I joined a CSA last year since I'm not confident enough with my vegetable growing yet to claim to be anywhere near self sufficient. Hmmm ... only half a squash this time and no root vegetables except for carrots.... I’m planning to post my CSA haul each season for at least a year so that I can compare it with years past. I’m trying to remember when we got all that beautiful squash and gorgeous blue fingerlings last year – maybe it was later in the season. So far only a single butternut and acorn (and yes, the one we got today was cut in half!) It looks like I’ll have to, at the very least, get more cranberry and sweet potatoes for next Thursday. Still, a nice variety….
I've included links where I could for recipes.
Tomatoes – lunchboxes and salads
Cranberries – I may try Silence Dogwood's Jalapeno-Cranberry Relish, but we’re feeding 14, so I may need at least one other bag.
Celery – lunch boxes, chopped up in soup or salad
½ a butternut squash – I like Moosewood Cookbook’s Carribbean Vegetable Stew, and may save it for that.
Cauliflower – I like to make Rozanne Gold’s “Cauliflower Nuggets’ - toss florets olive oil, sprinkle with cumin and salt, then roast in the oven. May try a few Panko crumbs this time to give them a little crunch.
Russett potatoes – If I can find some celery root, I’d like to try this Mike Colameco recipe from my 11/10 post.
Yellow onions – we always have way more than we can use, but they are usually cut up for soup, stew or chili. When I’m feeling industrious I make Onion Soup.
Kale- this is one of the most gorgeous greens that I’ve gotten from the co-op this year. I like it with a pat of butter and olive oil, a little crushed garlic and a squeeze of lemon to finish. Layered in a casserole with rice and cheese? Any ideas for a Thanksgiving side that kids will eat?
IPM Empire apples – beautiful! Wish we had more! These 6 will only last a day or two.
Carrots – in a reduced orange juice glaze, cut up in lunch boxes, grated into cole slaw.
Green leaf lettuce – salad of course
Organic arugula – I’m the only one in my family who likes this but as much as I like it raw, I can’t eat too much of it. This may end up in an Italian Wedding Soup.
Valencia oranges – despite their week appearance and color, their flavor is usually excellent and we eat them sliced for breakfast
Peruvian bananas – these never seem to get the bright yellow color of grocery store bananas, but are otherwise very similar and are cut up for cereal, put in lunch boxes or used for Neiman Marcus banana bread.
Eager for more recipes and suggestions!
6 comments:
Is this the haul from your CSA, including bananas? Our CSA distributes only what they grow, and some weeks it's pretty slim pickins'
I bet you will have more to add in the coming years with your ambition and desire to do so. I finally have enough land to enjoy some vegetables too. They taste so good. I especially like the carrots.
Looks great! I would be disappointed with half a squash too, although I never know what to do with them. I share your love for arugula, but all on its own it is a bit much. I like it sprinkled in with a milder salad green, like butter lettuce. I'll have to check out Italian wedding soup, though, that sounds fun!
Yum, these look great! I myself love arugula, and could eat a big bowl of it with just crumbled feta and walnuts (and diced beets or mandarin oranges or grapefruit segments, if available), and some really good olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and salt! Drool... I confess, I love kale raw in salads as well (I also enjoy adding a little bit of hot mustard greens to liven things up), and the kids might also enjoy kale better raw than cooked. Try a little in a regular salad and see how it goes!
Tut, I'm afraid I made a mistake. This is not a CSA, it is a co-op, so it's not affiliated with one particular farm. The director has gotten some criticism for not always buying local, but she always chooses organic and fair trade and I like getting fruit like pineapple, kiwi, and oranges. We always get these bananas and they're great.
Anna, I'm hoping that I will eventually be able to leave the co-op and rely on my own growing. Not just yet, though!
Karen, you can use just about any dark green in Italian wedding soup. Love the idea of butter lettuce - sounds like a great combo.
Ben, I don't know what's going on, but I have a hard time digesting some raw greens and arugula is one of them. We'll try both with lettuce like you and karen are suggesting - sounds like something both the kids and I could tolerate.
I was thinking that's a pretty crazy variety for a Nyack CSA! Co-op makes more sense. Nice bunch of stuff. Even half a butternut is plenty of squash.
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