Category Archives: CSA

CSA Week 20

Week 20
My half

This was the last week of this year’s CSA, so rather than trying to use everything up I am trying to spread out what’s left! Some of those zeroes from last week are on purpose, though I did finally start to eat some of the potatoes I’ve collected over the season…I heart potatoes, but apparently I don’t cook them very often. This week I discovered a quick and easy way to make them: a couple minutes in the microwave then finish it with a few minutes on “bake” in the toaster oven, and top with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Yum. Here’s how I did last week:

  • Tomatoes: 100%
  • Mesclun mix: 75%
  • Apples: 50%
  • Watermelon: 25%
  • Carrots: 25%
  • Potatoes: 0%
  • Sweet potatoes: 0% (mashed sweet potatoes coming soon)
  • Kohlrabi: 0%
  • Turnip: 0%
  • Beet: 0%
  • Kale: 0% (but I found a new kale recipe I want to try)
  • Brassica greens: 0%
  • Lettuce: 0%
Here’s what I’ll be eating for as long as this stuff lasts! The cute little pumpkin is going to make a great Halloween decoration.

CSA Week 19

It’s the second to last week…I am sad that another season is almost over. Red Fire Farm does offer a winter share, which consists of two pick-ups in November and two in December. We opt not to do this because the pick-ups can be tricky (Friday evening) and it’s usually a LOT of potatoes.  I guess I will really have to start going to the grocery store again. Most of the summer I’ve been able to get away with a quick stop after work to pick up a few things.


It was a little strange to be eating peaches in October, and to be honest, they didn’t taste quite as good as those late summer ones…but that may be a psychological thing. Seems like there’s a lot I didn’t quite get to this week:
  • Chard: 100%
  • Corn: 100%
  • Tomatoes: 100%
  • Apples: 100% (made apple cinnamon oat muffins, recipe coming soon)
  • Lettuce: 75%
  • Mesclun mix: 75%
  • Peaches: 50%
  • Yellow onions: 0%
  • Garlic: 0%
  • Bok choy: 0%
  • Sweet peppers: 0%
  • Hot peppers: 0%
  • Braising greens: 0%
How are we still getting watermelon in October? I’m crossing my fingers for a yellow one! I’m also excited for sweet potatoes.
Week 19
My half

CSA Week 18

Week 18

My success this week was partly due to consumption and partly due to donation. Either way, I’m still taking credit!

  • Lettuce: 100% (donated)
  • Kale: 100% (donated)
  • Tomatillos: 100% (made chicken tomatillo stew)
  • Cilantro: 100% (used in stew mentioned above)
  • Green: 100%
  • Peppers: 100% (one was donated)
  • Tomatoes: 100%
  • Apples: 75%
  • Radishes: 50%
  • Onion: 50%
  • Carrots: 25%
  • Potatoes: 0%
  • Cabbage: 0%
Wow I didn’t think I’d see any more corn or peaches this season…it’s like summer again!
My half

I *might* have had a mini red velvet cupcake and an ear of corn as an evening snack tonight. #dontjudge. Without looking at the photo above, can you guess all of the green veggies in this photo? 

If you guessed lettuce, Swiss chard, bok choy, corn, mesclun, green peppers, and tomatoes – you were right! Only two apples this week, but they are huge. This may be the week I bake something apple-y.

CSA Week 17

This week I tackled the huge butternut squash, which felt like an accomplishment in itself. I got 4 cups of diced squash from about one-third of the squash. The rest I cut into larger cubes and froze. My other freezer trick this week involved peppers. When I have a plethora of peppers, I will freeze them raw in strips or halves. Frozen peppers don’t work in salads, but the strips work great for cooking and I used a few frozen halves the last time I made stuffed peppers. Here’s how I did with the rest of the goods:

Chard, squash, ricotta pie

  • Butternut squash: 100% (added about 1.5 cups cooked and diced squash to chard and ricotta pie)
  • Broccoli: 100%
  • Tomatoes: 100%
  • Salad mix: 100%
  • Sweet peppers: 100%
  • Bell peppers: 50%
  • Watermelon: 50% (made juice)
  • Apples: 25%
  • Frisee: 25%
  • Red onions: 0%
  • Eggplant: 0%
  • Hot peppers: 0%
  • Lettuce: 0%

Week 17, another big week. Tomatillos and cilantro seem like a perfect pairing for something yummy. I can’t remember anything I’ve ever made with tomatillos…hopefully I can find a recipe to try out.

Week 17
I was brave and didn’t swap anything out. I picked a green cabbage because I remember making a very delicious cabbage soup last year. I might need to put my weekend visitors to work as my sous chefs!
My half

CSA Week 16

In lieu of vegetables this week, I decided to partake in the “belly bomb burger” at the PCI Bar and Grill in St. Pete Beach. This beauty was a 7 ounce burger with pulled pork, double cut bacon, cheese, sautéed mushrooms & crispy onion straws. YOLO, right? Plus, today is National Cheeseburger Day!

Belly bomb burger

And of course, no trip to the beach would be complete without fruity cocktails…it was five o’clock somewhere.

Rum runners x 3

Here’s what I did manage to get through this week:

  • Tomatoes (slicing and heirloom): 90% (just one left)
  • Apples: 83%
  • Lettuce: 50%
  • Oblong sweet peppers: 50%
  • Watermelon: 25%
  • Delicata squash: 0%
  • Bell peppers: 0%
  • Swiss chard: 0%
  • Sage: 0%
  • Greens: 0%
It’s hard to believe we only have four weeks left in the season. Sad face. But butternut squash = happy face! And the apples might need to find their way into a baked good sometime soon.

Week 16
My half



CSA Week 15

I’m a little behind this week, both with posting (since I have to pick up vegetables again in two days) and with consumption. 

  • Sweet peppers: 100% (made tempeh stuffed peppers)
  • Heirloom tomatoes: 100%
  • Slicing tomatoes: 100%
  • Corn: 100%
  • Peaches: 100%
  • Melon: 100%
  • Lettuce: 75%
  • Edamame: 75% (boiled up two weeks’ worth, adding to salads)
  • Onions: 0%
  • Braising greens: 0%
  • Carrots: 0%
  • Kale: 0% (I could not revive it from its wiltiness, but it will make some compost bin very happy)
  • Hot peppers: 0%
We got another big share this week, including our first apples of the season, along with a watermelon – a perfect bridge between summer and fall!

Week 15
My half

I may have been overly excited about the tomatoes in the swap box this week. I traded my bok choy and “braising greens” for a whole lotta ‘maters. 

Tomatoes!


CSA Week 14

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday weekend. I did a lot of cooking, went to a cookout, and caught a Red Sox game. It was a fun and relaxing way to start my birthday month!

  • Summer squash: 100% (made a pasta salad with shrimp, recipe coming soon )
  • Sweet peppers: 100% (made sausage and peppers)
  • Broccoli: 100% (made a broccoli, pepper, garlic pizza with ricotta and pesto)
  • Tomatoes: 100% (made tomato panzanella with ricotta)
  • Peaches: 100%
  • Lettuce: 50%
  • Onions: 50%
  • Dill: 10%
  • Eggplant: 0%
  • Hot peppers: 0%
  • Collard greens: 0%
  • Edamame: 0%
  • Melon: 0% (I cut the cute little melon up tonight – it looks like a cantaloupe and tastes as if a honeydew and a cantaloupe had a kid)
This week was a HUGE share. I’m so glad that I remembered to bring two bags – I definitely got in my arm workout for the week.
Week 14
It was a beautiful day today, so I thought I’d capture the pick-up scene. Our CSA coordinator is super organized!
Onions first…
This photo is missing one beautiful heirloom tomato that I used to make a quick BLT for dinner, and a half a watermelon that I forgot to put in the photo. I hope it doesn’t feel neglected. I wasn’t able to put everything away before I left for class this evening, and unfortunately I came home to some wilty lettuce and kale. It’s amazing how fast my vegetable drawer just filled up again. Stuffed peppers may need to be in my near future.

My half


CSA Week 13

Funny, I thought I ate more vegetables than I actually did this week. I did manage to get through two weeks of lettuce, and make a decent dent in this week’s lettuce. It’s hard to catch up when you get behind in lettuce maintenance. On the other hand, it’s not too hard for me to keep up with the corn and tomatoes!

  • Musk melon: 100%
  • Tomatoes: 100%
  • Corn: 100%
  • Lettuce: 67%
  • Peaches: 67%
  • Potatoes: 0%
  • Eggplant: 0%
  • Leeks: 0%
  • Jalapeno pepper: 0%
  • Sweet peppers: 0%
It’s hard to believe, but I was actually hoping to get a summer squash this week, and I got my wish! I found a recipe that I want to try that calls for a medium summer squash. Now I will just have to buy baby spinach.

Week 13
Lots of peppers and ugly tomatoes (ugly-looking tomatoes might be the best tasting)…I might need to make sausage and peppers! 

My half

CSA Week 11

It’s been a busy week, resulting in a late post and a whole lot of zeros at the bottom of that list.

  • Corn: 100%
  • Basil: 100% (made more pesto!)
  • Tomatoes: 100%
  • Peaches: 100%
  • Watermelon: 100%
  • Lettuce: 50%
  • Pepper: 50%
  • Red cabbage: 0%
  • Beets: 0%
  • Kale: 0%
  • Beans: 0%
  • Beet greens: 0%
  • Eggplant: 0% (and unfortunately it started to get brown so it went into the compost bag)
I’m not sure Mother Nature got the memo that these are supposed to be the dog days of summer. I love the cooler weather and low humidity, so I’m certainly not complaining…however comma, I’m not sure the crops feel the same way.

Week 11

There’s something about the color yellow that always makes me happy, and I couldn’t help but smile when I cut into that yellow watermelon. In other yellow vegetable news, I will be super sad if we don’t get any more corn. I now have two weeks of Tuscan kale…I really need to make kale salad, since the original recipe calls for raw Tuscan kale (rather than the regular kale I usually use).

My half