I might be a recipe hoarder. Lucky for you.
I was recently on vacation so I donated my fruits and veggies to a friend for the past two weeks. Is it nerdy of me to say that I missed my CSA? My refrigerator is pretty barren since I haven’t had time to go to the grocery store, so I have been anxiously awaiting our pick-up today.
Here’s what we got this week:
I am excited for the first corn, tomatoes, and blueberries! Here’s what my half of the share looks like:
This week my veggies took a field trip to NY, where they joined forces with the veggies from my parent’s CSA (The Farm at St. Peter’s). I also realized that I *like* summer squash when it’s grilled or camouflaged with scrambled eggs. The only thing that came back to Boston with me was one head of lettuce that we didn’t use.
When I went to pick up the share on the 4th, it was definitely a “holy moly” week, as in “holy moly that’s a lot of veggies!”
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| Holy moly veggies |
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| Half |
I knew that I wouldn’t be able to use all of this so my CSA partner actually took all of the kale, as well as my head of cabbage and my share of the zucchini and summer squash. I must admit, I wasn’t too sad to see the zucchini and summer squash go to a more loving home.
All of the week 2 leftovers are gone…broccoli and beets. I microwaved the broccoli with a bit of shredded cheddar, and I roasted the beets to use on salads.
For week 3, I have lots of herbs, green onions, and garlic scapes left.
Here’s what I’ll be cooking and eating this week:
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| Week 4 |
I’m very excited about the swiss chard, as well as our first cucumbers. This will probably be the last week of strawberries, but fingers crossed that blueberries come next!
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| Strawberries not pictured |
I’m a little behind the eight ball this week, but how did I do with week 2 (and some leftovers from week 1)?
All of the week 1 leftovers are gone…lettuce, turnip, cilantro, and kohlrabi. I used the turnip and some of the cilantro in corn and black bean salad and made kohlrabi slaw. I froze the rest of the chopped cilantro in 1/4 cup portions for use at a later time.
Since I was practically melting just being outside on Wednesday (pick-up day), I forgot to take a photo of the sign. This is what we got this week:
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| Strawberries not pictured |
I gave my CSA partner the kale to help her face her fears of this leafy green…she is going to try my kale salad recipe. If that doesn’t work, I might have to do a kale-tervention with her…or, more kale for me?
I needed to find something tasty to do with the purple kohlrabi I got in week 1 of my CSA share. If you don’t know what kohlrabi is, check it out on good ol’ wikipedia. They can be purple or green on the outside, but are white on the inside. I think they taste a bit like radish or cabbage, but with the texture of a turnip.
A few years ago a coworker gave me a recipe for coleslaw with poppy seed dressing, and I decided to adapt it for my kohlrabi. It’s really good with cabbage too!
Kohlrabi slaw
Source: Coworker
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
1/2 Tablespoon canola oil
1 carrot, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 kohlrabi, peeled and shredded
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Heat 1/2 Tablespoon of oil on medium high. Add carrot and onion and saute until starting to soften.
2. Add kohlrabi, cider vinegar, sugar, poppy seeds, and salt. Saute for another minute or so. Can be served warm or cold.
3. Enjoy!
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| Delish! |
Before I get to week 2, let’s see how I did with week 1!
And here’s what I’ll be eating this week…more greens!
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| Week 2 |
I’m also looking forward to trying (again) to make beet chips. I tried this last year and they were definitely a fail. Does anyone have any secret ninja tips for beet chips?
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| My half |
My CSA partner was kind enough to give me all of the kale this week so I decided to make this kale salad. I found this recipe in Runner’s World magazine circa 2009, courtesy of Chef Dan Barber. And yes, I’ve been to Dan Barber’s restaurant in NYC (Blue Hill), and yes, it is amazing.
The original recipe calls for raw Tuscan kale, but since I usually get “regular” kale, I use that instead and saute it a bit. It also calls for dried currants, but I usually substitute dried cranberries (this week I used dried blueberries). I also often use pecans instead of pine nuts.
I discovered kale chips last year, so that has probably become my favorite thing to do with kale. That makes this recipe my second favorite kale recipe…so I hope you enjoy it!
Kale salad
Source: adapted from Runner’s World, December 2009
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons dried cranberries (or currants)
6 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, divided
1/2 Tablespoon rice vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 bunch kale, center ribs and stems removed, leaves chopped
2 Tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted (or other nut)
Parmesan cheese shavings
Directions
1. Place the cranberries (or currants) in a small bowl; add five Tablespoons of the balsamic vinegar. Let them soak for at least one hour or up to overnight. Drain the cranberries (or currants). (I don’t usually do this if I’m using cranberries).
2. Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in pan and lightly saute kale until wilted. (This step not needed if using raw Tuscan kale).
3. Whisk the remaining 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and rice vinegar, honey, and salt in a large bowl.
4. Add the kale, cranberries, and pine nuts; toss to coat. Let marinate for 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese shavings over salad.
5. Enjoy!
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| Sauteed kale |
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| The finished salad |
I’ve been doing a CSA (community-supported agriculture) share for several years now. This summer I plan to chronicle my CSA with you.
The goods come from Red Fire Farm, located in Granby, MA. I am doing a 20-week vegetable share and a fruit share, and splitting it with a friend.
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| June 6, 2012 |
It looks like there will be a lot of salads in my future this week…let the veggie maintenance begin!
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| My half |
Kara Cooks and Eats 