I'd been thinking about joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) for a long time. The idea of getting fruits and vegetables right from the farm every week, and eliminating the middle man, was very appealing to me. I also liked the idea of getting some vegetables or fruits I might not usually choose, and learning how to cook them.
When I finally decided to do it, instead of just randomly thinking about it, I turned to Google and read about some of the CSAs in my area. It was really hard to know which one to choose, and it did seem that a lot of the postings were complaints. I saw that some were not active during the winter, and since I wanted to start right away, I looked for one that went through the winter. I narrowed it down to two. One had a delivery service which sounded really convenient, until I read that you had to give them a key and that they arrived at odd times, like 3 AM. I decided to go with Terra Firma Farms, which has a pick-up location four blocks from my house. This CSA has a list of what is usually growing at various times during the year.
There are three different box sizes; small, medium, and large. I decided to try the medium-sized box. I had to pay for two weeks to try it out, and as it turned out, I picked the week before their annual two-week vacation. I eagerly went to get my box last Wednesday, and after checking for my name on the box, I unloaded it and filled up a large paper grocery store bag so I could use a cart to take it home. I've been having a good time figuring out what to cook and trying to plan how not to waste anything ever since. I wish I could show you a picture of the box, but at the moment I am camera-challenged, and I didn't ask my son to take a picture at the time. Follow me below the traditional orange squiggle to find out what I got and what I cooked (if you are in that kind of mood.)
I received a newsletter via e-mail on Wednesday morning that listed the fruits and vegetables I could expect in the box. This is what I got: a bag of baby spinach, three bunches of broccoli, two leeks, a bunch of small carrots, a bag of small potatoes, two sweet potatoes (one was small and one was a giant), a lot of satsuma mandarins, 3 meyer lemons, a bag of dino kale, about six parsnips, and three or four granny smith apples. Out of that list, I had never used leeks or kale before, and parsnips only occasionally. I was afraid I wouldn't use the meyer lemons, so I gave them to a friend of mine along with a few of the satsuma mandarins.
First Day
I made soup the first day, chopping a leek, some potatoes, a few carrots, a couple of parsnips, and some kale leaves, frying them a bit (adding in some garlic) and then adding some chicken stock and simmering until soft.
I also baked the sweet potatoes and a few of the small white potatoes.
Second Day
The broccoli I got wasn't the kind you would normally expect at the supermarket, where they just have the florets, and cut off the stems. I had been cooking broccoli stems for years, but I usually threw away the leaves, although I don't know why. This time, the broccoli I got had one floret in the middle of a lot of stems and leaves. I sure didn't want to waste any of it, so I decided to use all the parts. I wanted to try something different, so I checked the Internet for recipes and found a recipe for Broccoli with Garlic Butter and Cashews. Of course I couldn't let well enough alone, so I changed the recipe. I cut the broccoli stems, florets, and leaves into small pieces, and steamed them in a steamer. While they were steaming, I put about two tablespoons of olive oil in a pan, to which I added some chopped cloves of garlic. After the garlic cooked a while, I added the 1 T brown sugar, 3 T soy sauce, 2 t white vinegar, and 1/4 t black pepper that the recipe called for and stirred. I added 1/3 cup or so of broken cashews, and then mixed it all into the broccoli. I am happy to report that it was rather tasty, and it's all been eaten.
Third Day
I made a noodle dish I often cook, and used the rest of the carrots and a couple of parsnips in it. (I also bought some red peppers and mushrooms.)
Fourth Day
I didn't know what to do about the kale, so I went back to the Internet and found some recipes for kale chips. I read them all and took parts of different recipes. I took the kale off the stems, washed and dried it well, put some aluminum foil on a cookie sheet, dipped the kale in a little oil and lined it up on the cookie sheet. Then I sprinkled some garlic salt on some of them, pepper on some, and fines herbes on the last part. I heated the oven to 350 degrees and baked them for 10 to 15 minutes. They were pretty good, as my son and I finished the whole panful. (We decided it would be a shame not to eat them when crispy and hot.)
Since we've been eating the spinach and the mandarins too, it seems like I'll be able to finish the box in a week. I'm looking forward to my next box in January, after their two week vacation ends. I'll see what happens next!