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.