Pages

Thursday, June 3, 2010

csa day: first one of the year (to me)


(Actually the first CSA day was last week, but I missed it because I was in Minnesota, so this is the first one for me!)


Our CSA produce from Finger Pickin' Farms for the week of June 1, 2010


From 12 o'clock and on around clockwise: bok choy, beet greens, radishes, 3 lettuces, kale. Strawberries are in the middle, but you figured that out already, didn't you? The strawberries are so small and sweet. I could eat them right out of the carton, but I must maintain some sense of discipline so that I can make some of the strawberry recipes on my list. An update on my list: muffins and ice cream have been made! Strawberry rhubarb pie and strawberry jam have been added to the to-make list.

* * * * * 

CSA days are amongst my favorite days of the year and I love that in summer (and it does seem like summer here, so I'm going with it) I get to experience such great days every single week. Last year we split our CSA with my mom, but this year she's decided to grow more of her own vegetables. She's got lettuce, broccoli, onions, tomatoes, sorrel, and a whole host of herbs growing. So we are sharing our CSA with my dad, and I'm very excited to see what he does with his half of the produce. He's a great cook, famous in my family for his soups and roasts, but he's very much a meat-and-potatoes guy, so I want to see what he'll do with all of these greens and lettuces.




I really enjoy planning meals around what we get from the market. Here's the dinner plan:

*Pasta Alfredo with sauteed garlic, beet greens and peas. Yes, we did just have this a couple of weeks ago, but it's so good! Plus, my sister was over for dinner, and I knew she'd love it.

*Tofu and bok choy stir-fry with garlic-mirin sauce over rice.

*Black bean quesadillas, kale sauteed with garlic, lemon and soy sauce, and oven-roasted potatoes. A real mish-mash of flavors, but it works for us.

*Dinner out by the river to celebrate my Grandma Alice's 82nd birthday. Fingers crossed that it doesn't rain.

* * * * * 

I would love to hear what you're eating this week, so please share in the comments. I find myself endlessly curious about what other people are cooking and eating, plus it gives me ideas for what to make.

9 comments:

  1. i've never heard of CSA before until this past weekend where my bro and sis in law said they were going to do a CSA pickup! have you made kale chips before?? i did a post about them awhile back, they are soo yummy!!!

    http://www.sandyalamode.com/2010/01/19/hail-to-the-kale/

    ReplyDelete
  2. This looks delicious! And I agree - Kale chips are AMAZING!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hurray for a new CSA season! Hope you enjoy the harvest this year, Allison. Happy cooking!

    And strawberries! We just picked 32 quarts (like I said in my recent post--we don't do things small). We froze a lot, but many were eaten with ice-cream and a bunch went into a Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch! :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. My CSA doesn't start until next week -- now you're getting me excited. And we have kale chips every week now. They're soooooo good.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love that you are posting a menu! (I haven't had a chance to email you back)

    I've wanted others to join into my "what's for dinner" thing...I'm glad to say you are officially the first (that I know of).

    I so want to do a CSA, but Houston doesn't really have a good one, surprisingly enough. Maybe I'm not doing very good research, but I have yet to find something doable. So, we shop at HEB which is a Texas-born chain and stocks from local growers whenever possible. And we hit farmers' markets as well.

    Can't wait to check out the links. I'll be back to menu posting next week...mine fell through this week due to travel plans changing. Boo.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, it all looks so delicious! I love that you're posting your menu. We joined a CSA last year and I was at such a loss for what to make most of the time. I love new ideas!

    ReplyDelete
  7. let the season of fresh local eating begin! love your menu.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh wow! What beautiful produce! You are so lucky to be able to be near and participate! What a win/win program. I'd definately have to do that if I lived in civilization!!! :)

    P.S.
    Your knitting is looking great!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Ahhh, the beginning of the CSA season...I agree, what a wonderful time of year when our local food comes to life again.

    We've just begun our CSA season and with scallions abounding, we've got Scallion and Potato patties on the mind...

    ReplyDelete

Comments welcomed!

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin