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!!