It's getting hot and humid...

...but that didn't stop us from receiving:

- gigantic, beautiful blackberries

- cucumbers

- eggplant (which I gave away)

- several heirloom tomatoes

- a huge bunch of basil

- zucchini and yellow squash

- sweet peppers

- garlic

- a delicious sample of almond and blueberry granola

CSA Week 9

Somehow the wonderful peach pie I made a couple weeks ago has gone unmentioned. It caught my eye on Smitten Kitchen's blog because it includes creme fraiche, and I happened to have a crust in the freezer, so it seemed like an appropriate time to make my first peach pie. The local peaches had just the right amount of tartness to balance the sweet streusel and the richness from the creme fraiche. There are still a couple slices of the pie left in the fridge, only because there was no chocolate involved.

Otherwise, Week 9 wasn't too unusual. I mixed tuna salad with white beans and cucumber and tomato salad for lunch a few times. Davy and I had a few friends over and grilled our squash, zucchini, peppers, and onions along with sausage. The vegetables on the grill, tossed only with olive oil, salt, and pepper, never disappoint.

On Sunday we experimented with a recipe I found in March for breaded zucchini filled with mozzarella cheese. I knew that we'd appreciate it the most when zucchini was in season and we'd had it enough on the grill to almost tire of it. We ate it with homemade meat sauce that I refreshed with some ripe tomatoes, and it turned out beautifully: the mozzarella and breading browned on the top, and the zucchini was cooked but not soggy. There was also enough basil and garlic to make a double batch of pesto, and that played a role in our meal as well.

I marinated chicken breasts with olive oil, parsley, lemon juice, chilis, coriander seed, and cumin seed on Monday for dinner. The yellow and green beans, though almost a week old, were still crisp and fresh when we steamed them. Some potatoes held over from a previous share week were delicious roasted with olive oil and rosemary to complete the meal. Actually, the meal wasn't complete until I indulged in some peach pie.

CSA Week 7 and 8

The past few weeks have flown by, and I have been neglecting my blog. I still don't have much time for the two posts I'm behind on, but I will share some pictures and a few of the highlights.


I used the green cabbage from Week 7 to make a Pad Thai type chicken dish, and that also included the sweet pepper, which contributed sweetness and crunch to the dish. Most of the arugula went into salads with the tomatoes and basil vinaigrette. The peaches have been very juicy, and I remembered just how much I love cucumbers and tomatoes with feta.


I also managed to make some pesto, and roasted tomatoes, sweet peppers, zucchini, squash, onion and garlic with the vegetable assortment I had in my fridge near the end of the week.



Now that we're totally moved, I should be able to post more regularly, and more often.

Return of the Radishes

I wasn't expecting radishes this week, but we got some! I have to figure out what to make with those and:

- a big bag of tomatoes

- peaches

- basil

- sweet peppers

- cucumbers

- zucchini

- summer squash

- red yard long beans

Nelson County Peaches

I was thrilled to get Darbi's email last night that we'll be receiving peaches from Nelson County this week and hopefully a few more as long as they're in season. We also got:

- sweet peppers

- onions

- two types of cucumbers

- zucchini

- yellow squash (pictured)

- a large bag of heirloom tomatoes

- fennel

- basil

- a bag of different types of beans - standard green snap beans and yard long (both red and green)

Blackberries!

We got gorgeous blackberries this week, and tomatoes (a variety) for the first time. The share also included:

- spring onions

- garlic

- fennel

- arugula

- potatoes

- sweet pepper

- cabbage

CSA Week 6

July has already been a complete whirlwind, so it's surprising that were still going through our veggies at a steady pace. I think I ate basil in everything this week because there was so much of it and it gives everything an extra flavor punch.

On Tuesday I made a tuna salad (tuna packed in olive oil is a must) with white beans, red onion and basil. I had it for lunch the following day with a whole wheat pita and a big pile of spicy arugula.

We had friends over on Thursday night to see the new house - I haven't cooked there yet but I can't wait for the gas stove. I used the last of our venison sausage provisions in an earthy risotto with chard and roasted carrots and green beans. Roasting the vegetables bought out the beans' carrots' sweetness even more. I forgot to add the vermouth at the beginning, but there was enough of a flavor variety that I didn't even miss it.

Friday was a long-awaited holiday, and we celebrated by making hash browns, scrambled eggs, and an arugula salad with sweet pepper and pine nuts. It's amazing how fresh, homemade hash browns taste compared to stale, artificial restaurant potatoes. That evening I roasted some of Shannon's homegrown zucchini and squash with fennel and onion from the share for a pasta salad. I combined the vegetables with lemon zest, basil, feta, and a simple dressing to finish it off Saturday morning before the Fourth of July cookout.

My pizza from Friday's dinner at 3 Monkeys was the perfect easy meal for Sunday night with an arugula salad. On Monday I indulged in another simple dinner with more of the tuna salad, arugula, and pita. I also snacked on some of the sauteed green cabbage I decided to make that night while I had some spare time. It was savory and spicy with the addition of a little sesame oil, soy sauce, garlic, and Thai peppers, and it ended up being an appealing snack on Tuesday as well.

I was off pick up duty on Tuesday and used the rest of the basil from the previous week's share to make a basil vinaigrette. It's reminiscent of pesto, but lighter due to the added tang of vinegar and the absence of cheese. I finished off the cabbage and sauteed some chicken with garlic to eat with the vinaigrette and leftover pasta.

Between summer activities and trying to clean out the kitchen before moving, I've managed to come up with some decent meals. Hopefully the trend can continue as we pack and move our equipment to a new setting with a fancy gas stove.

Fresh Start

After a week off, I was excited to receive:

- a small head of green cabbage

- a sweet pepper

- fennel

- basil

- arugula

- potatoes

- red onions

- chard

- sweet carrots