Wednesday, October 01, 2008

CSA Report - Oh, the Greens

There were a lot of hot peppers in my share this week. I've been holding on to the jalapeno, Thai and cayenne peppers from the last few weeks because I'm really not sure what to do with them and haven't taken the time to do the research. I guess I better get going before they're not good to me anymore.

With the cooler weather, things are starting to slow down in the distribution shed. The tomato pickings are getting slim and the greens are coming back full-force. Think kale, chard and lettuce in abundance again. I'm glad to have plenty of eggplant (I saved last weeks' CSA share and got an extra at the farmers' market) to make ratatouille and maybe give baba ganoush a try, too. I'm going to try to get creative with some of the other vegetables and make some pasta dishes. This cooler weather is really bringing on the cravings for carbs and richer foods.

This week's share:

  • 1.5 lbs green beans
  • 2.5 lbs tomatoes
  • 1 sweet green pepper
  • 1 small eggplant
  • 1 head lettuce
  • 0.5 lbs delicata squash (1 small)
  • 0.5 lb chard
  • 0.75 lb kale
  • 2 cayenne peppers, 5 Thai peppers, 1 Chinese lantern (habanero) pepper
  • 0.5 oz. parsley
  • 0.5 oz. cilantro
  • 1 pint red raspberries
If you can find delicata squash anywhere, I highly recommend it. The flesh is just sweet enough that all I added was a bit of salt and pepper and a dab of butter before mashing and eating it. I'm looking forward to having another one this week. As for the tomatoes, green pepper and cilantro, I think some salsa is in order. For some reason, salads are making my stomach turn, so I'll have to find something creative to do with the lettuce. And, as usual, the kale and chard will probably be sauteed and tossed into a fritatta or pasta dish.

6 comments:

Louise said...

I have a silly question... what does all of this mean? What does CSA stand for?

Angie Ledbetter said...

I know it sounds gross, but have you ever tried lettuce soup? Might want to check out this nice site: http://www.theveggietable.com/recipes/lettucesoup.html

Ami said...

Louise - Good question. :) CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, people invest in a small farm by paying a fee before the spring planting and then they each receive a share of whatever the farm produces. It's a way to know where your food comes from while also contributing to the local economy.

Angie - I've heard of lettuce soup, but haven't had the nerve to try it. I guess now's my chance.

Louise said...

What a cool Idea! my girlfriend was just saying something like that the other day- and whining about what to do with a bushel of yellow burpee beets (which I love!)

PS I love your writing too :)

Anonymous said...

It sounds like a good week for the CSA. We have just gotten swiss chard back at our markets too, and it's so so good right now.

Ami said...

Louise - I've never had yellow beets, but I'm sure I'd love them! I could talk forever about my CSA, so if you want more info let me know and I'd be happy to share. :)

Tiffany - The chard is good, but I just keep doing the same things with it. I have good intentions of doing something new, but never get around to it.

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