Apparently I put off making the CSA posts until the very last moment, i.e., when I’m getting ready to pick up the next week’s batch and I feel embarrassed. Take it from me, though, that the CSA veggies are so awesome that they can sit in the fridge for a full week and not suffer. We just ate the last of our mixed greens for dinner last night, and they were perfectly crisp and colorful. I let the kale from week 1 go for over two weeks and only a couple of leaves turned a mild, reproachful yellow around the edges. CSA veggies are very accommodating.

Week 3’s pickup consisted of: Napa cabbage, mixed greens, three grapefruit, five oranges, two enormous carrots, bean sprouts, mushrooms, spinach, dozen eggs, and loaf of bread (I picked challah).

I think so far we’ve only consumed a couple of leaves of Napa cabbage (julienned and served with noodle soup), the mixed greens (side salads for two meals), the bean sprouts (again with the noodle soup), and the spinach and mushrooms. I like slicing the mushrooms, sauteing them with minced garlic in olive oil and butter, and then tossing the mess with wilted spinach. It’s a winning combination.

By the way, I love dealing with spinach, because it’s barely any work. Sure, it looks like a lot, and CSA spinach is so grimy that it needs an extra rinse in the salad spinner… but just cram it all into a pot, leaves still wet from washing, and turn the heat on medium.

Cover the pot and just walk away. If you check back a bit later, this is what you’ll see:

Ta-da, wilted spinach, all ready to be tossed with flavored oil and whatever else. That huge mass of spinach, half of the CSA haul, barely covers the bottom of the pot when wilted down.

It’s always nice when Breezy Willow Farm starts up their CSA again in the spring. I give up a lot of vegetable autonomy to the CSA haul, and I actually find it annoying to have to shop for vegetables. It’s also nice to see the Caulders and the work-share helpers again; it’s like a big family out there.

The first week brought a pound of kale, last year’s apples from cold storage (York and Red Delicious), beets, carrots, sweet potatoes, and mushrooms. I was also glad to see the oranges and grapefruit from Florida; after a couple years of the spring CSA, citrus now reminds me of spring. We also got the usual eggs and bread (Great Harvest rye).

My only problem with the pickup was my timing. I usually go after I get off work, but I got out early and decided to hit the CSA during opening hour. Boy was that a mistake. The place was so packed that they were shuffling people around in the driveway and the parking lot, and there was mud everywhere. Also, you had to stand in line to get into the building, and although the sky was blue outside, the wind was pretty stiff and cold. Casey said that the early rush happens every year, and that afterwards people tend to even out their arrival times. I’ll have to remember this for next year. I’m glad the CSA is doing well, but next time I’m definitely waiting until my usual hour before I show up.

Late, late, late, that’s what my CSA posts are. Home cooking has become even more of an adventure now that the kid is scooting around on the linoleum, tripping me up while I’m wandering around the kitchen holding hot items or knives or other dangerous things. As a bonus, he has learned to pry open the kitchen cupboards and grab an onion or a towel before the door closes on his hand (or head!). I keep meaning to get those child-safe door-blocker thingies. Someday soon.

(I try to put him in the next room, but he cries if he’s left alone too long, so I let him scoot around on the kitchen floor. So much for my lofty parenting ideals.)

Anyway, I need to squeeze this post in before we get the CSA pickup again tomorrow. I really love visiting the farm this time of year; the weather is wonderful.

Three whole weeks ago! was CSA week 17, consisting of corn, Savoy cabbage (this actually sat in the fridge, perfectly crisp, until I cooked it up this past weekend), red potatoes, green beans, tomatoes, Gala and Jonagold apples, an acorn squash, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest pecan pumpkin, mmm).

And then! Two weeks ago, CSA week 18, bringing us more corn (I think this was the season’s last corn), more tomatoes, another acorn squash, Granny Smith and Gala apples, turnips, Brussels sprouts, white potatoes, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest challah). We cooked the corn and squash on the grill, baked the turnips with some carrots, baked the Brussels sprouts with garlic, and stashed the potatoes for later.

Finally, last week, CSA week 19: Lovely large heads of broccoli and cheddar cauliflower (cheddar indicates the color, not the flavor), onions, mushrooms, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, and Golden Delicious apples, sweet potatoes, even more Brussels sprouts (don’t worry, I love Brussels sprouts), eggs, and bread (Great Harvest white).

When I take home the share, all the apples go straight into the bottom fridge drawer; they can keep for weeks at a time. The kid is running out of applesauce, though, so I’m hoping to make some more tonight; as a bonus, it’ll clear out the apple space for the inevitable apple onslaught. The last few weeks of the CSA are always very apple-heavy — which is not a bad thing, at all.

It’s three CSA updates in one! Observant viewers will note the increasing preponderance of apples in the CSA pickups. Apple season is in full swing, which combined with the cooling temperatures makes me very happy. Apples are great by themselves, but most of the best ways to have apples involve turning on the oven.

Week 14: corn, zucchini, tomatoes, green peppers, Gala and Cortland apples, mushrooms, spinach, eggs, and bread (Breezy Willow challah).

I thought the presentation of the apples at the CSA pickup site was adorable.

Also, it was a gorgeous day (one of a string of gorgeous days! Isn’t it lovely to be outside this time of year?) and one of their llamas was out lounging in the sun.

(with bonus chicken!)

On to week 15: green beans, tomatoes, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, Jonathan and Gala apples, kale, corn, garlic, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest sourdough).

This week’s pickup was particularly notable in that I’d specifically gone to the farmer’s market the week prior, to pick up sweet potatoes, which I wanted to mash for the kid. If only I’d waited a week to introduce sweet potato, I would have had plenty. Oh well, there are worse problems in the world than “too many sweet potatoes”.

Week 16 (this week): spinach, corn, eggplant, Golden Delicious and Red Delicious apples, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest parmesan sourdough).

We are now absolutely swimming in corn as I still haven’t gotten around to using up the corn from last week. I’m going to blanch it, cut the kernels off, and freeze them for use in the winter. I love the sweet taste of summer corn during the cold winter months.

Peach season is drawing to a close, and apple season is starting up. In a typical fit of end-of-season overindulgence, I bought a giant batch of peaches from the Oakland Mills farmer’s market on Sunday. I’m planning peach crumble, peach chutney for pork chops, and pureed stewed peaches for the kid. Mmm, peaches.

Anyway, back to the CSA. Week 12 marks the halfway point in the program, and I feel fortunate that although the weather has not exactly been ideal, the harvest is still bountiful. We got corn, mushrooms, apples, plums, peppers, tomatoes, bread (sourdough), and yogurt instead of eggs. I traded beets for kale. Frankly, I’m kind of tired of beets, and besides, I had a hankering for colcannon.

Week 13 brought us corn, green beans, onions, apples, tomatoes, garlic, eggs, and bread (lavender foccaccia). I traded even more beets for extra potatoes (colcannon again!). There’s so much corn now that I’m cutting it off the cob and freezing it for the winter.

The bread was ok, but I probably won’t get it again. I’m not sure about the taste of lavender in my food; to me, it’s more of a perfume ingredient. Breezy Willow is touting their new honey lavender ice cream. I’m kind of dubious about that as well.

With the recent glut of apples, I’ve been making applesauce for the kid. He loves it. Who wouldn’t? Making applesauce is so easy it’s almost easier than buying it in stores — simply peel and core the apples, cut them into chunks, and put them in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until they get soft and mushy. That’s it. No need to add water, sugar, or cinnamon (unless you want to). I give it a little extra mashing for the kid, since he doesn’t
have teeth yet, but adults can just eat as is. Makes the house smell amazing, too. I even forgot about it and took a nap, leaving it simmering gently on the stove for an hour or two, and all it did was get an even sweeter, deeper flavor. You can’t lose with applesauce.

The hot weather has really been putting a crimp in my cooking. Who wants to stand in front of a stove in this weather? I hope we get a break soon… I’m very grateful to the hard workers at the farm for toiling in the heat.

Week 8 of the CSA was a “bonus item” week so we got cheese instead of eggs; I chose a Colby jack. The rest of the pickup: kale, cantaloupe, corn, tomatoes (they look pale but they flushed up pretty quickly), peaches, bok choy, eggplant, green peppers, and bread (Great Harvest parmesan sourdough).

We managed to eat almost everything here, but I failed with the kale. Kale usually holds up pretty well in the fridge, but I waited too long and it was sadly slimy and brown by the time I pulled it out of the bag… two weeks later. It’s always sad to throw good CSA vegetables away.

Week 9 of the CSA: garlic, tomatoes, cantaloupe, eggplant, corn, peaches, zucchini, red potatoes, cucumbers, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest challah).

I’m always glad to see cantaloupe and peaches. No cooking required!

Week 6 in the Breezy Willow Farm CSA: chard, tomatoes, eggplant, beets, Shiro plums, mushrooms, peaches, green peppers, eggs, and bread (Great Harvest’s parmesan sourdough).

I’m really excited about the tomatoes. Tomatoes, like strawberries, are absolutely stellar when they’re at that perfect peak-of-season ripeness. I like to cut them up and serve them as a side at breakfast, with salt and freshly ground pepper.

My favorite items from this week, though, were the Shiro plums. The pictures don’t really do them justice, but they’re a lovely pale golden color — a nice contrast to the little red Methley plums that we usually get. The flesh is sweet, but the skin is a little bitter.

Week 7: corn, peaches, kale, cucumbers, cantaloupe, more tomatoes, squash, bag lettuce, eggs, and bread (parmesan sourdough again; I’m a sucker for that bread).

For the squash ration, we could choose from zucchini, yellow squash, and patty pan. I went with all zucchini because honestly it’s my favorite, and it’s easy to prep for grill or fryer. I find yellow squash a bit bland, and patty pan is tasty but really annoying to break down.

The cantaloupe was perfectly ripe, so we ate it right away. I hope we get more melons this coming week.