Thursday, June 21, 2012

CSA 2012: Weeks 4 & 5

Weeks 4 and 5 went by pretty quickly.  I didn't have time to post week 4 before week 5 had also passed!

Week 4:


PYO herbs only.  Strawberries might be done for the season.


Beets and chard... since the beet greens are similar to chard, it's like a 2 for 1.  Mom gets beets and I get greens.






Zucchini yay!





6 pieces of broccoli is always so exciting to me - broccoli is my favorite!  I'm lucky my mom shares with me!




Arugula - super tasty.  (I got to take this too.)



And finally... 8 heads of lettuce... surprise!  I guess that hailstorm a few weeks ago wasn't too bad after all - the lettuce never stops.



Week 5:

Mom forgot to snap a photo of the board, which she says was just herbs this week, and the zucchini (4 pieces).


Soooo sick of lettuce... 8 more heads!


Choice group 1:  Kale, collards, radicchio, dandelion.  We got (I think) 3 bunches of kale and one of collards - mom kept one bunch of the kale.


Choice group 2: Chinese cabbage, Swiss chard, beets, and scallions.  We got one of each and I brought home a bunch of scallions, one bunch of Swiss chard, and the greens from the beets.

Week 6 and 7 are going to be particularly exciting, because I get to go pick up my own share! I can't wait!

Friday, June 8, 2012

Green Curry Broth


While scrolling through my Pinterest app, I saw that Heidi from 101 Cookbooks had posted an older recipe from her site - Green Curry Broth.  I can't explain why, but it really appealed to me at that moment and I made it for dinner not too long after that.

First, you chop and chop and slice and dice and chop some more to create the foundation for the delicious green curry broth.  This is the longest part of the recipe.  After all of this cooks down to impart its flavor, you strain it out and throw it away.  At first I was sad about this, but then I tasted the broth - it was amazing.  Next time, I would not bother with all the fine dicing and such - you can get this done much faster with bigger chunks and since you're straining it, you probably won't even notice a difference.  I also wouldn't hesitate to make this broth with the intention of freezing it, without any add-ins, to enjoy on a rainy day.

Once the broth has been made, you can put pretty much whatever you want in it.  We opted for rice noodles, shredded cabbage, broccoli, frozen corn and green beans, and I saved the tops of the scallions (used in the broth) and added those in too.  I chopped handfuls of mint, basil, and cilantro from my balcony and mixed those in at the very end.  I topped off my own bowl with a little swirl of coconut milk.  This was a good combination of things, but I would break the noodles in half next time, and I had also intended to add cubes of tofu, but things got away from me.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Hard-Cooked Eggs with Dukkah


The phase has passed by now, but when I made this recipe a few weeks ago, I was eating hard boiled eggs almost every day as a snack.  The dukkah recipe from Super Natural Every Day seemed like a great way to spice it up (accidental pun!).  The fragrant mixture of nuts, seeds, and spices is not as strong in taste as it is in smell, but as I write this I find myself craving the flavor.  The dukkah could also be used to flavor dipping oil for bread, and I intend to try it crusted on salmon.  Hopefully I'll be reporting back on that soon.  I'm intending to post more - just need to get my ducks in a row over here...

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

CSA 2012: Week 3

I just stopped by my mom's to pick up some of the produce she got this week.


PYO strawberries - I am lucky enough to have gotten a few of them.


Summer squash - none for me!  I thought it was early for squash, but I think the heat may be a factor.






Lettuce... of course.  This week I got some deer tongue lettuce, which I like because it looks cool!


Mom loves beets...


The boc choy was unfortunately pushed to the back of the fridge, where it froze a little... oh well.  I got to take one head home with me.


Knowing that broccoli is my FAVORITE! she kindly let me take home 3 heads.


I got most of the garlic scapes, which I think I may try to pickle this year.  I'm thinking my large stock pot should be big enough for hot water bath canning 3 pint jars...


I got the arugula.  I have some plans for it, which I can hopefully share as a success story soon...

I received a bit of fun news as well - my mom's friend got a share for her family this year, and they are going on a 2 week vacation.  She so kindly offered her share to me and I will even get to pick it up myself :) I have so missed the farm this year - every Tuesday I am so sad to be driving to work instead of to Pennington - but I can swing it for a short term opportunity like this.  I am looking forward to reconnecting with something that makes me so happy!  In just a few weeks I'll be sharing my own pictures instead of my mom's.  Looking forward to it :)