CSA Week #21

Week 21! We’re nearing the end!

Here’s our list:

1 head either savoy green cabbage or red cabbage (smaller heads)
1 bunch kale
1 to 2 rutabagas with tops, depending on size (some are rather large)
3# bag red norland potatoes
Approx 1# onion
1 head cauliflower
1 8 oz piece goat gouda
1 lb Spelt Flour and Rosemary Linguini

And here’s what we got:

Red cabbage: You guys. This is not a small head of cabbage. It’s bloody massive. ALSO, OMG SO MUCH CABBAGE.

Kale: I never decide what to do with kale until the last minute, right before it’s going to go bad, and I just whack it in something. Poor, neglected kale. I really do like it, honest!

Rutabaga: We got one, a good size. Here’s where I admit I have never had a rutabaga before, so I am not entirely sure what I’ll do with it. As a matter of fact, I’ll share my only experience with rutabaga: As some of you know, I co-founded a school for children with autism and other developmental delays back in Chicago. One of my very first students and I were working on identifying emotions, and I made up a silly game in which we picked a nonsense word, and then I asked him to say it in a particular kind of way (“scared” or “sad” or whatever), or I’d say the word in a specific way and he had to guess which emotion it was. And our very favorite word to say ended up being “rutabaga” – particularly sad rutabaga. Try it yourself! :) (Also, “sad rutabaga” will be the name of my next band.)

Potatoes: So happy with the quality of the potatoes we’ve received this year. All very nice. Think I’ll probably be a little bit boring and make a chicken and chorizo bake with these, to use up some of that chroizo I keep talking about. :)

Onion: Also really happy with the onions we’ve received, except for the fact that they are REALLY strong and I end up needing to wash my hands fifty times to wipe my streaming eyes and blow my nose. :)

Cauliflower: This cauliflower is easily as big as my head. We will be eating cauliflower for days.

Goat gouda: D loves goat cheese, and loves gouda, so this was made for him. I can be iffy on goat cheese sometimes, but am definitely looking forward to trying it!

Spelt/rosemary linguini: This was specially made for the CSA from Ohio City Pasta – the place that supplies all the pasta for our CSA. They have a stall at the market that I stop by every week – it’s all so so so so so good. Our email this week recommended serving this with some roasted cauliflower with a little butter or olive oil, and I have to say that I am loving the sound of that!

CSA Week #20

Oh no! I thought I published this post last week, but I guess it just sat as a draft – because apparently, this is my first time on the internet.

So. Week 20.

Here’s our list:

1 head napa cabbage
1 8 oz chunk pepper havarti
1 bunch mustard greens
1 lb black beans
1 half lb mixed greens
1 head broccoli
1 acorn squash
1 half gallon apple cider
1 quarter peck Empire Red apples

Napa cabbage: Not too sure where this will end up, but I do like napa cabbage!

Pepper havarti: I haven’t tried this one, yet. We love cheese so much, and I always overestimate how much we’ll eat, now that we live far away from all our friends and family, and I’m not putting it out all the time. We’ve got quite a bit to go through in the ol’ cheese drawer – as a matter of fact, I should really just make a cheese and apple plate for our afternoon snack, so that we start using some of it up!

Mustard greens: D was not feeling salmon the other night, and I was going to make the mustard greens from last week with the salmon, so because I only had one idea for them, I didn’t do anything with them. Now I’ve got two bunches! As soon as I finish updating here, I’m taking myself to google to get some more ideas.

Black beans: I never used the black beans we got earlier in the season, but that’s okay, because they’ll survive just fine in the pantry for a while. :) D mentioned nachos with black beans the other day, which I was pleasantly surprised by, because I thought he hated black beans. So maybe we’ll do that – maybe even the same day I make some empanadas to use up the five basquillion pounds of chorizo I’ve got in the freezer!

Mixed greens: Salad. Zzzzzzz.

Broccoli: I chopped it and froze it because I was nervous I wouldn’t eat it in time. Same with the cauliflower from last week.

Acorn squash: Thinking of roasting and stuffing this for lunch one day this week.

Apple cider: I LOVE APPLE CIDER SO MUCH. I’ve just been taking a mug at a time and warming it up, adding a cinnamon stick, and enjoying it heartily. But then Indian Summer hit and it was 75 degrees out, so I took a break. Today is 48 and rainy, though, and the fire is on, so perhaps I’ll go make another mug in a minute.

Apples: I haven’t done anything with these, yet. First step is to look up Empire Reds and see what they’re good for. :)

CSA Week #19

Sort of a random bag this week, but I love it!

Here’s our emailed list of contents:

1 dozen eggs
3# sweet potatoes
1 head cauliflower (some will be cheddar, purple, or green varieties)
1 head leaf lettuce
1 head baby bok choy
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 lb chorizo sausage links
2# cornmeal
2 ct red peppers

And here’s the rundown:

Eggs: The eggs we get from the CSA are REALLY nice. Lots of the little boutiquey markety places sell them – thinking particularly of the Flying Fig’s market, but they also sell them at the local Whole Foods. My one complaint is that they’re mixed size – which is fine, most of the time, but when I’m baking, it’s nice to have all of the eggs the same size.

Sweet potatoes: Once again, we’ve got an item D doesn’t really like. I think I might make some sweet potato biscuits and then have them with honey butter, because *I* love them. But that wouldn’t use up all of the potatoes, so I’m still coming up with ideas.

Cauliflower: We got an adorable green one. It’s so cute I kind of don’t want to eat it. But I will. I promised D we’d make toad in the hole this week, so we’ll probably use the cauliflower as a side, along with some roast potatoes.

Lettuce: Getting a bit sick of salads, which I feel is a horrible thing to say, but there you have it. Still, they are good for you, so we’ll keep on keepin’ on.

Bok choy: I was thinking of making a yakisoba kind of thing with the tiny pork tenderloin from a while ago, so I might add the bok choy to that.

Grape tomatoes: So, I hadn’t used my last batch of grape tomatoes, and on the night I made CSA pasta, I figured I’d just throw them in with the other tomatoes. But because I’m kind of lazy and was a bit pressed for time, I didn’t chop any of them in half, just trusting them to break down in the sauce. Well, yeah – that would have worked if I would have started the sauce earlier, or been less hungry and impatient. All the tomatoes I’d chopped into big bits had broken down nicely, but the grape tomatoes were all still whole, so I thought, “I’ll just pop them with my spoon.” That could have been the dumbest idea I’ve ever had, as the first one I popped exploded all over my face and shirt. Derp. Lesson learned – don’t be lazy! :)

Chorizo: I still have some bulk chorizo from earlier in the year in the freezer, along with some other links, I think. And some cured chorizo, as well. We, uh, like chorizo. I think I might use some of the bulk for empanadas or something, but I’m not convinced.

Cornmeal: OMG, here’s ANOTHER thing D doesn’t like – well, he doesn’t like cornbread, which is the first thing I think of when I think cornmeal. Again, I think I’m just going to go ahead and make some anyway, and he can try them or not, as he prefers.

Red peppers: I’m so boring with red peppers, even though I love them. I just used one for homemade pizzas last night, and the other I diced up and froze.

This weekend’s bag will have apple cider! I’m so excited!

CSA Week #18

Week 18! Winding down. Our CSA offers a winter program, but we’re pretty sure we’ll be moving at some point over the winter, so I’m not going to sign us up (you have to sign up for the whole season). I’m crushed over it.

Here’s our email for the week:
1 lb city chicken (cubed Berkshire pork)
1 head broccoli
1 bunch turnips
1 spaghetti squash
A handful Croation peppers
1 bunch beets
1 bunch mustard greens
1 head cabbage
1 bunch kale

And here’s what we got:

Pork tenderloin: It was a choice of a tenderloin or chops, and I still have a package of chops in the freezer, so tenderloin, it was! It’s only a small one, though it looks lovely. I think I’ll end up either doing a cumin spice rub on it with a lemon risotto, or doing a sort of honey-dijon-herbs marinade and a tomato confit with it. Decisions, decisions.

Broccoli: I don’t think D likes broccoli as much as I do. I love it, love it, love it. I bet if I put a cheese sauce on it, he’ll eat it. :)

Turnips: Okay, confession time – I am pretty sure I’ve never eaten a turnip. SO EXCITING. NO idea yet what I’ll do with them.

Spaghetti squash: I’m pretty sure we actually got a butternut squash, rather than a spaghetti squash. So, I’ll use the butternut from last week (?) and make that soup I said I was going to make? Hm.

Peppers: Two medium-size, lovely yellowy/orangey peppers. I think I said this last week, but I’ve just started putting peppers (any but the green!) in everything. YUM.

Beets: I KEEP TRYING. Every time we get them, I think this is going to be the week I finally like them! Uh, not so much.

Mustard Greens/Cabbage/Kale: I don’t believe a person can eat this much cabbage. We just keep making colcannon with it because I am sick of it, and also it’s been cold and rainy, and the kind of weather that makes you want to have some mash and gravy. Mustard greens? Not a clue. Kale? pasta? soup? Can’t decide.

We made a wicked shepherd’s pie last night, so that’ll be tea again, tonight. And probably lunch tomorrow, as well. :)

I’ve been playing around with various cake recipes today, trying to concoct one for cupcakes tomorrow. Coming down on the side of caramelized apple cupcakes with brown sugar cream cheese frosting.

CSA Week #17

Yeah, caught up!

Here’s our list for this morning:

1 piece Mayfield Road Creamery “Bloomfield,” a brie style cheese
1 lb raw honey
1 bunch swiss chard
1 bunch carrots with tops
1 bunch radishes
1 bag mixed greens, can be used for braising or salad greens
1 head speckled romaine lettuce
1/2 dz ears sweet corn
1 quarter peck gala apples
1 butternut squash (2 if they are small)

And here’s the rundown:

Cheese: I have nothing but praise for Mayfield Road Creamery. Haven’t opened this yet, but everything else we’ve gotten from them has been amazing, so I have high hopes for this one, too.

Honey: Every week, I’m tempted add a jar of honey to my bag, and I never do, and then I get home and I’m bummed out I didn’t do it. Finally, the decision was taken out of my hands! :)

Swiss chard: As we’re down into the 60s all of a sudden, I’m thinking a white bean and chard soup … throw a bit of sausage in there, some other bits and pieces, get a nice crusty bread to go along with it … fab!

Carrots: I should really get up and go downstairs and take a photo of our carrots. One of them is as big around as my wrist (I do have scrawny wrists, but still!).

Radishes: HUGE bunch of them. Will use a few (along with a carrot and mixed greens and lettuce) for a Big Salad, may also make my favorite smashed chickpea and radish dip.

Mixed greens/Romaine: All prepped for Big Salad!

Sweet corn: Going to split these with our friends, because we never seem to eat them all in time – there’s always a straggler or two.

Galas: Going to try making applesauce for the first time tomorrow! The Concord grape jam turned out so well that 1) it’s almost gone, and 2) now I’m convinced I can make and preserve anything.

Butternut squash: Not sure what I’m going to do with this, because as I’ve said, D not a squash fan. May make a soup and have it for lunch for me!

Popped round to the North Union Farmers’ Market this morning, and picked up some tomatoes for CSA Pasta, some garlic from the garlic man, and some lovely looking onions, some of which I’m going to reserve for a shepherd’s pie later this week.

On deck tonight? Herb-crusted pork tenderloin with a tomato confit and … I don’t know what else. Probably some potatoes of some sort, as I have five billion of them. :)

CSA Week #16

Ooh, week 16. You were a good one!

1 whole pasture raised chicken
3 lbs yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch kale or 1 pint mixed color baby sweet peppers
2 ct eggplant (1 if they are really large)
2 ct red bell peppers
1 head green leaf lettuce
1-2 onions, depending on size

Chicken: I swapped out the chicken in the freezer I got a few weeks ago for this one, and roasted it with just a coating of salt, and a lemon and some onion in the cavity. I always see all these fancy brines and rubs and things that sound so lovely, but I’m just addicted to the light coat of salt, so I never really bother to try anything else. Maybe someday I will get sick of it and branch out. :)

Yukon Golds: Poor ol’ potatoes. We do eat a lot of them, but I never really make them the star of anything, and I sort of feel bad about that. Breakfast potatoes, mash, roasted, baked, twice-baked, whatever. We will eat potatoes any way they’re prepared.

Sweet peppers: Again, I just put these in lots of stuff, but never really showecase them. We have quite a few of these left over from week 16.

Eggplant: We got two, and I know I keep saying it, but this time FOR SURE I WILL MAKE A SMOKED EGGPLANT DIP THING. I PROMISE. REALLY.

Red peppers: I love a red pepper. Green peppers? THE DEVIL. BARF. Red peppers? LOVE. I took one and sliced it up for homemade pizza night.

Red leaf lettuce: I didn’t use this last week, but just prepped it all for salads for this week.

Onions: These onions are really freaking strong. It’s mental. While I’m cutting them up, tears are flowing like someone kicked a puppy in front of me. No pain, no gain, though, right? It makes me feel like I really earned my meal. :)

CSA Week #15

Well, that was a mental last couple of weeks. Let’s review what I didn’t have time to discuss:

Here’s the list from week 15:
1 bunch golden beets
Approx 2.5 lbs San Marzano Roma Tomatoes
Either heirloom tomatoes or 1 pint grape tomatoes
1 pint yummy pepper mix (all sweet peppers)
1 lb Berkshire bacon
1/2 lb mixed baby greens (chard, kale, arugula, mizuna, and more)
1 head cabbage
1 quarter peck Gala apples

And here’s what I got:

Beets: I really wish I liked beets more. I’ve sort of given up and now leave these to D to figure out. He keeps saying he wants to pickle some, but then forgets about them. As I don’t like pickled ANYTHING, I am mostly okay that he forgets. :)

Romas: ROMAS. YESSSSSSS. Obviously, I made CSA pasta with these, and it was bloody fantastic. – added in a sweet red pepper from a past CSA bag, and then the usual onion, basil, garlic, etc.

Grape tomatoes: My MIL used these in a Spanish tortilla she made with some peppers and onions and the like.

Pepper mix: I didn’t do anything special with these, but just used them throughout the week in various bits and pieces.

Bacon: Waiting in the freezer for the right occasion.

Mixed greens: Big Salad, yo.

Cabbage: God, cabbage is the new zucchini. I have so bloody much of it. We used a head to make colcannon, which we had with bangers and gravy.

Galas: I saved these, and I’m glad I did, because I got some more this week and I smell applesauce!

Sort of a quiet week, but tasty, nonetheless. :)

CSA Week #14

Week 14! I can’t believe it’s September, already.

Here’s the list:
1 large watermelon
1 head green leaf lettuce
Approx 2 eggplant
1 bunch carrots with tops
1 pint grape tomatoes or Approx 1.5 lbs heirloom tomatoes
1 quart concord grapes and/or personal size cantaloupes
Approx 1 lb red slicing tomatoes
1-2 onions depending on size
1 bulb garlic
1 lb beans
1 lb roasted red pepper linguini

Here’s what we got:
Watermelon: We brought my MIL to the CSA pickup, and she was entranced by the whole deal. She made me pick the biggest watermelon I could find, because she likes them.

Lettuce: We got two heads, which I immediately washed and prepped for salads.

Eggplant: We got three, but one was kinda gross, so it went straight into the disposal. Not sure what I’ll do with these yet, as D really doesn’t like them. I’m thinking maybe a spread?

Carrots: Yay! I never really do anything special with carrots, but I do love them to bits and put them in just about everything.

Tomatoes: We got both a pint of grapes and 2 massive heirlooms. Sadly, the heirlooms were bashed pretty hard in transit, which I didn’t notice (I’d left them in their paper bag on the counter) til I smelled them leaking all over the counter. :( Grape tomatoes will end up in something tasty!

Concord grapes: I now have two quarts of these and boy, are they good! I kind of want to make jam with them.

Cantaloupes: Got two tiny baby ones.

Slicing Tomatoes: Not in the bag.

Onions: I love onions like I do carrots, and put them in everything.

Garlic: Into the basket with you!

Beans: Not in the bag.

Roasted red pepper linguini: Right to the freezer, and I can’t wait to make it! SO GOOD.

Bonus: We got two lovely little heads of broccoli, which I am trying to save to use for dinner, instead of just eating as a snack when I’m bored. :)

CSA Week #13

Here’s our list for lucky week #13!

1 bunch cylindra beets (longer than traditional red beets)
1 quart whole milk yogurt
1 spaghetti squash
1 acorn squash
1 cantaloupe or 1 pint blackberries
1 bag mixed peppers or zucchini/squash (or possible substitute…squash shut off this week)
1 lb red fortune plums (Friday and Saturday customers got these last week)
2 lb roma tomatoes (make your own sauce)
1 kohlrabi
1 bunch collards
6 ears sweet corn

And the run-down!

Beets: Let’s see what D decides to do with them this week. His mum is visiting us for a month (!), and I’m not sure she’s the biggest beet fan, so I have a feeling we will just roast and do a nice salad with some goat cheese and walnuts.

Yogurt: SMOOTHIES, DUH.

Spaghetti squash: Okay, I always get a little nervous around fall when I do a CSA, because D really doesn’t like squash. I have never cooked a spaghetti squash, so am just sort of looking at recipes trying to decide which one I can convince him to eat. Add his picky-eater mum into the mix, and I fear all the squashes yet to come.

Acorn squash: See above. I’m thinking I can at least stuff these, though, and they’ll try them. We got two of these, so maybe a lunch?

Cantaloupe or blackberries: We got grapes. :)

Peppers or zucchini: We got some more pattypans! So cute, but again – no idea what to do with them.

Plums: I was hoping for plums, but since we got them last week, we didn’t get any this week. I forgot how good that sticky plum cake is.

Romas: CSA PASTA, DUH.

Kohlrabi: Didn’t get one of these, but I’m okay with it, really.

Collards: Didn’t get any of these, either. I feel like we’ve been promised collards a few times but they haven’t wound up in the bag. :/

Corn: I still never do anything exciting with the corn, but I don’t feel bad because it’s tasty just as it is. Well, wait – I mean, cooked, of course. :)

On deck to make for today is a spiced apple coffee cake. I have my camera out so that I actually remember to take photos to post when I put up the recipe.

CSA Week #12

I thought week 12 was really random. I liked it, don’t get me wrong! But a bit random.

Here we go!:

1 bag of oats, 1.5 lbs
1 bunch red russian kale
Either 1 bag (approx 1 lb) mixed sweet and hot baby peppers or 2 ct zucchini/squash
1 lb beans
1 bunch French Breakfast radishes
1 pint blackberries or 1 cantaloupe
1-2 Candy onions, depending on size
2 green peppers
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 package (1.25 lbs) green onion bratwursts, made from Berkshire pork

I didn’t get any breakfast radishes, which we were really sad about it, because we LOOOOOOOVE them. I planted some last year and they were so hot that we could only use a teeny tiny amount in anything, when really, what I WANTED to do was spread a bit of butter and a bit of salt on them, and eat away. I also didn’t get any peppers or zucchini/squash, which I’m okay with, as I still have quite a bit of peppers left over from the previous weeks, and we are a bit squashed out at the moment.

Oats!! Are you kidding me?! I AM SO EXCITED. Now I have an excuse to make homemade versions of those Little Debbie oatmeal cream pies! YES. D does not like oats (for real, I am making him sound like the pickiest eater), so perhaps I will make him a batch of chocolate chip walnut cookies.

Kale – I feel so bad never getting excited about kale. I don’t want to hurt its feelings, but it does nothing for me. Might whack some in smoothies, and rest in salads.

Beans – YOU GUYS. I HAVE ALL THE BEANS. I took some beans I’d frozen from a previous week out of the freezer and thought I would saute them with potatoes and bacon, like I have done a billion times before. But I wasn’t paying attention or something and I jacked them in. If it truly is the thought that counts, then I’m okay. However, if you’re only as good as your last meal, then I’m screwed. :)

Cantaloupe – was really hoping for blueberries instead, but the truck was full of cantaloupe. I’m sharing it with Saffron, again. She is super happy about it, at least.

Candy Onions – These things are tasty and adorable. We usually just buy giant yellow onions, so the smaller candy onions look so cute to me – like babies or something. Don’t even get me started on cipollinis!

Green peppers – Hey, wait a minute. We also didn’t get these! Not that I’m complaining, because green peppers are my least favorite of all the peppers, but still – that’s three things missing from the bag this week!

Cherry tomatoes – We actually got giant, regular tomatoes, which I used to make a lovely CSA pasta with some basil, parsley, onion, and garlic. I was going to toast some breadcrumbs to go with the sauce, but I forgot about them until I was halfway through my bowl of pasta.

Green onion bratwurst – SO. GOOD. We were out of gas for the grill, so I baked them in the oven like I would bangers for bangers and mash. These sausages were massive and just UNREAL. We will definitely be getting more if they’re selling them.