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.