Week 13

I fell behind again... At the end of week 12 I still had zucchini, cucumber, carrots and lettuce...so I had friends over (lettuce & cucumber), I made baby food (carrots) and I whipped up a double batch of muffins and brownies mostly for the freezer. I gave away some of the beans. I have used up all of week 13 except for some lettuce and cucumber (but those will be gone by Friday) and some beans...what to do with Dragon Tongue beans...

Week 12

This week's haul looks so colorful and inviting.

I forgot to photograph my lovely bouquet of sunflowers and dahlias but I did get a closeup of this guy:

We got a huge bag of these beans and they are quite good raw...I am just not sure we can polish off the whole bag so I may have to share them :)

Week 11

Ack - how did I miss posting week 11?!?

I was thrilled to see the bok choy and cucumbers :)  Since I am late in posting I can talk more about what I made...

The carrots went into a delish pot pie.  This was loved by kids and adults alike and will be made again I am sure.

I found a use for all the squash...summer squash with baked eggs which I served with no-knead bread.

I displayed the flowers at a brunch along with the ones from earlier since these things live forever.  I think the flower cutting is quickly becoming a favorite part of the CSA experience.  They brighten my house and my day.  I also served a huge salad at the brunch to use some of the lettuce and cucumber.

I tried cooking salmon with an orange glaze over the fennel fronds and serving it with roasted fennel - still a no for me :(

Week 10

I got overwhelmed by the squash again this week.  This time I roasted some up.  I just diced them, tossed them in olive oil and salt then baked them at 400 until they looked good.  I hope to use them in minestrone this winter: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/09/roasted-vegetable-minestrone/

I haven't talked much about the lettuces we get and I really don't do them justice.  I was reminded how special they are when we got a GIGANTIC concept lettuce head this week.  It was as big as about 4 heads of romaine that you would buy at the store.  It fed us for days!!  Other than concept, we have had green leaf, red leaf, magenta, romaine and I am sure one or two other I am forgetting.  Their flavor is amazing and as long as you use them in the first few days they are crisp and bright.  I still love the orange juice dressing too.  I made it again tonight.

Beets are growing on me.  I used some in a simple salad with apples and pineapple - no dressing and thought they were a nice addition (especially in color!).  Fennel is still not growing on me...oh well.

Week 9

 This week felt really well rounded to me.  Like a trip to the grocery store.  My husband and 3-year-old did the pick up and managed to get some u-pick done.  They also picked and ate some beans and brought me flowers (below).  We made a batch of kale chips this week with some special black Hawaiian sea salt I had impulse bought from the bulk section.  We ate the green beans and carrots raw (and quickly).  The yellow carrots are so fun! There is a zucchini languishing in the crisper drawer waiting for inspiration to strike me.  Thank goodness the zucchini plant I put in my back yard failed to thrive.

The u-pick flowers are beginning to bloom!

One thing I wish I knew more about was storing all of this wonderful food.  After losing a head of lettuce and a few carrots I started researching and this is what I have learned:

Carrots - They come with the beautiful green tops; cut them off.  They will keep a while just thrown in the crisper but you can also wash them up and keep them in water for quick eating.

Lettuce - The best advice I have is to bag it.  I like to wash a head and keep it in my salad spinner so it is ready to go.  We are more likely to use it if we pre-wash it.  Just don't tear it up too much.

Other greens (kale, collards, chard) - just like lettuce, bag them up.

Onions - I don't know!  I keep reading that you should braid them and dry them but I can't do it...I just use them fast...

Beets - Cut off those tops (I hear you can use them like greens) and store them in the fridge in a plastic bag.

I think that covers what I have learned thus far :)

Week 8

Zucchini!  I new it would happen, but this week I feel behind and started the week with some of last week's zucchini still in the crisper.  The 4 more this week meant it was time to take action.

I whipped up a batch of these delicious brownies. They turned out quite cake like but that wasn't a problem.  My husband and I polished off a third of the pan that first night so I popped some in the freezer.  I added half white chocolate chips and half semi-sweet chips and I think next time I would do more white chocolate since they looked so cute with the rich brown of the brownies.

I also made a double batch of these muffins.  I had never thought of freezing uncooked muffins before but it looks quite convenient.  I added 1 teaspoon lemon zest to the recipe but I should have added 2 (one for each batch) to get a better lemony flavor.  I also added blueberries to about a dozen of the muffins and can't wait to give those a try.

I took some of those carrots and chopped them up with some peas from my garden and made individual pot pies last night.  I called them rabbit food pies since it is all things a bunny would eat :)

Week 7

Before I get into week 7, I did end up making the beet ravioli and it was wonderful. I cut the butter and added caramelized onions to the sauce...yum.

I am loving the carrots and onions each week! The onions have such a great flavor, I never want to buy them at the store again. The zucchini is piling up on me and I may have to give in and make bread or muffins. I am going to use some in a pot pie...these are adorable! and I suppose I could pickle some. Even though it is plentiful I am glad to see it each week since it is so versatile.

I used the squash on a pizza I served to friends and it was a big hit. Everyone was surprised at how good it was to have a nice veggie pizza with good onions and very little cheese.

I did pick some basil (for pizza) and mint (for drinks) this week but I was again without adult help with the kiddos so that was all I picked...I really am craving some more chard!!

Week 6

I had to skip pick-your-own again this week (it was just me and 2 tired boys) and I was super sad because the basil is coming in :(.
More bok choy is always a welcome sight. I took this weeks carrots and made baby food for the 5-month-old. What better to feed your baby than local, organic, fresh carrots!! My husband and I were iffy on the fennel. It is just not mu cup of tea and while he likes it he found it overpowering. I heard you can dry the fronds for later use with chicken or fish so I am drying them but we will see if I decide to use them...

The Mexican Gray Squash was listed as carali at the CSA which yielded nothing helpful in google so we tried google goggles and came up with Mexican Gray Squash - cook like zucchini. Well I was going to do zucchini fries so I may do MGS fries and use the zucchini in muffins. To do the fries I cut them into 3-4 inch long sticks (about a half inch thick) then dip into flour with s&p, then a beaten egg followed by panko crumbs. I then bake at like 425 until goldenish or pan fry them (yum).

I am not a big beet eater but found this recipe for beet ravioli and was excited to give it a try. Where I go for bulk foods was out of poppy seeds - luckily beets keep so I will be trying it next week.
Obviously we have been eating lots of salad and I made a new dressing that I LOVE!!

1T Fresh Orange Juice
1T Olive Oil
1T Rice Wine Vinegar or Cider Vinegar
1t Sugar
S&P to taste

Obviously you can adjust to taste. I bet it would be good with orange zest (but I had already used the zest of my orange) or poppy seeds (dang you store for being out). I actually segmented (?) my orange and just used the juice that dripped down then added the segments to the salad to with the fennel and the last of the onions from last week.

Week 5

This is the first week we didn't take full advantage of the pick your own areas so it just looks smaller.

I was excited to see kohl rabi so I could try it. It was nice but it isn't all that versatile. The CSA recommended eating it raw in salad or with dip.

I used one of the zucchini and a few onions in this DELICIOUS pizza. Caramelized onion, zucchini, ricotta, Parmesan, garlic, olive oil, s and p on this crust. I would say so easy but I didn't flour my surface enough...hence the hole. And the plain one I made for my 3-year-old who won't eat brown (just a phase I hope). It got so flipped I thought it looked like a fish :).

I still have an onion or two and one squash...good thing they both keep.

Week 4

I have to admit, I thought I would be sick of greens. Surprisingly, I'm not. I will admit that I was using the last of the collards I picked in week 3 today and that I didn't use all of my cilantro from last week, but otherwise we are doing well in eating the share. I froze the chard for use this winter in soups.

The gailon is really good and we were glad to see it again this week. My 3-year-old is going to be really sad the first week there is no bok choy in the basket. I was glad to find the kale still readily available since kale chips are now a staple in our pantry.

I am a little nervous about the beets, I have never liked them so we will have to see...

The Root Connection also has fruit shares available which we are not doing but they also have a small fruit shelf you can buy pieces from. Today my boy really wanted a plum so I got 3. At $.30 each I thought they were a fine price.

Each week when I look at the food I realize that the only thing we would have bought at the store is the lettuce. We probably would have gotten broccoli and asparagus too but none of it would have tasted as nice and fresh.

Week 3

It felt good to pile the produce up on my counter again this week. I was glad to have another veggie I had never made before...in fact I make be spelling it wrong. It is a broccoli but instead of steaming it I chopped and sauteed it then served it with some honey butter with sesame seeds...mmm. It had a nice broccoli taste but was the consistency of "greens" with a few trees (of broccoli) for texture.

Fresh carrots really do taste better. These were delish just scrubbed and eaten raw. Are carrot tops good for anything?

I grabbed more chard but this time I cut and froze it for soups this winter. There were a few collard green plants left so my husband requested more wraps and I already made another batch of kale chips. The field herbs are coming in so I have some nice fresh parsley and basil with the promise of more later in the season.

I learned a few lessons on storing greens, though it is best to use them quickly:
store them in the crisper in bags
you can revive them by soaking them in COOOOLD water for an hour or so

This little guy hitchhiked home with us from the farm:

My husband detests slugs so everything had to be throughly washed and checked before storage. Probably a good idea anyway...

Week 2

My family and I were out of town for week 2 so we sent some friends to enjoy our share. I was told the kohlrabi was good. I have never heard of it so I hope it comes around again.

Week 1

Here is the haul:

The only things here I have ever prepared before are the kale and lettuce...well and I suppose mint and chives.  I have to admit I was a little nervous.

This was our first time to visit the farm and it was great!  The people there were super helpful and gave me great cooking tips.  Every thing to the right of the lettuce was the share for the week and the items to the left were from the pick-your-own.  Some lettuce came in the share but my son also picked some from the kids garden.

The first night I had been planning some sesame chicken for dinner so I stir-fried up the baby bok choy with garlic (per the recommendation of the CSA workers) and drizzled it with sesame oil.  Seeing a 3-year-old enjoy bok choy is priceless.  Later that night I made some Kale chips:
Preheat oven to 450.
Wash and dry kale, rip into pieces.
Toss with olive oil and lay it out on a cookie sheet.
Sprinkle with salt (I hear you can try seasoned salt, garlic salt...)
Bake for about 5 minutes or until the kale is dry.
Try not to eat the whole batch!

The next night we ate out (celebrating Father's Day early since we will be travelling), but the following night I got creative.  At the CSA they said you could use collard greens like a wrap to hold a filling so I blanched them to make them bend without cracking (15-30 seconds in boiling water).  I sauteed the turnip greens (who knew you could eat those??) and diced the left over chicken.  I put  just a little of each in the leaf and added some bean sprouts.  I wrapped it up like a burrito and tied it with kitchen string.  My husband sauteed tofu and mushrooms for his wraps.  We then steamed them for 5ish minutes to heat them through.  Hoisin sauce made a nice dip.  They were really good!  I also served a salad of lettuce, lettuce cabbage, sprouts and asian turnip with a peanut dressing.  I think asian turnips taste like a very mild radish.  All I did was peel and slice them. I will admit my body was wondering where the carbs were, but my tongue was satisfied.

Tomorrow my husband is taking a salad with lettuce, mustard greens, lettuce cabbage, sprouts, asian turnip and hard boiled egg (he declined my offer of bacon) with french dressing.

We have also used the mint and anise hyssop in iced tea and the chives in scrambled eggs.  I hear you can eat the chive flowers too so I am hanging on to those.

All we have left is some lettuce and asian turnips and the chard.  I found a few good chard recipes and think I will try this one:

Giant Crusty and Creamy White Beans with Greens
Adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson

½ pound medium or large dried white beans, cooked
3 tablespoons olive oil or clarified butter
Fine grained sea salt
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
½ baby chard, washed and roughly chopped, or 1 bunch kale, cut into wide ribbons
Fresh ground black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Freshly grated parmesan for topping

Drain the beans, then heat the oil or butter over med-high heat in the widest skillet available. Add the beans to the hot pan in a single layer. If you don’t have a big enough skillet, just do the sauté stop in two batches or save the extra beans for another use. Stir to coat the beans with the oil/butter, then let them sit long enough to brown on one side, about 3 or 4 minutes, before turning to brown the other side, also about 3 or 4 minutes. The beans should be golden and a bit crunchy on the outside and soft and creamy on the inside. Salt to taste, then add the onion and garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, until the onion softens. Stir in the greens and cook until just beginning to wilt. Remove from the heat and season to taste with a generous does of salt and pepper. Drizzle with a bit of top-quality extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan. Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

The CSA

We are not healthy eaters by nature.  It isn't that we don't like healthy food, it just isn't always convenient. Packaged or prepared foods tend to be easier.  We are not unhealthy eaters either though. When I go to the store I grab the pre-washed, pre-cut lettuce in a bag.  My go to vegetables are broccoli, baby carrots and sweet potatoes.

Last year I toyed with the idea of a CSA but I was pregnant and feeling a bit lazy.  I decided we would just buy what was in-season at the farmers' market.  I think we went once :(.  So this year I decided to go for it.  It is kind of like joining a gym; you pay a lot upfront for benefits later.  One big difference is that every time I open my fridge, fresh food is staring at me.

After a little research we chose the Root Connection in Woodinville.  The biggest draw is that I go to the farm to get my food.  This may sound like a pain, and there are many CSAs that deliver to a neighborhood location, but I wanted my 3-year-old to see where his food is coming from. The added bonus is the pick-your-own greens, flowers and herbs at the farm included in the price of your share.   The even have an area for kids to pick veggies.

The challenge in a CSA is that you get what us ready to eat that week and you get whatever amount is available divided among the participants.  This means you don't always know what you are getting ahead of time (though you can get an idea based on the growing seasons of the different foods) and you might get just a  little of something and need to be creative in how you use it or get a lot of something and share it with friends or store it (frozen, canned) for the winter.  The biggest challenge to me is cooking with ingredients I don't normally gravitate toward in the produce department.  We will see how I do...