CSA Adventures 2010: Weeks 4, 5 and 6 -- Heat Wave

So, it's been really hot in New York City this month.  It's been hot other places, of course, but NYC is where I live (and cook in a non-air-conditioned kitchen), so this is the weather that most affects my eating and blogging.  Some days I just can't bear to turn on the oven or stove -- or sit under the electronic heating pad that is my laptop.   

All this is to say I know I've left this blog looking pretty neglected for July. Still, I have to keep eating to stay alive and there's always CSA produce coming in, so I'm determined to post several more times before this month is over.  I'll get caught up, I vow. And maybe August will bring cooler weather.

As far as CSA vegetables and fruit are concerned, my weekly shares are getting pretty jumbled in the refrigerator.  At the end of some weeks I've still got a lot of leftovers to carry over to the next week.  However, so far, I've only had to throw away a little lettuce that got black and gross -- not even a full head's worth.  So, even as behind as I am, I still feel good about this season of CSA eating. 

In the interest of getting caught up, I'm going to combine the past three weeks' produce and recipes into one hot post and let you know what I got and what I've been eating.
 
Week Three Wrap-Up

These are recipes made from items left over from week three's share that I made and/or ate during week four.  Though the produce in question was delivered in week three's share, they weren't consumed in time to make it into week three's post. Confused?  Me, too!


1. Garlic Scape and Carrot Soup (leftovers added to more carrots and tops from week 4; see below)

2.  Salad of Beets (leftovers added to additional beets from week 5; see below)

Week 4 Produce

5 Radish
5 Carrots
3 Garlic
Fava Beans
Swiss Chard
[3 cucumbers**
4 squash**]

Fruit: Around 2 pints cherries

**I was out of town for week 4's distribution, so had a friend pick up my share.  I did not actually receive cucumbers or squash, but did end up with the rest of the items listed above.  I'm not complaining, though.  Some produce is always better than none, which is what I would have had without someone willing to pick up my share while I was gone.

Week 5 Produce
1 Cabbage
1 head Lettuce
1 head Red Leaf Lettuce
1 lb Romano Beans
3/4 lb Sugar Snap Peas
1 lb Beets
4 Onions

Fruit:
1 Apple Juice
1 Grape Jam
1 pint Sour Cherries


Week 6 Produce
Lettuce - 1 head
Basil - 3oz
Fava Beans - 1 lb
Mixed Greens - 1lb
Squash - 4 
Cucumber - 2
Heida Beans - 1lb

Fruit:
Sweet Cherries - 1 pint
Peaches - 3 lbs

Recipes Made - Weeks Four, Five, and Six

1. Radish Salad With Pecans and Coconut Oil Dressing

Source: My little brain.

Notes: I've been reading about the benefits of coconut oil, so I created a dressing using it with lemon juice and zatar, a Middle Eastern spice blend.  The flavor was perfect with the nuts.  Ben came over and shared the work of prepping (and the pleasure of eating) this one.




2. Cheesy "Orzo Risotto" with Swiss Chard

Source: I found this recipe on a website called Chez Loulou.

Notes: Wow!  This dish was so good, and the leftovers reheated over the next two days were still excellent.  The cheese lent a creaminess that balanced the slight bitterness of the greens, and the texture of the orzo (prepared like risotto) delighted me.  I'd make this recipe again, for sure, and I think it would be a great dish to share with friends.









3. Carrot Top and Garlic Scape Soup

Source: This recipe was inspired by a recipe for Garlic Scape Soup found all over the internet, including here, plus a recipe for a Tuscan soup called "Minestra di Foglie di Carote" that is originally from Solo Verdura, by Anne Bianchi.

Notes: I really enjoyed this soup.  Here's how to make it my way:


Garlic Scape and Carrot Top Soup

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
5 small carrots and their tops (use even more tops, if you have them, up to a cup and a half), separated and then chopped (don't mix)
2 ribs celery, diced
approx. 13 garlic scapes, chopped
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 cups broth (vegetable or chicken, or a mix.  I had 4 c. vegetable, 1 c. chicken, and 1 c. water)
½ cup brown rice
4 tablespoons grated cheese (freshly grated parmesan is very nice, but blends that come pre-shredded work well, too)
juice of 1/4 to 1/2 lemon (start with smaller amount and use more to taste)

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot at medium-low heat. 

Add the onion, carrots (NOT the tops), celery, and scapes.  Cook on med-low heat for about 5 minutes, until vegetables are starting to get tender and onions are softened and translucent.

Add the salt and pepper (go easy on the salt; you can add more later), pour in your broth, and turn the heat to medium-high.  Bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low, then add your rice.   Cover your pot and cook for 15-20 minutes.  Taste to see if rice is becoming tender.  It could still be just a bit chewy, because it's going to cook another 5 minutes.

Add your carrot tops and cook 5 minutes.  Stir well.  Add lemon juice to taste, and add more salt if you think it needs some.











4. Pasta and Fava Beans

Source: Joe told me my friend Jenny had made a delicious pasta dish with sausages from The Meat Hook (my favorite!) and CSA fava beans, so I decided to do the same.  I used this recipe.

Notes:  Oh my.  The flavor from the sausages gets all through the dish and the tomatoes (I used grape and cherry tomatoes) cook down into bright, warm pockets of fruit.  I'll certainly be making this again.








5. Coleslaw

Source:Dan made this.  I'm not sure what recipe he used.

Notes: CSA cabbage and onions went into this excellent coleslaw.  It wasn't too mayonnaise-y, either, for those of you concerned about that.





6. Cherry Smoothies

Source: Dan's smarty-pants brain.

Notes: Yogurt and cherries and blackberry ice cream were all in these smoothies.  The cherries were beginning to look a little tired, so blending them up into a beverage was the right idea.  Dan mixed tart and sweet cherries for more complex fruit flavor.





7. Pasta Salad

Source: Dan's brain, yet again.

Notes: I have to thank Dan for coming to the rescue on several hot nights.  While I sat on the couch and moaned about the heat, he whipped up some tasty dishes.  This pasta salad was enormous, filled with CSA basil, and a real treat.  There are cucumbers and sun-dried tomatoes in there, too, among other things.





8. Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

Source: This salad was off the top of our heads

Notes: Golden and red beets from two different CSA weeks plus goat cheese and walnuts?  Nice.  It was still good for lunch the next day, too, despite already having been dressed.



9. Stone Fruit Slump

Source:  I got the recipe for this from a cookbook I was given for Christmas.  It's called Rustic Fruit Desserts: Crumbles, Buckles, Cobblers, Pandowdies, and More, by Cory Schreiber and Julie Richardson.  This is the first time I've used this particular cookbook.  I'm not sure yet whether I'd recommend you buy it until I've tried a few more of the recipes, but it looks great.

Notes: I used cherries and peaches for this slump.  I don't think the cookbook's recipe for the "dumpling" dough that topped the slump was correct, as I had to add significantly more flour than called for in the recipe, but it came out just fine after my adjustments and a bit longer baking time.  It even kept well in the fridge for a few days, which I wasn't expecting. 

Best of all?  It cooked entirely on one burner, so I didn't have to turn on the oven.






10. Veggies on Pita

Source: Dan.

Notes: I wasn't home to eat this lovely-looking "cold lunch."  Dan made it for himself one afternoon while I was at work.  It looks like a great vehicle for CSA cucumber.  I'm sorry I missed it!



11. Grilled Zucchini Sticks

Source: Dan made these, too.

Notes: More sausages and grilled squash, please!


12. Raw Cucumbers with Hummus (not pictured)

Source: From Dan's brain to my mouth.

Notes: Terrific.




13. Peach Ice Cream

Source: unknown

Notes: We bought ourselves a new ice cream maker for our recent 9-year wedding anniversary, and Dan christened it by making ice cream from leftover peaches.  This was a perfect dessert AND a perfect breakfast.  In the photo above it tops leftover fruit slump.  Finally, I feel like we might beat the heat!

14. Sugar Snap Peas - eaten raw? Tossed in one of the salads? (not pictured)
Notes: I do not remember eating these!  But I love snap peas, so I bet I threw them into one of the salads we ate or munched on them raw as I cooked.  Or were they in the pasta salad, Dan?

Items Remaining at the end of Week Six

1 head Lettuce
1/2 Cucumber
1 1/2 Squash
1 1/2 Radishes

Fava Beans
Romano Beans/Heida Beans (they look exactly the same to me) -- CHALLENGE VEGETABLE!
a couple handfuls of Mixed Greens
4 heads garlic

Planned Recipe(s) for Remaining Items

• Mixed greens salad with cucumber and radishes
• I dunno -- something beany!  With squash?
  

Final Thoughts on Weeks Four, Five, and Six
I'm feeling good about where I am as I start week seven.  I've got some leftovers I can use up with two or three large dishes and I think odds and ends will blend well with the coming week's produce.  Now I'm just hoping for a break in this steamy weather.  


What's your favorite hot-weather meal?

-------