Wednesday, June 4, 2008

CSA! CSA!

I got off the waiting list of my CSA, and now am a proud trial member! I picked up my first box of veggies today, and I have to say I'm very excited.
csa June 4 2008
I cut off the greens of the carrots, beets and cauliflower and threw them into a pot for soup. Not really sure what else to do with them. I tried the strawberries and the carrots, and they taste very different from regular veggies. Somehow, they taste sharper, and more concentrated?

In any case, I joined the CSA because I want to eat more veggies, and experiment more. Which I'm already seeing, as I have no idea what to do with the beets or the collard greens...

10 comments:

Marisa said...

Oh, Lynn, how cool is this? Thanks for pointing me to that CSA. They have a drop less than a half mile from my house, so I just emailed them to get on the wait list. I've been looking for one w/ a close drop, and it seems like this one is perfect!! Thank you! We'll see how long it takes me to get off the wait list. How long did it take for you? As for beets: If you make them into a cold salad, you'll love it. Boil them until they are soft (will take a while), remove skin (don't burn yourself) and while still warm cut up and toss w/ balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Add salt, pepper, and some diced red onions. Put in the frig, and enjoy cold. Mmmm...love this salad! Be careful not to get the juice on what you're wearing. Messy messy.

Oiyi said...

Good for you! The veggies look so vibrant.

Junie Moon said...

The CSA sounds like a great idea. I love vegetables and appreciate those that don't taste like they come out of a laboratory somewhere.

flanthrower said...

I was in a CSA for a few months last year...it's a great way to get lots of good fruits and veggies in. I imagine it's even better for you down there because you're in California!

Cauliflower, carrots, and beets roast up marvelously and don't require more than olive oil, salt+pepper, in a 450 degree oven for half an hour. (Btw, the beets just need a good scrub but don't peel them! They roast best in their own skin which falls right off after roasting. Roasted beets sliced over a salad is amazing.)

Collards require a bit more work. They need to be cooked down a bit and the tough stem needs to be cut out. There are tons of recipes out there for collards....and they taste great with so many different things!

Liz Harvatine said...

How exciting Lynn! I've been trying to eat more vegetables too, getting stuff from the farmer's market. I bought the book, "Vegetable Love" by Barbara Kafka and it has been a really great resource. It has tons of recipes for each vegetable and all sorts of information about how to pick, store, cook different vegetables. Plus, every recipe I've made has been so good! Even recipes for things that I've been making for years are better than the way I've been doing them. We had the gazpacho recipe last night with grilled shrimp. Yum!

JuLo said...

What a fun idea! I'll have to look to see if they have anything like this in my area. I doubt it though. :(

Those veggies look delicious! I agree with marisa on the beets. They're so sweet and flavorful, all they need is a good steam and they'll melt in your mouth.

FinnyKnits said...

WOO WOO!!!

So glad you're off the wait list and now trying to figure out what to do with the box of stuff.

You guys get flowers in your shares?

So jealous!

Can't wait to see what you come up with so I can steal it.

I'll have more Chard Killer recipes soon.

Anonymous said...

I can tell you a good way to cook collards, but I warn you, it's not the healthiest. :) To prepare them you cut the thick stem out and then cut the leaves into small pieces(an inch or two). Cook some bacon in a frying pan, remove and chop into small pieces. Next, saute the collards in the bacon grease and add salt & pepper to taste and then just a tsp of sugar(that takes the bitterness away). Remove from pan and top with chopped bacon. Sorry...I told you it wasn't the healthiest recipe out there, but it sure does taste good. :)

Rebekah said...

yummy! these all look so delicious!

Anonymous said...

Wow, that looks so good!

What my boyfriend always does with beets, is cook them, chop 'em in little squares, same with potatoes and some unions and get em really crusty in a (what's the name)baking pan?