CSA Day is Back!

Last week we had a break in our CSA subscription, but this week it's back! Mom came over last night loaded up with two bags of vegetables from the farmers market.

Here's what we got:

Little cabbages, an assortment of heirloom tomatoes, beets, carrots, red potatoes, corn and green peppers

Cooking with so many fresh vegetables has really been a treat. I'm thinking that this week should include a tomato quiche because our garden is overflowing with tomatoes, and I'm trying to find new ways to use them. K and I've been eating lots of them--sliced with cottage cheese, on sandwiches, on pizzas, in pasta sauce, in chana masala, and in a really fabulous tomato and corn pie. The tomato and corn pie has--get this--a biscuit crust. After trying this pie for dinner last week, K declared it a winner and said we need to keep it in our repertoire. I agree. You can find the recipe here on Gourmet magazine's website. I know, I'm as shocked as you that I made another of their recipes, but since the plum kuchen was such a hit, I figured I'd give them a chance. They didn't disappoint. The corn and tomato flavors were fresh with a hint of lemon, the basil and chives lent their savory flair, and the biscuit crust was warm and buttery. Corn and tomatoes are in season now if you want to try out this recipe.

In other cooking news, you may remember that I was trying to find recipes for beets a few weeks back. I ended up roasting them and using them to make beet soup, but something strange happened. No matter what I added to the soup (onions, broth, seasonings, etc.) it kept tasting like nothing. Not good or bad, just a non-taste really. It did turn out pretty though, in a "that's a great color, but you expect me to eat it?" kind of way. I'll try cooking them another way this week, seeing as how Mom left the entire bunch for me to experiment with. Redeem yourselves, beets!

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When Mom talked with Nick, our Finger Pickin' Farms farmer, he told her that the intense rain and flooding last week wiped out an entire field of tomatoes. It's so upsetting to think of all the hard work, energy, and money that went into growing those tomatoes, only to have them obliterated by flooding.

Please, support your local farms!