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 :)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
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 :(
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 :(
Thursday, August 18, 2011
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
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 :)
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 :)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
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 :)
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 :)
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