Adventures in CSA 2013: Week 3 Recipes

Look at those sturdy, purposeful mesh and muslin bags up there! Thrilling!

As of this evening (3 days into week four), we've finally made it through week three's CSA share. Minus a few wilted scallions, I think we managed to put everything to use, and I'm back to share details on what we made with this week's produce. To refresh your memory, here's what we received last week:

Week 3 Produce
Lettuce
Broccoli
Arugula
Scallions
Swiss chard
Napa cabbage
Garlic scapes
Japanese turnips
Radicchio

And here are the dishes we made:



A sort of chicken Caesar salad  - Dan used CSA lettuce, arugula, scallions, and garlic scapes in this salad, along with tomato and cheese. He cooked the chicken breast on our stovetop grill pan. The scapes were actually used to make a creamy, garlicky dressing.





Breaded Broccoli - I got the idea for this from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything phone/iPad app, but it couldn't be much simpler. Barely boil your broccoli florets and chopped stems, shock in ice water, then pat dry. Next, roll in thin coatings of flour, egg, and breadcrumbs (in that order). Finally, pan fry in a lot of butter. Salt and pepper well, then eat like popcorn. Pretty darn good! I'd spice the breadcrumbs if I made this again (which I may).



Sauteed Japanese turnips - How predictable -- I turned to this recipe for a third time. I'm really into it. This time, however, I left out the herbes de Provence, used garlic scapes instead of garlic, and reduced the amount of soy sauce (increasing the water). Also, because the turnip greens had gone limp and yellow by the time I got to this vegetable, I used beet greens from week 4's share instead. It was the best iteration yet!



Cabbage and radicchio slaw - there's a red pepper in there, too, as well as cilantro and "probably" mayonnaise. Dan made this dish, and seems hazy on the details, so I can't report more that.



Sauteed swiss chard - Dan sauteed this with onions and we ate it as a mildly flavored side dish with sausages one night.

That's Week Three in a nutshell. Sorry it's a little short on recipe specifics.

I don't have greens fatigue yet, but I imagine that's coming in a few weeks. How about you? Got any great ideas for future cabbages or chard?

Adventures in CSA 2013: Week 3 Share

We were out of town for Saturday's pickup, enjoying the less-edible "greens" of Harriman State Park, but friends nabbed our share for us and held on to it until we got back. Here's what it consists of this week:

Week 3 Produce (no fruit until July)

Lettuce
Broccoli
Arugula
Scallions
Swiss chard
Napa cabbage
Garlic scapes
Japanese turnips
Radicchio

Looks like some salads are in order. What would you make with these ingredients?




Bonus! Week 2 Revisited!

If you read the posts about last week's share, you may remember that I did my volunteer shift and took home some extra vegetables during week two. I wanted to let you know that I did, in fact, try the bok choy skillet supper recipe I found online. It uses bulgar wheat, which I'd never cooked with before -- but which is very easy to prepare. It was pretty quick, too. Most of the time spent on this dish is in cutting and chopping veggies during prep. Finished, it was surprisingly flavorful -- especially considering some of the online reviews suggested it wouldn't be. Since I had "full-sized" bok choy (the recipe calls for baby), I just cut the greens off and arranged them alongside the stalks in the pan.

Modifications: We are not vegetarians, so we used chicken stock (which changes the flavor), and we also subbed in portobello mushrooms (chopped) for the button mushrooms. I also doubled the tomatoes, and it could have handled even more. Our skillet is pretty large. Oh, and I "cheated" when it came to the garlic-infused oil, by doing it on the fly with some smashed cloves of garlic in the pan with olive oil. I removed them before finishing the dish (and ate them on their own: yum!). This dish used up our remaining bok choy and garlic scapes (I used the scapes in place of shallots). Top with a drizzle of soy sauce.

Here's the recipe, in case you'd like to try it. Toddler- and grownup-approved!

What are you making this week?

Adventures in CSA 2013: Week 2 Recipes

Greetings! We've been cooking and eating the vegetables from our second summer CSA pickup for most of the week, and I've got another consumption update for you.

Here's what we received for Week 2:
(this was my volunteer shift week, so the numbers below are "official." I actually took home otherwise unwanted extras of a few things -- like a few extra scapes; extra bunches of turnips, arugula and bok choy; and a dozen eggs. The eggs, by the way, are a game-changer. Amazing. I immediately decided to sign up for an every-other-week egg share for the rest of the season.)

• 1 head Lettuce
• 1 bunch Arugula  
• 1 bunch Broccoli 
• 1 stalk Bok Choy
• 1 bunch Tuscan Kale
• 2 lbs Summer squash
• 5 Garlic scapes
• 1 bunch Japanese sweet turnips -- CHALLENGE VEGETABLE

Here's How We Ate It:



Zucchini and grilled garlic scapes on flatbread - Dan conceived of and made these sandwiches with pocketless pita bread. He sauteed the grilled scapes and zucchini together before layering them on the bread, then topped them with feta and a homemade yogurt-cucumber-dill sauce. Garlic scapes are mild, and this was lovely.



Omelet of kale and garlic scapes - Farm-fresh eggs made this a standout. The eggs were as creamy as the melted havarti dill cheese, and the kale gave the dish some texture. I almost made a really embarrassing pun here, it was so good.




Bok-and-Broc stir fry - This dish was based on a Mark Bittman recipe for stir-fried broccoli. I made the variation with (soaked) dried mushrooms, added bok choy, and topped with cashews. Frankly, I cooked it too long and it became mushy. I kept waiting for the liquid to evaporate, and it just wouldn't. I also found the finished product a little bland, so I don't think this is a recipe worth repeating. We added a lot of soy sauce and a bit of Sriracha to make it more palatable.



Arugula and Lettuce soup (adapted from this recipe) - The recipe for this soup is attributed to Emeril Lagasse. I added an extra cup or so of chicken stock (I just used the whole box) and two bunches of arugula (because I only had one head of lettuce). I also adjusted the herbs, using dried tarragon and parsley to taste (along with fresh garlic and chives), and about 1/2 tsp. of Penzey's Sandwich Sprinkle. The cream is definitely the kicker. It's a good soup before the cream goes in, but it's a great soup after.



Yoshi's Japanese Turnips (recipe online here) - The advice at our share pickup for Japanese turnips was to eat them raw. They're not bad that way, but I wasn't in love with them, so I looked online for a way to cook them and thought this recipe had promise. The verdict? This dish is going in my "Best of 2013" recipe list. I honestly never thought I'd enjoy a turnip as much as I enjoyed these. The recipe suggests you try different combinations of "cooking liquid," and I look forward to making this again with vinegar. For my first try, I used half Tamari soy sauce (definitely should have been low sodium) and water. With cheese or without, and even a bit too salty, this was a revelation.



Zucchini pancakes - I used Mark Bittman's recipe, but didn't have time to chill the patties, so they didn't quite hold together in the pan. For the most part, though, these are dead simple -- zucchini, onion, egg, salt, pepper, parmesan and breadcrumbs. Fry in an awful lot of butter. We topped them with more cheese, of course. Despite declaring, "I don't like squash," even the kid ate (and enjoyed) it.

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That's it for week two's share. I do have a few bits and bobs bouncing around in the fridge -- a few more scapes, another bunch of turnips, and that extra head of bok choy -- so I'm looking for something that doesn't involve a stir-fry to use up the scapes and bok choy. What do you think of a Bok choy skillet supper (recipe here)? I'll let you know if I try it.  I'll also be making that Japanese Turnips recipe again, by golly.

What did you especially love or loathe in your share this week?

Adventures in CSA 2013: Week 2 - Share

Well, we didn't get any asparagus or strawberries or rhubarb, which is a bit disappointing (the share is always greener in someone else's CSA, right?), but we still took home a fun assortment of greens and other goodies this week. 

Week 2 Produce:

• 1 head Lettuce
• 1 bunch Arugula  
• 1 bunch Broccoli 
• 1 stalk Bok Choy
• 1 bunch Tuscan Kale
• 2 lbs Summer squash
• 5 Garlic scapes*
• 1 bunch Japanese sweet turnips** --CHALLENGE VEGETABLE

Notes from the farm, via the CSA blog:

 * The immature flower of the garlic plant, we snap garlic scrapes off in the spring because they're a great treat, and doing so will make the garlic bulb larger. Can be used in cooking like garlic, or raw like chives.

 ** The fresh turnips are best eaten raw; the exterior has a little bit of radish bite and the interior is super sweet and mild. Great on salads or just as a snack. You can cook the greens too!

Most exciting this week? Those turnips! I wasnt expecting a "challenge vegetable" (i. e. something i haven't prepared before) this year, but I don't think I've gotten this variety of turnip before. I guess there's still a frontier out there!

Also, I'm always thrilled to see green, curly garlic scapes. Should we make pesto this year, or something new?

Also: Still no fruit? C'mon, fruit! I need fruit!

Adventures in CSA 2013: Week 1 Share

 My boy, with part of the haul.

Here we go again!

I joined a new CSA this year, the East Williamsburg CSA.  I was hoping to get in to this particular one last year, but the timing didn't work out, so I'm pretty psyched.  Friends have been members for several years, and I always thought their weekly shares looked like the best deal in the neighborhood. Our pickup is also in a lovely community garden a short walk from our house (which makes getting there with a two-year-old much easier).

Once again, my goal is to provide you with coverage of the entire season -- what we get and what we do with it -- and I'm relatively optimistic that I'll make it to the end this time. I'm not pregnant. I don't have a newborn. I don't really have any excuse other than boring standard "busyness" to not share with you what we get each week. As long as I keep things simple, don't go crazy with the formatting and editing, and don't beat myself up if I'm lacking a photo or get behind, I think I'll make it there. 

As usual, I'll be trying out new recipes, in addition to going back to some old standards. I'd love ideas for my veggies. Comment here if you'd like to share what your family is enjoying in CSA goodness each week.


Week One Veggies* and notes from the CSA blog
* We purchased a fruit share, too, but that doesn't start for a few weeks, I think.

• Lettuce 
• Mizuna (a salad green like arugula, but with more serrated leaves and milder spiciness) 
• Green garlic (immature fresh garlic; use the root as you would garlic; leaves can be used as a garnish or in stock) 
• Bok choy 
• Radishes 
• Green kale 
• Spinach

Ah, I remember this! The beginning of the season is always heavy on the greens. I ordered some cotton muslin and mesh bags for storage this year, and I'm looking forward to swapping them in for the Ziplock baggies of previous years.  What gets me excited about this share? Bok choy! I love young bok choy in a stir fry. Also, my toddler loves pickled radishes (we get them as a side from the nouveau-Korean place in the neighborhood), so I think I'll make some at home. Dan is an excellent salad maker, so the kale is a welcome item, too.

What would you make with all of this? I'll share the outcome soon.

CSA Adventures 2010: Weeks 7 through 17! Yikes!

 


Hello. I give up.

Not really!  BUT it's been a rough couple of months.  I don't think I'm flat-out failing at my CSA produce-eating this year, but I hit a point midsummer at which, due to heat, a certain health condition I've begun hinting at (and am about to come clean regarding), rehearsals for a play, and a number of trips out of town, I had to throw out some produce that Dan and I just couldn't use before they went bad.  You might have noticed I haven't been blogging much the past few months in general.  It's all of a piece.

As for the CSA business, I've had to deal with a lot of guilt, tossing weeks' worth of past-their-best beets, moldy Helda beans (aka flat beans), soggy squash, imploded tomatos, boxes of plums that had no flavor or fermented faster than I could eat them, etc. I'm not proud of this, but it's the truth.  Last year, my CSA experience was beautiful and a source of pride. This year, I've had too much going on to keep up with produce every week.  I didn't see it coming.

What I can do is tell you what I've gotten in my share, in case you're using this site to compare and contrast (or consider buying into a CSA yourself).  And I'll share a few photos and recipes from the past 11 weeks to prove I didn't waste it all.


Week 7 Produce
4 squash
4 cucumber
1.5 lbs beets
1 Nappa cabbage
1 lb carrots
1 1/4 lb green and yellow beans
4 eggplants
1/2 lb purslane
Fruit:
1 box of sugar plums
1 box of red plums
1 box of apricots


Week 8 Produce

1 lb greens
4 cucumbers
1 1/4 lb tomatoes
1 lb Helda beans
1 corn
1 lettuce
4 peppers
1 1/4 lb beets
1 1/4 lb carrots
Fruit:

1 box blueberries
1 box red plums
2 1/4 lb yellow plums
 

Week 9 Produce

1 cabbage
1/2 lb tomatillos -- CHALLENGE VEGETABLE!
1 melon
3 oz of basil
3 lb tomatoes
1 lb eggplant
2 cucumbers
1/2 lb of Helda beans -- CHALLENGE VEGETABLE!
Fruit:

1 box peaches

1 box plums

1 box nectarines

Week 10 Produce

1/2 lb carrots
4 corn
2 onion
2 garlic
1/2 lb purslane
4 beets
4 cucumbers
1 squash
1 box cherry tomatoes
1 melon
1 3/4 tomatoes
Fruit:
1 box plums
2 boxes peaches

Week 11 Produce

tomato - 5 lbs 

cucumber - 4 

squash - 4 

watermelon - 1 

greens (chard) - 1 3/4 lb

mini bell peppers - 1/2 lb - CHALLENGE VEGETABLE

husk cherry: 1/2 lb-- CHALLENGE FRUIT!
Fruit:

6 peaches

4 nectarines

Week 12 Produce
2 lb tomatoes
1 lb pole beans
1/2 cabbage
3 beets
3 oz parsley
1 lb tokyo (I don't think this is the correct name.  I tried to look it up online and got no results.  It was green and looked like chard)
2 red onions
1 lb carrots
Fruit:
1 1/4 lb plums
4 lb peaches
2.5 lb nectarines
   
Week 13 Produce
-- I was out of town and missed this week -- 
dandelion greens
pac choi
tomatoes
mixed greens
red onions
pole beans
Fruit:
prune plums
peaches
apples


Week 14 Produce

3/4 lb beets
1/2 lb tomatillos
2 lb tomatoes
1 lb red kale
4 pieces squash
1 celery
1 fennel
5 radish
Fruit:
2 lb plums
11 apples
3.5 lb peaches

Week 15 Produce (DOUBLE SHARE WEEK)
1 celery  
2 corn
2 squash
1 lb carrots
1.5 lb mixed greens
1/2 lb. pole beans
2 garlic
2 winter squash (butternut and acorn)
.5 lbs red onion
1 lb. red potatoes
Fruit:
8 apples
1 qt. grapes
1 qt. pears

Week 16 Produce
NO DISTRIBUTION (Week 15 was a "double" week)

Week 17 Produce

3 beets
3/4 lb Brussels tops
1 Napa cabbage
1 squash
1 fennel
5 radishes
3 1/4 oz parsley
1 lb mixed geens
1 Brussels sprout
Fruit:
10 apples
1 quart of pears
1 quart of plums

 

Some Recipes Made



Cucumber Salad with Mixed Greens and Purslane
I was thrilled to see lemony purslane again and remembered a Turkish-inspired salad I made last year.  See the original entry here.

Notes: Lettuce + mixed greens (mostly collards and kale) + pretty, pretty purslane for a base; pecans + dried cranberries + cucumbers to mix in; and pomegranate molasses + coconut oil + olive oil + salt + pepper + garlic + red pepper made the dressing.  Onion would have been nice in this, if I'd had any.



Cheesy Orzo Risotto with Mixed Greens
Yup.  I made this recipe again.
Notes: This time I used mixed greens instead of chard, swapped out onions for shallots, and added crimini mushrooms.  I took a batch to some friends who needed a home-cooked meal and kept a couple of servings for Dan and myself.



Fruit Salad
My inspiration was this recipe, which I've made before, but this time I left out the lemon curd and just topped it with yogurt and honey.
Notes: 2 kinds of CSA plums, CSA nectarines, blueberries, and bananas came together for this fruit salad.


Fava Beans and Onion in Butter
An email from our CSA farm
Notes: The beans tasted a little tough, or old.  They've been hanging out in my fridge too long.   I blame only myself. But the onions (and butter) were delicious!




Raw stuff
Lots of fruit, carrots, and cucumber slices (often with hummus).  The melons were especially delicious.



Italian-Style Helda Beans with CSA Garlic and Tomatoes
I found this simple recipe on The Washington Post's website.

 
Baba Ganoush
The recipe Dan chose is in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything.



Green Beans in Mustard Crema
This recipe was found in Cooking Light magazine.




Squash Gazpacho
I got this recipe (by Barbara Crafton) in an email from another CSA member.

Zucchini Gazpacho

Place in food processor:
1 large zucchini, unpeeled, in chunks
1/2 green pepper, in chunks
2 small tomatoes, quartered
1/4 sweet onion, in chunks
handful of fresh oregano (or mint or parsley, if that's what you have)
2 cloves fresh garlic

Whir together until everything is chopped, 8 pulses or so. Add:
1/4 cup orange juice
1 tbsp lime juice
1 slice bread, torn into chunks
Tabasco to taste
a few grinds of black pepper
1/4 tsp salt

Whir together again, another 8 pulses or so. Spoon into bowls. Drizzle each with a little olive oil and garnish with oregano or mint or parsley leaves. Serves 4 and doesn't heat up your kitchen.

Green and Yellow Beans with Garlic and Curry Powder (not pictured)
Notes: This is a standby recipe for me that I mostly made up.



Ratatouille-Style Pasta Sauce
Notes: CSA eggplant, tomatoes, squash, garlic, basil and green pepper went into this dish and cooked together with olive oil, salt, and pepper. 



Plum and Ginger Ice Cream

David Chang's Brussels Sprouts (not pictured)
Notes: I made this recipe last year, too.  It's so good.  I skipped the Rice Krispies this time, because I didn't have any on hand, and added the spice to the sauce.



Collard Green Chips
Notes: Not as good as kale chips!





Chicken Tacos with Peach Salsa
Notes: This was all Dan.  They were delightful!  Recipe here.

Some Thoughts
I've mostly gotten my appetite and time back, and there are 5 weeks left.  I'll soldier on and complete the season as best I can.  I've been disappointed with the quality of some of the fruit I've been getting (which comes from various farms and is not all organic), but the vegetables have been beautiful this year and I feel like they've been worth the money.  I would certainly buy a share again.  I don't want to give you the impression that I wouldn't.  This summer was my perfect storm of CSA obstacles.  I have to hope I could find success again in a future season!

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