate dinners, and grilled cheese sandwiches.  The pea tendrils, well, I'm still hoping to wake up tomorrow really loving them and unable to resist them.

CSA 2014 - Week 8

Week 8 brought us one bunch of parsley, a bag of greens to saute (which I will admit I did not enjoy - way too bitter), a pound of wax beans (which I seem to recall I did not enjoy as a child, but loved when we had them with dinner), a pound of plum tomatoes, and a pound of potatoes.

CSA 2014 - Week 7

Eggs

Scallions 

 Week 7 was an egg week!  We also got 4.75 oz of basil, which might be headed for a loaf of pesto bread I recently found a recipe for.  There were 3 (1.5 lb) pickling cucumbers, which Brad plans to turn into pickles.  The boys chose the 4 (1.5 lb) yellow pattypan squash; I'm thinking I might grill them, or if I'm feeling fancy, I might stuff them.  The 14 oz bag of lettuce will, of course, be for salads.  The kale is destined for another batch of the kale, sausage, and white bean recipe I've mentioned before.  The scallions will be for a variety of different things - any time we find a use, really.  And the kohlrabi will be roasted and eaten as soon as possible to get it over and done with.  If you don't already know our history with kohlrabi, I'll have to remember to tell you some time.  Suffice it to say, we eat kohlrabi when we get it in our shares, but we never voluntarily seek it out.

Lettuce

 This week also brought us on an adventure in blueberry picking!  We took home 6 pounds.  So far, they've been snacks, cereal toppings, and part of a batch of blueberry crumb bars.  Next up, I'm thinking a lemon blueberry cake, maybe some muffins or a bread, and possibly some pancakes.  The boys had such a great time!  We can't wait to go back again!

Kohlrabi

Basil

Squash

Cucumbers

Kale

Week 7

CSA 2014 - Week 6

True to form, I have misplaced last week's list with weights.  However, I can share the pictures.

Week 6!

Pak Choi

Golden Beets

Carrots

Cucumbers 

Green Beans

We had the pak choi in a stirfry, the green beans steamed and served with fish, and the cucumbers in a salad.  I'm thinking I'll slice up the beets for the boys for dinner very soon.  They LOVED them last week.  In fact, I tolerate beets, but they're not my favorites, and the boys volunteered to eat most of mine the last time Brad made them!  We also still have some parsley left over, so I'm thinking those carrots are destined for a soup to be kept in the freezer to make a fast meal this winter.

Summer 2014 CSA - Week 5

Sorry this is so tardy.  Busy week!  This week we brought home 11 oz. of snap peas, 1.5 lb. of various squash, 1 lb. 3 oz. of cucumbers, 6 oz. Swiss chard, 1 lb. beets, and 1 dozen eggs.  We're doing a really good job of making sure to incorporate all of the vegetables into our menus for the week.  Since we get an email on Monday evening telling us what we're going to be picking up on Tuesday.  Then I use that information to plan my shopping list and take the boys with me to the market on Tuesday morning to get any supplementary items.

Week 5

Snap Peas

Assorted Squash

Eggs

Swiss Chard

Beets

Cucumbers

CSA Summer 2014 - Week 4

Week four took me by surprise.  Well, the potatoes did anyway.  I guess I assumed potatoes were October-ish veggies.  Shows how much I know.  Anyway, Brad did the pick-up again this week.  The boys were a little disappointed when I told them we wouldn't be going to the farm today, but they got over it quickly when I told them the pool was out and ready.  So here's the take this week:  8 oz. onions, 1 oz. bunch of cilantro, 7 oz. kale, 8 oz. golden beets, 9 oz. mixed greens, 1 lb. red potatoes, 1 oz. purple basil.  I really wish you could smell the basil!  The newsletter suggested that the greens would work well for either a salad or for sauteing, but I smelled arugula the minute I opened the bag, so we're definitely going to cook that stuff up.  I've not quite worked up the ability to eat really strongly flavored greens raw yet.  

Week 4

Potatoes

Kale

Golden Beets

Mixed Greens

Purple Basil

Onions and Cilantro