CSA week of October 11

Our sweet surprise today was a beautiful little pumpkin in our basket. The sight of this beautiful fruit sent C off into fits of glee. "Pie! Pie! Pie! We are going to make pie!" K just stared at him while he started chanting his new jingle within an inch of her face. (Side note: isn't it amazing what siblings tolerate from one another?)

As I was leaving the CSA stand, I had to snap some pictures of the presence of rain. Broad leaves and rain drops, who can resist?

While I was clicking away, I heard some shuffling off to my side and noticed four curly little tails cruising around in the corner. These are Tamworth pigs. These piggies are a special heritage breed. This is not the pork you will find in your grocery store since these breeds cannot stand up to the stresses of mass production farms. However, you can find these grass loving pigs at Heritage Farm. After reading a bit, I found that Tamworths are supposed to make the best bacon. I will have to chat with the owners to see if I can, um, agree with this statement by acquiring some when the time comes. *wink wink* Their pen has been taking a regular trip, cruising around the property so they have fresh grass. Bacon.

Ok, so here is the list of this week's beautiful gathering:

• Bagged arugula
• Bagged mizuna
• Beets
• Cabbage
• Carrots
• Chard
• Collards
• Eggplant
• Fennel
• Flower bouquet
• Garlic
• Onions
• Peppers: various varieties
• Pumpkins (sugar pie)
• Scallions
• Tomatoes

There was a little note that this might be the last week for tomatoes. It has been a delicious and plentiful run!!

CSA October 4

Fall. It is official. Time for soups, stews and homemade bread. For the last two weeks, I have found myself thinking about soups as I looked at the offerings of the weekly share. I do have to admit, that I haven't been using all of my greens. This really troubles me since I do not want to waste food and I DO want to preserve what I can. We have been off island, with family and blah blah blah. Excuses. I know I am better than excuses; however, I just haven't pulled it together to blanch and freeze those greens. This week it will happen, although that means it must happen TODAY. Another crazy busy week ahead.

One item in the share that I am excited about this week is the celeriac. Into the mashed potatoes it will go or perhaps diced or shaved into the weekly soup.

This week I was given a HUGE beautiful head of cauliflower which reminded me of one of my favorite recipes: Country Captain with Cauliflower and Peas a la Bon Appetit. This is a crowd pleaser in our house and we just might have to visit it come Sunday.

Another happy find in our basket, the delicious cucumbers. It turns out they are our littlest one's favorite food (next to sausage). Who can complain? Perhaps me, I could eat cucumber and tomato salads all week with the amazing collection of tomatoes that are included. The folks at Heritage have raised the bar on tomato production. Week after week we have been gifted bags of red beauties. I am so thankful each and every week since I know I cannot grow a tomato to save my, well, you know.

Oh, and the basil! I am going to throw one more batch of pesto into the mix with the basil. I know there are plenty of uses for basil, but nothing captures it's palate punch for me like good pesto and now that I have my No Fail Pesto recipe, it is hard to turn to anything else.

Here is this week's share:

Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celariac
Chard
Collards
Cucumbers
Fennel
Flower bouquet
Garlic
Head lettuce
Herbs: korean mint, basil
Onions
Peppers: hungarian hot, italian pepperocini (the long skinny redish one)
Potatoes
Scarlet runner beans
Spinach
String beans
Tomatoes

Photos this week were taken with my new gadget, an iPhone. I am working on the intricacies of photography a la phone. Thanks for your patience :)

CSA week of Sept. 27

Today was one of those days that feels like it is going fast forward and slow motion simultaneously. There was so much to do, but I was able to savor some wonderful moments as well.

This beautiful box of tomatoes:

 

These gorgeous sunflowers that a friend held up in the sunlight for a better glimpse:

Amazing vistas and signs of fall:

All in a 10 minute visit to a little farm on a rushed day with two sleepy little 'uns in the van waiting somewhat patiently.

This week's share:

• Bagged mizuna/arugula
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Collard greens
• Fennel
• Garlic
• Head lettuce
• Herbs: Basil, parsley, korean mint, summer savory
• Kale
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Scallions
• Scarlet runner beans
• String beans: yellow and purple
• Summer squash
• Tomatoes: stupice and cherry (they made me gasp in delight...really)

Last week brought lots of grilled veggies, some wonderful salads, a large pot a minestrone-esque soup and some blanched and frozen items to keep for the winter.

This week we will be heading out to visit family and bringing some of the share to, um, share!

CSA week of Sept. 20 - No Fail Pesto

CSA for the week of September 13

HERITAGE FARM

Last week's flowers

I have decided that I will start each of these with a link to Heritage Farm. I have had quite a few people ask me about how they can get involved and this is the easiest way, I think. Just go to the place you read about it and then CLICK on their link. Tah dah!


So, WOWZA! This is quite the assortment. I have to admit (while hiding my face behind the collar of my shirt) that I took my camera out there with no memory card in it. The other one had no battery. It has been that kind of week.


Here is this week's share:

Beets

Broccoli

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Cucumbers

Fennel

Garlic

Herbs: basil, parsley, summer savory, korean mint

Kale

Onions

Parsnips

Potatoes

Salad mix
Scarlet runner beans
Summer squash
Tomatoes: Heirlooms, stupice and cherry
Turnips


I have so many things I want to do with these veggies! My inlaws are visiting, so I will be introducing them to the Crash Potatoes along with some grilled summer squash and island steaks. Tonight we are going to have Chicken Tikka Masala and I think I am going to serve it over sauteed Chard (the last bit from last week) over rice and I will include some broccoli in the recipe itself. The cucumbers, cauliflower, lettuce and tomatoes have been making the freshest, tastiest salads and we will have a root veggie roast with beets, turnips and parsnips this weekend. In addition to all of this, we have a pumpkin that is ready to go, so I have promised my little man I would make him pumpkin pie AND we have about a dozen patty pan that are ready to go. Food week at the Curtises!!

Tip of the week: Grate your cauliflower into your salads. Great texture and it adds that wonderful cauliflower heartiness!

Last week's CSA: photos

This week's selection

Baby moo

Never a still moment

Take a picture of ME with the share.

Lovely parsnips

CSA Pickup: Week 2

I have to say that I am pretty impressed with how much of our food we ate last week. The only uneaten food was the fennel, the celery and the green beans. The green beans were a mere oversight, because we love them and they are soooo easy (roast with olive oil, pull out of oven and mix with minced garlic, salt and pepper).

Last week's menu

Tuesday - BBQ steaks, grilled mixed veggies and Crash Potatoes a la Val
Wednesday - Chicken, tomato sauce (from a friend) and veggie medley over pasta and a salad
Thursday - Vegetable and tofu stir fry over coconut rice
Friday- Thai lettuce boats with roasted chicken and peanut sauce (used cucumbers)
Saturday- Chard, Onion and Gruyere Quiche and green salad
Sunday- birthday party..no cooking!
Monday- potluck, brought green salad and sauteed cabbage and onions

This week's amazing selection:
Bagged Rainbow Chard
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Collard greens
Cucumbers: slicing and pickling
Flower Bouquet
Garlic
Herbs: basil, korean mint, summer savory, parsley
Kale
Onions
Parsnips
Potatoes (2)
Scarlet runner beans
String beans: yellow wax and royal burgundy
Summer squash: zucchini
Tomatoes: cherry, stupice and heirlooms
Turnips

I am excited to roast those Parsnips and Turnips. The tomato selection is AMAZING. There so many and they are SO beautiful! Pictures are coming, I promise. My husband is working on a house project (windows) in the evenings (yeah!) so I don't have much of a window (no pun intended) for downloading pics this week and I am in the middle of a hard drive crisis that will hopefully resolve itself tomorrow (fingers crossed). Can you see how my week is? I can barely complete a thought!

My next Recipe Roundup is on Chard and Kale. I really appreciate these two, however my crew isn't completely on board. Tonight I made mini muffin pan quiches with chicken, cheddar and sauteed chard and my son ate...10 of them!! The babe ate 3. I consider that a success.

We finished off with some fresh sliced nectarines and then headed outside to eat and collect some more blackberries. My son is a little concerned about the number of jars of jam that I have given away.

Please send me any recipes you have for chard or kale. I always love new ideas! Also, what are your thoughts on kale chips? I tried some from the store and they were horrid; however, I think it was the topping they had on them. Do you make them? Eat them? Do your kids?

Also,I saw an amazing tip this week. Grate cauliflower on your salads. Absolutely delicious!

More to come soon!

CSA Heaven

Today I picked up our first CSA share from Heritage Farm. Blissed out. As I drove up the dirt road past the pastures, past the farm stand, past the gardens and to the little red store I felt a huge sense of joy. Was this because I had a new lens and family in the van to watch over the kids? A little. Cam met me inside and showed me the ropes and the beautiful tomatoes I will be canning tomorrow. Giddy. Seriously, I was giddy. Camera out and bag in hand I didn't know what to do first. Pictures of those luscious tomatoes left for me to weigh and purchase. Lucky me! 

On her way out she told me to grab a bouquet of fresh flowers, I almost started crying.

 When I came to the Heritage to collect my shares two years ago, I loved it. I appreciated it.


Honestly, I didn't, not the way I do now. After two summers of growing on my own, I have a tremendous amount of respect for what these hard working and talented people present us with each Tuesday. It is truly a gift. I gathered my share and then grabbed the handful of items from the fridge.

I stepped back outside and sighed a big heavy sigh as I looked out across the long rows of cabbage, lettuces, zinnias and more...and more. On the far side, I spied a gathering of sunflowers with their golden faces aglow and their feet busy with Nasturciums. Oh dear. Waterworks. I couldn't help it. I can't grow sunflowers. I have tried and tried. Seeds, seedlings, some starts did ok, but nothing like these magestic giants. Bees were doing their thing and the sunflowers just towered. I believe if there were to be royalty in the plant kingdom, the Queen would definitely be the Sunflower.

 
Here is this week's pick up list:

• Bagged chard
• Bagged mizuna
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Cauliflower
• Carrots
• Celery
• Cucumbers: slicing and pickling
• Fennel
• Flower Bouquet
• Garlic
• Herbs: basil, korean mint, summer savory, parsley
• Kale
• Onions
• Potatoes: blushing duchess and all red
• Scarlet runner beans
• String beans: yellow wax and royal burgundy
• Summer squash: zucchini, eight ball zucchini, crook-neck and patty pan
• Tomatoes: cherry, stupice and heirlooms
• Turnips

Yes, this is for THIS WEEK. And you wonder why I feel like I am in heaven?


For dinner we BBQed local steaks, had crash potatoes and grilled carrots, zucchini, and crookneck squash. A big hit for everyone at the table.


Any suggestions for the rest of the week?

CSA: Heritage Farm

Two summers ago, we were members of a local CSA at Heritage Farm and I loved it! The food was amazingly fresh, delicious, plentiful and full of variety. As my son was getting older, however, I wanted him to have the experience of growing his own food and last year we were successful in doing just that.

This year, with our newest addition / edition, our garden grew fast and furious and I wasn't able to keep up with it. Now our once verdant beds are showing the signs. So we are heading back to Heritage Farm through the end of November.

Pick ups are on Tuesdays, so I will be meal planning for the week on Tuesday nights. Once upon a time, prior to child #2, I planned our meals veggies first. Which produce would we be eating that night and what protein would accompany it? Pasta one night a week. Whole grain. More quinoa and brown rice. Recipe hunting galore to keep it fresh, spicy and interesting.

A wonderful thing about Heritage Farm is that they include recipes every week that go along with the bounty you pick up. I am really excited about this. They are a small, sustainable farm on San Juan Island, WA. They have cows, a W.S.D.A. certified Grade A raw milk dairy, chickens, and vegetables. I am going to check into the chicken situation.

The remainder of this week is with veggies from our garden.

Wednesday- Chicken Tikka Masala With sauteed summer squash and onions and green salad
Thursday - Grilled Thai Chicken Pizza with grilled summer squash and green salad
Friday - Teriyaki Bowls with baked tofu, summer squash medley and onions on brown rice
Saturday & Sunday...we will see what I pick up from the Farmer's Market.

New ideas

Ok, I am not going to lie. I couldn't motivate to take pictures of my garden today because it looks so sad. It has been terribly neglected this summer and I am amazed and thankful that it provided us with so many potatoes, onions, lettuce, zucchini, cherry tomatoes, peas and strawberries. But, it is almost done and I haven't planted anything for the fall.

So, Plan B is going to be activated. We are going to join up with a local CSA through Thanksgiving. This does mean that our diet will be largely vegetarian, so I had to confer with my hubby.

On Mental Chew, I will be sharing our weekly pick up list, what we are doing with the bounty and what we are supplementing with from what is left of our garden.

On one hand, I feel a little sad knowing that our garden fed us through October last year. Reality tells me, however, that gardening with a baby is challenging and we did pretty well. And secretly, I am really excited to get all of the winter squash they will be offering!!