I got garlic, leeks, kale, zucchini, lettuce, radishes, oregano, cherimoyas, mandarins and a lemon. And I go back tomorrow for the Strawberry Picking Day, to pick 3 baskets of strawberries.
Unfortunately I leave Sunday morning for a short business trip, so I really want to try to use everything up before I go. Any menu or recipe suggestions for dinner tonight and tomorrow?
Also, is anyone else out there participating in a CSA this season? Maybe we can regularly swap ideas and recipes...
-Krista
Posts: 1688 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
Krista ours doesn't start for another two weeks or so, and it's usually a lot of lettuces the first two weeks (aka salads).
I made a lot of vegie, lentil stews too to use up the leeks and kale and stuff - let me see if I can find the recipe.
Okay - this wasn't it but it sounds good; I may have to try it:
Winter Lentil Soup
4 leeks, white and light green parts only 1 bunch kale 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained 6 cups water 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into a 1/2-inch dice 1/2 cup brown lentils 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves 2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 12 fresh basil leaves (optional) 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmesan (optional
Kim, that does sound good. And I could use some of the oregano I got instead of the basil. Perfect.
Now, I've just been googling cherimoyas... I've never even had one before, so this is interesting. It sounds like they take a while to ripen so I may not have to worry about it until I get back.
-Krista
Posts: 1688 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
Go have a look at what this British mum is doing with vegetables: http://greatbigvegchallenge.blogspot.com/ She's a great resource, not the least because people send her ideas all the time on what to do with vegetables.
Kim, let us know what you get for your first pick up!
Is there anyone else out there who has joined a CSA this season?
I'm going to pick up my share today - the email I got said it would be: arugula, kale, carrots, zucchini, potatoes, cherimoya, mandarins, peaches, and strawberries.
I'm planning a little dinner on Saturday night and I think I'll make sauteed kale and a tian of tomatoes, potatoes and zucchini as part of the menu.
-Krista
Posts: 1688 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
Apparently, from the e-mails shooting around on our CSA's list serve (several people had the same question), it's a green leafy best described as "Chinese Kale" good in stir fries.
So last night I made a big salad out of the boston red lettuce, assorted leafy greens and scallions we got (supplemented with some red bell pepper, carrots and cucumber), and I cannot remember the last time I had a salad that tasted so good. I mean the greens actually had a distinct taste - can't describe it but now I realize how bland the bagged stuff I've been buying is (unless there's some radicchio or frisee in it but even then...). Yum.
At some point either tonight or tomorrow I'm going to make a lentil and swiss chard soup. I'll post the recipe if it's decent. And tonight I'm going to saute that baby bok choy we got (with some snap peas I bought at the farm market and maybe a bit of red bell or red onion for color).
Kim, the lettuce that I've received from the CSA has been fantastic. I thought I would be bummed to have to wash and spin lettuce after so long of relying on the bagged stuff. But, I agree, the flavor is so much better. And I dug up my old salad spinner, so now I wash it all up the day I pick it up. Doesn't take much time at all.
This week's email warned us that there's lots of zucchini and it will coming for a while, so I better start thinking of some things to do with zucchini.
We're also getting kohlrabi this week, so I'm thinking about a nice big pot of minestrone, substituting some of the cabbage for the kohlrabi.
-Krista
Posts: 1688 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
We had so much zucchini and tomatoes last season. Each week they tell us how much to take of each item and at one point it said, "Take 6 million tomatoes."
Kim, did you make the Lentil soup? I made Diva's Minestrone soup last night and it turned out great. Tonight: Ribollita!
This week we're getting: Basil, Green Beans, Garlic, Lemons, Mandarins, Potatoes, Radish, Strawberries, Zucchini, Tomato, Turnips. So I need to think of something to do with turnips...
-Krista
Posts: 1688 | Location: Santa Barbara, California | Registered: 21 May 2004
Krista, this blog, Vegie Ventures ties into a local CSA and she links to recipes for each week's harvest. She's got a bunch of vegie recipes listed alphabetically too; definitely worth checking out.
We don't have a CSA here but we do have a twice-weekly farmer's market. Last week I picked up zucchini and eggplant and made the following ratatouille to serve over fish. Here is the recipe from Williams-Sonoma:
Pan-Roasted Fish with Ratatouille
4 thick fish fillets, each about 5 oz. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper 1 lemon, halved, plus wedges for garnish 2 T. olive oil 1/2 small yellow onion, small dice 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 small eggplant, small dice 1 small red, yellow or green bell pepper, diced 1/2 zucchini, small dice 1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes with juices or 4 plum tomatoes, peeled and diced 1 T. chopped flat-leaf parsley, more for garnish 2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme 2 tsp. chopped fresh basil
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
Rinse the fish with cold water and pat dry. Place fish on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Squeeze one of the lemon halves over fish and drizzle with 2 tsp. of olive oil. Turn fish over and season with salt and pepper.
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Place fish in pan and cook until browned, 1 to 2 min. per side and turning once. Transfer fish to a cookie sheet, place in oven and bake until the fish is firm to the touch and opaque throughout, 5-10 min, depending on thickness.
Meanwhile, in same skillet over med-hi heat, warm 2 tsp. of olive oil. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Add eggplant, bell pepper and zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are lightly browned, about 2-3 min. Add tomatoes with their juices and stir to combine. Reduce heat to med and cook until vegetables are just tender, 5-8 min. Add the 1 T. parsley, thyme and basil and cook for 1 min. more. Taste and adjust seasonings with lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Spoon ratatouille into the center of 4 individual plates and top each serving with a fish fillet. Drizzle with remaining olive oil and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Serve immediately.
I know this was a long read but it really couldn't have been easier and was also very good. As you can tell, prepping every thing before you start is the key. I used frozen tilapia fillets from the freezer (because I had them) and they weren't thick. You will need to adjust your cooking time according to the fish you choose.
"I am a Southerner. I like the feel of these words. I could no more be otherwise than I could shed my outer skin or change the color of my eyes." Willie Morris
Posts: 1457 | Location: on the Alabama River | Registered: 22 July 2002
Kim, I had tilapia fillets in the freezer - smaller than the sea bass the recipe calls for. My cooking time was shorter.
"I am a Southerner. I like the feel of these words. I could no more be otherwise than I could shed my outer skin or change the color of my eyes." Willie Morris
Posts: 1457 | Location: on the Alabama River | Registered: 22 July 2002
Today we got three more heads of lettuce (I think I still have a head left from last week), some swiss chard, the biggest scallions I've ever seen, peas, garlic, sweet onion, and kale.
I need to go find some kale recipes b/c it's coming out my ears.
Topic Closed
