Friday, October 26, 2012

CSA Week 4

This week our share included sweet potatoes, arugula, kale, bell peppers, and parsley.

The bell pepper and part of the kale were used in a very yummy sausage linguine that I made with bratwurst (and thin spaghetti because it was what I had on hand). I skipped the parmesan due to the dairy issues of the nurseling.

The sweet potatoes and the rest of the kale were used in a stamppot recipe that I made Week 5.

The arugula was enjoyed in a yummy pasta dish that everybody devoured.   I used thin spaghetti instead of fettuccine, a can of italian diced tomatoes instead of the plum/grape tomatoes, I skipped the red pepper and the half-and-half.

The parsley is still in my crisper.

Delayed

I haven't been able to get onto the computer this week to blog, but I'm excited about some recent recipes that turned out very well.  My hope is to blog properly after we finish out the market season today.
Other delays worth commenting on?  The 2012 vendor application for the Burlington Christmas Market is not yet available so I have no information to pass on at this time.
Conversations about my limited presence in a local chiropractic office are occurring sporadically as our various schedules permit.

Friday, October 19, 2012

CSA Week 3

Do I have to admit the relief that washed over me this week for not having a large share?  They received okra.  I'm surprised at the intensity of my emotion.

Anyway, this week we received 1.5 pounds of tomatoes, half-pound of hot peppers, a bag of mesclun (a loose leaf lettuce), one pak choy, and one bunch of basil.

We tried the leaves of the pak choi as a side dish with apples and onions.  If I ever make it again I'll use stock/broth instead of water, and I'll only try it if I have tender young leaves to use in it.

The stalks of the pak choi where crisped in a bowl of ice water and then julienned into a crockpot recipe for Peppers & Steak.  I used kabob beef from T5 Farms that we didn't get around to kabobbing (I sliced it thin and seared it with some garlic salt).  This recipe also used up the rest of the bell peppers we had from the last couple weeks of CSA and the anaheims we received this week.  I also added a chopped vidalia and minced garlic that live in my fridge as standard pantry items.  After crocking on high for a couple of hours I pulled out the stuff and thickened the "sauce" that remained with a bit of cornstarch.  I haven't eaten it yet, but the kids have been using it a bit more fajita-like for lunch.

To me, working with the fresh pak choi stalks/stems it seemed like cabbage-smelling celery.  Does that make sense?

The basil was wasted in a failed experiment with an old family standby of Oven Chicken and Rice.  It was bad enough even Grandma commented on facebook about it not working out.  But hey, now we know, right?

The mesclun is still in the crisper.  Sigh.

-JS

Friday, October 12, 2012

CSA Week 2

This week's share included asian stirfry greens, romaine lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, cilantro, and bell peppers.  (The larger share also had turnips and butternut squash.  Yummy.)  Oh, and they gifted us with a dozen of their farm fresh eggs!

 We were going to use the greens in an impromptu stirfry for guests.  There were three, possibly four, varieties in the bag and I had removed the excess rib/stem from all of them and started the rinsing and washing process.  Then we couldn't find the lid to our salad spinner, my colander is still at my mother's (she's working on canning applesauce from apples we picked at a local farm), and we were out of time--along with not fleshing out this idea of stirfry with stirfry greens.  We ended up throwing together a hasty pot of chili (using the last of my canned beans) and the greens sat submerged in my salad spinner on the counter.  For two days (we won't discuss the chaos that was occurring).  So, the stirfry greens ended up in the compost--along with the water they were stinking it up in.

We had big plans for the cilantro...salsa, or fish tacos, or something.  But the same chaos that wasted the stirfry greens on the counter, created a similar fate for the cilantro in the fridge.  It would have fared better if we hadn't simply tossed the bunch on the shelf...but that's as far as it got.  Notice a theme this week??

The tomatoes and peppers were utilized in a Stuffed Pepper Soup that is going into our collection of yummy soup recipes.  We didn't make it quite per recipe, instead we did two cups cooked ground beef mix (we call it Meat Mix), two cans beef broth, four heirloom tomatoes (cubed/chopped), one cup long grain rice (uncooked), three red bell peppers (diced/chopped), two tablespoons brown sugar.  The kids made cornbread (with rice milk) to go with it for a hearty lunch.

The lettuce is still in the crisper, and the spinner lid still has not been found.  Ugh.

-JS


Friday, October 5, 2012

CSA Week 1

I jumped in with both feet and am participating in a local CSA this autumn.  We received our first CSA share September 22nd and it contained one pound bell peppers, one pound hot peppers, half-pound okra, 3/4 pound tomatoes, and a bag of basil.  I would argue that it was at least two pounds of okra.  LOL.

The tomatoes and part of the basil were utilized in Ontario Bean Soup.  I ended up making it late night so didn't have any, but DH enjoyed it and a co-worker of his said it smelled good when he took a second serving for lunch.  It will be made again.

The bell peppers are slated for some beef kabobs, if they don't head south before we get to grilling.

The okra was used in a Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya.  I'll be making the recipe again, without the okra.  I haven't found a dish yet that allows me to enjoy okra.  More proof that I'll never truly be Southern.

The rest of the basil was used in Peach Basil Chicken.  Rather than immediately serving over the chicken per the recipe instructions, I popped the chicken breasts back into the pan on top of the "slop" and let it stew for another twenty minutes or so as I was prepping some crockpot oatmeal for the next morning.  The flavor is FANTASTIC!!  This is going into regular meal rotation and I will continue the accidental practice of stewing it to help infuse the flavors further.  YUM!

The hot peppers consist of poblano, anaheim, jalapeno, serrano, and fish varieties.  I don't do spicy foods---it took me YEARS to be able to handle the red sauce Taco Bell puts on their burritos.  DH enjoys chile relleno occasionally so I prepared my mother-in-law's recipe with the poblano and anaheim peppers.  What to do with the others??