THINKLIA

High-res CSA: Week 1 This past Saturday was our first CSA pickup of the year from Colvin Family Farm. Brandon and I joined the Colvin’s CSA program last year after getting a chance to “test drive” a friend’s share the year before and loving the experience (and the challenge).  So here’s what we got in our box (which is a large share): Two gorgeous, gigantic heads of lettuce A big head of bok choy Green onions Swiss chard Cauliflower Two heads of broccoli Garlic Strawberries (not pictured… because they were being eaten) In addition to supporting local farmers and getting to eat the freshest and most flavorful produce, what also excites me about our CSA is the chance to try out new veggies and recipes. I’ll be relying heavily on Food Network and Epicurious for inspiration. Our goal this year is to eat as much of our share every week as we possibly can, and to preserve (can or freeze) what we can’t eat. We did a pretty decent job last year, considering it was our first time. (But we did end up losing a lot of the vegetables that we froze when we lost power at our house due to the tornadoes that left us without electricity for several days.) I can’t even explain how excited we are about getting our first share for 2012. We’ve been counting the weeks until pickup day at the Market Square Farmers Market since the CSA season ended late last fall. And now it’s here! Is it weird to be this enthusiastic about vegetables? :)

CSA: Week 1

This past Saturday was our first CSA pickup of the year from Colvin Family Farm. Brandon and I joined the Colvin’s CSA program last year after getting a chance to “test drive” a friend’s share the year before and loving the experience (and the challenge). 

So here’s what we got in our box (which is a large share):

  • Two gorgeous, gigantic heads of lettuce
  • A big head of bok choy
  • Green onions
  • Swiss chard
  • Cauliflower
  • Two heads of broccoli
  • Garlic
  • Strawberries (not pictured… because they were being eaten)

In addition to supporting local farmers and getting to eat the freshest and most flavorful produce, what also excites me about our CSA is the chance to try out new veggies and recipes. I’ll be relying heavily on Food Network and Epicurious for inspiration.

Our goal this year is to eat as much of our share every week as we possibly can, and to preserve (can or freeze) what we can’t eat. We did a pretty decent job last year, considering it was our first time. (But we did end up losing a lot of the vegetables that we froze when we lost power at our house due to the tornadoes that left us without electricity for several days.)

I can’t even explain how excited we are about getting our first share for 2012. We’ve been counting the weeks until pickup day at the Market Square Farmers Market since the CSA season ended late last fall. And now it’s here!

Is it weird to be this enthusiastic about vegetables? :)

Our 2012 Garden

We filled up our raised beds this weekend with all kinds of goodies. Brandon has one entire bed dedicated to his super hot peppers, and in the other beds we have a bunch of greens, herbs, and tomatoes. Because we’re participating in a CSA program again this year, we decided to cut down on the amount of veggies that we’re growing at home. (There’s only so much squash you can take.)

And although I’m not a flower person, I bought a dahlia and some celosias to add a bit of color to the front of the house.

High-res The Last Eggplants I picked the last two eggplants from our raised beds yesterday. The plant seemed to be at the end of its fruitfulness, and with the dropping temperatures, it was time to clear out the bed and get it ready for the winter.  I’m thinking of roasting these two eggplants along with the last of our zucchini squash for dinner this week. Or I could draw faces on them. (Don’t they look like two funny little heads with silly green hair?)

The Last Eggplants

I picked the last two eggplants from our raised beds yesterday. The plant seemed to be at the end of its fruitfulness, and with the dropping temperatures, it was time to clear out the bed and get it ready for the winter. 

I’m thinking of roasting these two eggplants along with the last of our zucchini squash for dinner this week. Or I could draw faces on them. (Don’t they look like two funny little heads with silly green hair?)

I couldn’t get to sleep the other night because I kept worrying about what to do with the over abundance of zucchini and yellow squash that we have from our garden and our CSA. So I got out of bed and made a torte with layers of thinly sliced red potatoes (another veg we have too much of), sliced zucchini and squash, and covered with grated parmigiano reggiano, green onions, and fresh thyme.

Cooking is fun at any hour. Especially after midnight.

High-res We had an Iron Chef lunch today, and the secret ingredient/theme was fall harvest. I found a simple recipe for a butternut squash and white bean soup, and it turned out great. The only hard part was cutting up the butternut squash. Boy, does that take some muscles. Making the soup was very easy. Chop and saute one onion in a tablespoon of olive oil. Then add a can of diced tomatoes. After cooking that up for a few minutes, cut up a small butternut squash and throw in the pieces (about four cups worth). Then add five cups of water and some fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Once the squash is tender, add in a bunch of spinach and two cans of white beans. Cook for a few more minutes, and you’re done! I’m looking forward to making this again. This is definitely a good hearty winter veggie soup!

We had an Iron Chef lunch today, and the secret ingredient/theme was fall harvest. I found a simple recipe for a butternut squash and white bean soup, and it turned out great. The only hard part was cutting up the butternut squash. Boy, does that take some muscles.

Making the soup was very easy. Chop and saute one onion in a tablespoon of olive oil. Then add a can of diced tomatoes. After cooking that up for a few minutes, cut up a small butternut squash and throw in the pieces (about four cups worth). Then add five cups of water and some fresh thyme, salt and pepper. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Once the squash is tender, add in a bunch of spinach and two cans of white beans. Cook for a few more minutes, and you’re done!

I’m looking forward to making this again. This is definitely a good hearty winter veggie soup!