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Suggestions for Success (with your CSA and other produce)

by Gwen Charles

Planning

Keep favorite recipes on hand:
Take out your favorite recipes- make a list with your family to post on your fridge. Add an extra veggie to the recipe.

Make a weekly or bi-weekly menu: When you receive your box of produce, sit down and make up a quick menu using the foods that are there. Make a shopping list of items that you may need to pick up to complete the recipe. See if you can make more than one serving of a recipe for lunch the next day or to freeze for another night when needed.

Use everything!

Adventures in a CSA Kitchen, Vol. 1 No. 4

The latest CSA box contained lots of herbs and lettuces and cabbages again. We also got corn, ball squash, onions, scallions, carrots, eggplant, cucumbers, cauliflower, kohlrabi and purple broccoli! Obviously I've got some prep work to do along with some cooking/storing/freezing.

Since you've got the gist of what needs doing when you're a CSA member, I've decided this column will undergo a few changes. Mainly, you'll be finding a list of the box contents and some links to recipes you might not think of or that are just wonderful. These recipes will be for the actual foods I receive in the box or they'll be for sauces and other accompaniments for those foods. Adventures in a CSA Kitchen will be a great resource for recipes to use with seasonal produce. And it'll be anecdotal when I can find the time or have a story to tell. I'll continue to recommend organic wines, as discovering them is an exciting adventure in itself.

This time round I'll share recipes for Salsa Verde, Kohlrabi in Herbed Cream Sauce, First Day Salad, and several dressings for almost any salad.

Adventures in a CSA Kitchen, Vol.1 No.3

This adventure begins with shelling English peas and then freezing them. They freeze very well uncooked. We usually get lots of fresh greens and squash and peas which, in the case of the salad greens, we eat right away. I usually cook the summer squash for immediate consumption and freeze the peas for the taste of early spring in September. The same holds true for some of the bitter greens -- especially kale and collards -- they are so yummy in soups and they really make the fall seem more friendly. As the CSA season of harvest goes on, I may thaw some of those greens to add to pastas or to use as a side dish. But then, the newest arrivals will be cooked and frozen for later.

Tonight I made Zucchini and Cousa Squash Curry.

The recipe follows:

Wash and dry the squashes(CSA). Slice in half lengthwise and then crosswise. You'll end up with half-moons. Heat your pan and saute chopped garlic(CSA) and sliced onions (S) for a minute or so. Add *curry (about 3 tsp) to the onion and garlic oil mixture. This will bring out the flavor of the curry. Add 2 tsp *cumin and the squash and continue to cook until the squash becomes semi-soft. Eat as is (my favorite way) or serve over brown short grain rice. *Mountain Rose Herbs
We finished the meal with a *red leaf and *romaine salade with *radishes and *cucumbers sprinkled with olive oil and rice wine vinegar. *(CSA)

Adventures in a CSA Kitchen, Vol.1 No.2

Using the collards I cooked and froze a few days ago, I made a quick meal of Collard and Black-Eyed Pea Stew. The recipe is quite simple.

Thoroughly rinse the collards (CSA) with cold water and pat dry with a clean cotton kitchen towel. Cut the leaf sides away from the thick vein that runs down the middle of the collards (save for compost).

Place one half of leaf onto other half.

Roll up jellyroll style and cut across making pieces about one inch wide.

You can, of course, make a pile of several leaves to speed up this process. Continue until all of the greens have been prepped. Cook with one medium onion (FM) sliced into rings in a saucepan filled with two cups of water until collards are soft enough to chew (about 20 min). Add one can of black-eyed peas (S) (I use Eden Organics brand) and salt and pepper to taste. Keep pan over med-low heat until peas are heated through. Serve over brown rice in a shallow bowl or with crusty bread to help you get every bit of the pot liqueur! Home gathered!!

WINE PAIRING

If you're into wine, organic wine has come a long way since the take-a-sip-spit-it-out organic wines of the past. You're missing out if you don't try them now. For the first two CSA Kitchen dinners I would recommend:

Seresin Vineyards 2007 Leah Pinot Noir. Look for the handprint on the label.

WINEMAKER'S NOTES: The nose exhibits aromas of dark cherry, mocha, new leather and subtle toast with hints of spice. The palate is concentrated with succulent dark fruits layered over smoky oak, with fine mouth-coating tannins and a persistent finish.

CELLARING POTENTIAL: Drinking well now, but will improve over the next five years.

Adventures in a CSA Kitchen, Vol.1 No.1

Adventures in a CSA Kitchen began when I realized how overwhelmed folks often become when looking into a CSA (community supported agriculture) box – especially when it’s the first box of the season and a first time CSA member is doing the looking!

The adventure obviously begins on the farm. In my case it’s Hepworth Farm in New York State and Havenwood Farm in Newton NJ. Sorry no pictures of Hepworth or Havenwood as of yet so here’s a look at the rolling pastures of another farm (just to get you in the mood). ☺

As you follow me on my adventure (and I do hope you will), we’ll be taking a look at what a typical delivery looks like and just what to do with all of that wonderful food. Naturally, most meals will be supplemented with food from other sources. In order to help you understand what goes into these meals, I’ve cooked up a legend of sorts. It goes like this:

CSA -- Community Supported Agriculture
P -- potager/kitchen garden
CO -- co-op
FM -- farmer’s market
S -- store (food, specialty market, health food)

I’ll be sharing original recipes so I ask that you credit me if you are going to be using them. Thanks! And, since I don’t know how experienced my readers are at cooking, I will be reviewing some of the basics. This way everyone will have luck preparing the meals. One more thing: These recipes are, for the most part, simple do-able recipes meant for the everyday cook. While I am an accomplished cook, I don’t have time in my life for fancy cooking on a daily basis. I think that last part probably holds true for most of you too. And remember: Live healthy and have fun with good food!

So, I didn’t show you the actual farm yet but I can show you my pick-up site. Below you can see the beautiful grounds of the two historic homes where I go to get my produce and eggs. Can you spot the coordinator under the tree? CSAs wouldn’t happen without the coordinator and the volunteers who help sort the farmers’ deliveries!

Free for the tasting: Organic Strawberries

Next you’ll see some of the incredible produce and eggs I am privileged to share with my family.

After sorting and storing things like kale and collards (I’ll be prepping and cooking those tomorrow to use and freeze, respectively), I refrigerate them along with all the lettuces, arugula, sugar snap peas, radishes (I eat one of these immediately, I love them so), and herbs. I’ll wash, dry, chop and freeze the herbs tomorrow while cooking the collard and kale. Ah, the herbs. They are plentiful but last for months if frozen. Here’s what I got this time round: parsley, cilantro, and dill. Yum. There is also garlic, garlic scapes, and spinach. I will be using those in the following recipes.