CSA: Month One

This spring I was able to talk Jon into subscribing to a local CSA. A CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture, is basically like belonging to a "vegetable of the week" club. It is also like a box of chocolates...(all together now) you never know what you're going to get. Each week we receive a random bag of produce from a local farm. Everything is extremely fresh, extremely seasonal, and extremely local. Plus, it is good for the farmers because they have a guaranteed buyer for whatever they are growing and harvesting.

So far, we've been up to the challenge. We've received plenty of things we've never tried before, but thanks to Google and the weekly newsletter we receive with recipes, we've managed to figure out what to do with all this stuff. In case you're also feeling adventurous, you can find links and recipes from our first month below:

Radishes (which the Internet really only considers a garnish)
Grilled Steak with Cilantro Sauce

Bok Choy
Sauteed Bok Choy

Sunflower Sprouts
Sunflower Sprout Spread

Kale
Panfried Kale
Kale Puttanesca

Green Garlic
Asparagus and Green Garlic Soup

Oregano
Sunflower Oregano Pesto
Ingredients:

• 2 cups mixed herbs (winter savory, chives, oregano, tarragon, thyme)
• 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds (soaked or roasted if preferred)
• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled (2 small)
• 1/3 cup good olive oil + 1 -2 tsp to cover the top when jarred
• Pinch of salt

Recipe from Food Matters!

Swiss Chard

Garlicky Sauteed Swiss Chard

Collard Greens
Low(er) Fat Collard Greens

As you can see, spring is prime growing time for greens, and lots of them.


We've missed a couple of weeks by being out of town, but I'm pretty proud of all the new things we've tried. Let the culinary adventure continue!