It all starts with getting a newsletter from the farm which we usually don't get until very late the day before. If anyone would like to read the weekly newsletters, they are posted on their website.
http://www.ridgelandharvest.com/newsletters/2012-newsletters
The newsletters are always quite interesting since not only do they explain the produce, but they also tell you about how the farm is doing. Is the recent weather helping or hurting the crops? What are they planting next? and maybe a preview of next week. Well, once I get the newsletter I start to brainstorm what I want to do with the food. The only problem is you don't really know how much of each item you will get until you pick it up. (Will I have 1 zucchini or 4 pounds worth?) So, it makes it kind of difficult to really plan it out. After work, I swing by my pick-up site where I have to unload everything out of a waxed-produce box into my own bag. Once I get home, I try to wash and trim the items before putting them in the fridge. Our fridge isn't very big so I need to get rid of anything that we won't really eat. (Like the leaves on radishes and the bad leaves on lettuces). And now I am at the final stage...trying to figure what the heck I am going to do with all of this food! I usually try to go through my own recipes, cooking magazines and cookbooks at home but I would say 75% of my recipe choices come from just googling the ingredient and seeing what I find. I rely heavily on reviews to make sure the recipe isn't a flop. Each week, I will post what I did with the produce and the recipes I used.
Here is a picture of the food we got this week.
From left to right, Napa Cabbage, Rhubarb, Garlic Scapes, Strawberries, Kohlrabi, Cilantro (the biggest bunch I have ever seen!), Zucchini, Radishes and Red Potatoes.
This is about the same amount and variety I get every week. Some things that I eat regularly and some things I would have probably never tried without the CSA. In late July, we do get more than this when almost all crops are in-season. Last year the ended up having to give us the same boxes as the Full Share for a couple weeks.
So...what am I going to do with all of this?? Right now I am thinking, some fish tacos on the grill tonight. They will help use the radishes, napa cabbage and cilantro. Especially if I make some guacamole. The strawberries we will just eat raw. The farm newsletters notified us that this is the only week we will be getting them since the season was so strange. They didn't have enough time to get big but they are already ripe and very sweet. For the Kohlrabi, I am thinking of making a coleslaw with green apples that I made last year. I know a lot of people absolutely love kohlrabi raw. Just eating it like an apple. I'm not sure if I'm quite there yet. I am hoping that I have enough rhubarb to make some sort of crisp. The garlic scapes are a big ? right now. Last year I made garlic scape pesto which was delicious, but I still have last years batch in the freezer. I am thinking about just adding them to a stirfry or putting them on a grill. Finally, the potatoes and zucchini we will have no problem eating just as a side. For now we will be able to just eat the zucchini on its own but if its anything like last year we have A LOT more of it in our future when I will need to get a little more creative.
If anyone has recipe suggestions for this weeks veggies, just let me know. I am open to suggestions!
Time to make my shopping list and get cooking!
If you have trouble eating the Kohlrabi, bring it home. I eat it like an apple. Your grandmother Berry taught me that. See you soon.
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