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Pole beans – 0.5 lbs
Squash – 1.4 lbs
Jerusalem Artichokes – 1 lb
Shishito Peppers – 0.2 lbs
Bok Choy – 1 each.
Spaghetti Squash – 1 each
Tomatoes – 1 lb
Radish – 5 each
In the original email we got from the CSA with our contents for the week, the list merely said “artichokes.” Josh and I were excited, as we had never received artichokes before, and I was hoping to make stuffed artichokes. When I showed up at the pickup site, however, the board said Jerusalem artichokes. I was slightly disappointed but still excited, since we only got a few Jerusalem artichokes last year but they shriveled before I had a chance to cook them. They kind of look like pieces of ginger, all gnarly with a brown skin. I was wondering how to prepare them, and more importantly, how to peel them without losing all the flesh, but a woman who was picking up her vegetables at the same time told me that roasting them like potatoes was best. Plus she said they didn’t need to be peeled, which was a relief!
Another “new” item that we got last year was bok choy, which I was really happy about. Roasted bok choy is one of my favorite CSA recipes, and I’m looking forward to eating it again.
A completely new item for us is the spaghetti squash. I’ve never prepared spaghetti squash before so I’ll need to look up some recipes. I’ve always read that it’s actually really a great noodle substitute, but as a pasta fiend, I have my doubts. Still, I’m eager to try it out.
The shishito peppers we received a few weeks ago were green, but these are bright red. The green peppers didn’t seem too spicy, but I wonder if they get spicier when they turn red. The email said they would be mild to hot, so we’ll see.
We also got more tomatoes, squash, radishes, and pole beans. I’m hoping we’ll be moving more into winter squashes soon, since I’m still overwhelmed with summer squash right now. Now that the weather is cooling down, I’m more amenable to making squash soup. It’s really easy – just roast the squash with some olive oil until soft and slightly carmelized, boil with stock or water (enough to cover the squash), puree, season, and serve. It’s a thick creamy soup with no cream in it, so definitely one of the more healthful dishes that we make. Try it out!
]]>Greens – 0.75 lbs
Mini Bell Peppers – 0.45 lbs
Squash – 1.8 lbs
Tomatoes – 1 lb
Radishes – 5 each
Lettuce – 1 each
Corn – 2 each
Heirloom Tomatoes – 1.5 lbs
Pole beans – 0.3 lbs
I was surprised to see radishes this week, since they’re usually a staple during the early season. Nevertheless, Josh loves radishes with butter and salt on slices of baguette, so we’re pretty excited to have that again.
For greens we got more chard, which we’ll cook with more bacon I’m sure. As for the pole beans, another early season item that we’re seeing again, a quick saute with garlic usually does the trick. As for the corn, a simple steaming is all we need for some sweet corny goodness.
We did get an heirloom tomato this week, though it was slim pickings on that front. Most of the tomatoes in the bin were split and starting to mold. I don’t know if that’s a result of the hurricane or if they just ripened too fast due to the warm weather we’ve been having. I’m pushing Josh to make more gazpacho since it’s a delicious way to use up a lot of the tomatoes and peppers we have.
We got more squash of course, and I’m starting to fight a losing battle with all of the squash we have. I make zucchini pancakes and squash soup, but does anyone have more suggestions on squash recipes?
]]>Squash – 2.75 lbs
Cucumbers – 2 lbs
Peppers – 0.8 lbs
Eggplant – 0.8 lbs
Basil – 0.5 lbs
Lettuce – 1 each
Greens – 1 lb
Purslane – 0.33 lbs
Beans – 0.6 lbs
Pole Beans – 0.75 lbs
Parsley – 0.15 lbs
It’s the first time that we’ve received purslane, and I’m curious about it. I’ll have to do some research on how it should be prepared – anyone have any ideas? I’m also intrigued by the purple string beans, though I suspect they probably taste like regular string beans. Supposedly they turn green when cooked; that seems pretty cool.
I plan on turning the cucumbers into Chinese style garlic pickles, which are delicious and super quick to make. As for the squash, I foresee some zucchini pancakes with smoked salmon and sous vide eggs – one of my favorite brunch dishes.
I was disappointed again that we didn’t get kale for greens, but collards make good chips as well. I’m not sure how to prepare the eggplants though, which are the thin Japanese style. Maybe in some sort of garlic sauce? So many possibilities, too little time. We’ll have to make a good dent in the veggies this week though, as Josh will be on a business trip next week and then we’re off to Hilton Head for a long weekend. We did a decent job cleaning out the fridge last week so we’re almost all caught up on our veggie shares, finally!
]]>According to the report we got from the farm this week, the heat has caused a lot of the veggies to ripen quickly, meaning that they had to be harvested sooner than expected. While that translated into a large share for us this week, it may also mean that shares later on in the season will be smaller. I just feel bad for the farm workers who have to be in the heat all day, and we definitely appreciate their efforts.
This week our share contents included:
Garlic Scapes – .25 lbs
Cucumbers – 1.1 lbs
Red Kale – .25 lbs
Swiss Chard – .65 lbs
Dandelion – .25 lbs
Turnips – .5 lbs
Fava Beans – 1 lb
Lettuce – 1 each
Squash – 2.3 lbs
Beans – .5 lbs
I was happy to see that we were getting both kale and swiss chard this week, so that I wouldn’t have to choose between the two again. Sadly, we only got 1/4 pound of the kale, which isn’t very much once you account for the inedible thick stems. Hmm.. Josh is currently out of town on business.. maybe I can make kale chips for one? Just kidding – he’d be upset with me if I did that!
I was glad that we got a lot of fava beans – I’m still trying to decide if we should make more Egyptian falafel with them, or if we should try something new. I’m also not sure how to prepare the turnips, dandelions, or the pole beans. Usually we just roast the turnips, but I’d be interested in doing something different. The pole beans we typically just saute with garlic and olive oil. The dandelion greens are tough to prepare because they can be extremely bitter. I’ll need to do some recipe research!
We didn’t get enough cucumbers for me to make pickles, so I think we’ll just eat them fresh with the lettuce. Josh made a great curry vinaigrette yesterday for the red leaf lettuce we got two weeks ago (yes, it was still good!) using a recipe by Thomas Keller. He forgot to half the recipe so we still have lots of dressing left, which I think will go nicely with the young head of romaine we got this week.
The squash will either go into a ratatouille or a pureed squash soup. Both are some of my favorite recipes, and I’m glad that we always get a lot of squash each week. As for the garlic scapes, we have quite a stock pile right now. I tweaked a garlic scape pesto recipe that I liked a lot better than my first attempt at scape pesto, so I’ll need to write a post about that.
I definitely have a lot of catching up to do, post wise. I’ve got so much to write about and not enough time. I’m happy to report though that we’ve been sticking to our workout regiment. Having the CSA share has only made it easier for us to eat more healthfully, and more importantly, everything is fresh and delicious. I may finally be starting to see some results from all of our hard work!!
]]>Watermelon – 1/2
Peppers – 5 mini
Tomatoes – 1 1/4 lbs
Mixed Greens – 1 lb
Squash – 2 lbs
Beets – 3 each
Spearmint – 1/8 lb
Beans – 1/2 lbs
I’m not sure what kind of greens we got this week. They kind of look like baby collards. Anyone have any idea? The watermelon we got has yellow flesh. I don’t think I’ve had yellow watermelon before, and I wonder if it tastes the same as pink watermelon. We also got a lot of mint, so I foresee lots of mojitos.
We got lots of fruit this week, and I think we currently have more fruit in our refrigerator than we have vegetables. I made a tasty apricot tart with our CSA apricots that were starting to get overly ripe. It was a great way to make sure the fruit didn’t go to waste. This week our fruit share contents included:
Italian Plums – 1 3/4 lbs
Apples – 1 bag
Peaches – 2 lbs
The apples we got were similar to macintoshes. The Italian plums this week were pretty soft so we’ll either have to eat them really quickly, or I’ll have to turn them into a dessert. Meanwhile, the peaches we’ve been getting are fantastic. They’re the juicy, sweet, white variety and I’ve been eating a few each day. Can’t believe the summer is almost over!
]]>Lettuce – 1 head red leaf
Basil – 2 oz
Fava Beans – 1 1/4 lbs
Radishes – 4 each
Greens – 3/4 lb
Squash – 1 3/4 lbs
Pole Beans – 1/2 lb
With regard to our fruit share, we’re overwhelmed with cherries! This week was a smaller batch at least, but we still have tons in our fridge. We’ve been snacking on them left and right but can’t seem to eat them quickly enough. Our fruit share this week included:
Sugar Plums – 1 quart
Cherries – 1 pint