my first CSA farm box delivery of the season:

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jojoworks
jojoworks Posts: 315 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Its been so cold and rainy in Minnesota our CSA farmer had to delay our first delivery of the season. But it finally arrived yesterday!!!!

How lovely to have FRESH farm picked strawberries for my morning yogurt smoothie. I loved the sight of the red explosion when I turned my immersible blender on; and the intense flavor was amazing.

Lunch today will include a salad of farm fresh spinach and romaine topped with farm fresh radishes (amongst other things like carrots and homemade pickled beets as well).

Last night I grilled the farm fresh pak choy after lightly drizzling olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper on them and then placed the lovely grilled fans atop the grilling tilapia to kind of encase the fish as it cooked in its foil pack on the grill. I was able to marinade the tilapia with some CSA chopped, fresh cilantro and marjoram as well. The fish tacos were awesome and the grilled greens were a flavorful addition.

Looking forward to more experiments with grilling greens as the summer progresses. Am hoping not to be so challenged by the amounts of chard, kale, collards and beet greens coming my way in the near future.

Anyone out there have ideas for grilling greens?

happy summer and happy eating y'all!!

Replies

  • ArchyJill
    ArchyJill Posts: 548 Member
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    One day I will live somewhere with a CSA! ...sigh...
  • craftylatvian
    craftylatvian Posts: 599 Member
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    Sounds like you will have a bountiful summer!!
    The CSA ia my area is too expensive for me, even though I know it would save me money in the long run, I just don't have all the money up front for even a half share :(
  • jojoworks
    jojoworks Posts: 315 Member
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    One day I will live somewhere with a CSA! ...sigh...

    you may already, they are becoming extremely popular and are popping up everywhere. I helped a friend in PA find one using google search. Give it a shot!!! I'm a huge believer. Nothing is better than those farm-fresh eggs once a week either (great omega-3's from happy free-range hens).

    good luck!
  • liberty741
    liberty741 Posts: 122 Member
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    wow that sounds absolutely amazing! what is a CSA farm? this def sounds like something i would be interested in. i am from PA and we usually go to farmer's markets when we can in the summer. but i am all about the farm to table movement and think it's great.

    there are SO many things you can do with swiss chard. my family is italian and they use it alot. my favorite swiss chard dish is swiss chard over pasta. it's EASY. just saute the swiss chard with some olive oil and garlic in a big pot until it cooks down. then add a jar (we use homemade) marinara sauce and simmer until it all gets hot. then top over penne pasta. we use the low carb dreamfields penne. if you don't want to eat pasta, this swiss chard and sauce also goes well over cod or chicken!

    another idea is to make swiss chard and chickpea soup. cook down the swiss chard with some oil and garlic and red pepper flakes in a big pot. add some chopped onions if you like. then add a big can of chicken broth (4-6) cups. add a can of chickpeas and simmer. in a separate pot, prepare a box of couscous as directed. serve the soup with the couscous and some crumbled feta cheese.

    as for the kale, i would make a chopped kale and potato soup. very healthy and amazing!

    now i am hungry .... hahaha

    good luck! :-)
  • jojoworks
    jojoworks Posts: 315 Member
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    Sounds like you will have a bountiful summer!!
    The CSA ia my area is too expensive for me, even though I know it would save me money in the long run, I just don't have all the money up front for even a half share :(

    I understand. I have to get creative. We buy in in February and I usually use my tax refund. I also have a share buddy so I just get 1/2 a share which is great for me a single person. This is my 5th year in a CSA and I'm very addicted to the food and I love the challenge of using what is given to me each week rather than just buying what I want at the farmers' market (not to mention the farmers' market makes me crabby cuz its so dang crowded!).
  • SweetPandora
    SweetPandora Posts: 660 Member
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    Sounds lovely!

    Fresh local produce delivered to you. It's a win win for everyone!

    Enjoy!

    Karen
  • jojoworks
    jojoworks Posts: 315 Member
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    wow that sounds absolutely amazing! what is a CSA farm? this def sounds like something i would be interested in. i am from PA and we usually go to farmer's markets when we can in the summer. but i am all about the farm to table movement and think it's great.

    there are SO many things you can do with swiss chard. my family is italian and they use it alot. my favorite swiss chard dish is swiss chard over pasta. it's EASY. just saute the swiss chard with some olive oil and garlic in a big pot until it cooks down. then add a jar (we use homemade) marinara sauce and simmer until it all gets hot. then top over penne pasta. we use the low carb dreamfields penne. if you don't want to eat pasta, this swiss chard and sauce also goes well over cod or chicken!

    another idea is to make swiss chard and chickpea soup. cook down the swiss chard with some oil and garlic and red pepper flakes in a big pot. add some chopped onions if you like. then add a big can of chicken broth (4-6) cups. add a can of chickpeas and simmer. in a separate pot, prepare a box of couscous as directed. serve the soup with the couscous and some crumbled feta cheese.

    as for the kale, i would make a chopped kale and potato soup. very healthy and amazing!

    now i am hungry .... hahaha

    good luck! :-)

    CSA = community supported agriculture....basically you find a participating farmer, give him money for a share upfront and then reap the bounty of the harvest each week with what is provided. I googled CSA PA just now and found lots of options. You should check it out if you're interested.

    Thanks for reminding me about greens and soups! I make a giant pot of soup every Sunday in the fall and winter and I believe most greens freeze well. Since I'll be inundated with so many greens soon I bet I can freeze what I don't use now and then have them available for my soup making season! YIPPEE!!! THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!
  • liberty741
    liberty741 Posts: 122 Member
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    I just googled it too, thank you! :-)
  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
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    I just got my first box yesterday! I received strawberries (a ton of them!), snap peas, snow peas, radishes, beets, leaf lettuce, and spinach. I already had some strawberries with my cereal this morning and will be sauteeing the radishes as a side dish tonight. Now I have to plan out more meals for next week incorporating our bounty!

    Edited to add: I also feel I may be overwhelmed with beets in a few weeks. Right now I just have one small bunch. I have been researching recipes and I found some great ones, like a beet gratin that uses the greens too from the NY Times and an amazing looking beet rosti (savory pancake) from Mark Bittman. I may make the rosti this weekend as a side dish.
  • jojoworks
    jojoworks Posts: 315 Member
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    I just got my first box yesterday! I received strawberries (a ton of them!), snap peas, snow peas, radishes, beets, leaf lettuce, and spinach. I already had some strawberries with my cereal this morning and will be sauteeing the radishes as a side dish tonight. Now I have to plan out more meals for next week incorporating our bounty!

    Edited to add: I also feel I may be overwhelmed with beets in a few weeks. Right now I just have one small bunch. I have been researching recipes and I found some great ones, like a beet gratin that uses the greens too from the NY Times and an amazing looking beet rosti (savory pancake) from Mark Bittman. I may make the rosti this weekend as a side dish.

    I'm a fan of Mark Bittman, great food thinker!

    regarding beets: I wash mine, wrap them in foil and throw them into a 300 degree oven for a couple hours then let them cool overnight. Then I peel off the skins, dice them up and toss them with spices, hot peppers, a bit of onion and splashes of champagne vinegar. These are my pickled beets and I put them on my salad every day....NUMMY! My CSA beets NEVER go to waste and this year I hope to make use of the greens as well.

    regarding sauteing radishes: tell me about this, I've never tried it.
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
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    I live in Tennessee and have been getting my CSA boxes for about 5 weeks. I am loving all the fresh vegetables and homemade bread.
  • exercisesucks
    exercisesucks Posts: 102
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    I plan on signing up for our local CSA this summer! Fresh is best. Know what you put in your mouth.

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