CSA Adventures: Summer Week 1

This week's CSA pickup included:

5 quarts of strawberries (half of one got eaten on the way home!)
1 head of Bok Choi
1 head of lettuce
Crimson Rhubarb
1 bunch of radishes (with the greens!)
1 bunch of Kale
Some parsley and cilantro from the pick-your-own herb garden
1 dozen eggs

And then because I always feel bad for the poor sad misfit vegetables, we also got two HUGE bunches of rhubarb, 2 big bunches of collard greens, 1 bunch of green onions, a bag of spinach, and 8 quarts of jam grade strawberries.

This was plenty of food to feed our family for a week, and it may be one of the smaller week's shares of the season. I know when the harvest really begins we're going to be loaded with fresh veggies and I'm just so excited to be able to stock it all up. No more grocery store for me! Hurrah!! 

Here's how we used it:

Strawberries & Rhubarb
We ate two quarts of strawberries the first day, and at least a quart a day since then. I also made three loafs of this Strawberry Rhubarb Pecan bread, this Strawberry Summer Cake, these Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp bars, Strawberry Rhubarb Soda Syrup, Strawberry Lemonade, Strawberry Milk, Strawberry Popsicles, a few breakfast smoothies, and Roasted Vanilla Strawberries (recipe coming soon). I'm working on a revised post on what to do with strawberries, but you can check this one out in the meantime. You really can never have too many strawberries!

Bok Choy
I blanched this the day I picked it up so I could cook it quickly later in the week. We're using it for Fried Rice for tonight's dinner.

Lettuce
I had big plans to make lettuce wraps, but in the end, we ended up using this for salads. I had two lunch salads and then we made a huge salad for dinner. My favorite salad was this Steak Salad! I used lettuce and strawberries from this week's share, picked up some tomatoes and cilantro when at the stand today and made mango salsa to use instead of dressing. Then we topped it with a grilled beef strip steak from last month's meat pickup. The only thing that might have made it better was crumbled blue cheese on top. And maybe some pecans. Next time!

Radishes
I made radish butter with this bunch. It's so surprisingly delicious. I mixed the greens with some basil to make pesto and stuck it in the freezer for later use. For more radish ideas, check out this post on For the Love of Radishes.

Kale
I love this easy pasta dish because it comes together in no time. I altered it just a bit this time around, cooking 2 slices of bacon at the beginning, then using the bacon grease to cook some green onions and spring garlic (from my garden!) instead of leeks. I had picked up some seconds roma tomatoes a couple of weeks ago and slow-roasted them, so they were patiently waiting for me in the fridge. It's one of my favorite staples to have in the fridge, especially this time of year.

Using the rest of the Kale, some spinach and some seconds potatoes that were hanging out on my counter from a couple of weeks ago, I made these twice baked potatoes and stuck them in the freezer. We didn't have a chance to eat them this week, but it's one of my FAVORITE meals ... and I love being able to pull it out for a fast side or main course.

Parsley and cilantro - This went in my mango salsa for the Steak Salad.

Eggs - We go through at least a dozen eggs a week ... sometimes more. This week we boiled some to take to the beach with us, made a breakfast scramble with some, and used some in all the strawberry rhubarb pecan loaf that I made.

It feels good to be back in the swing of CSA-land. We can hardly wait for this week's pickup!

For the Love of Radishes

Radishes are what I call an "almost instant gratification" crop. You plant the seeds and the babies are ready to harvest in just a few weeks. It's really kind of amazing! My mom used to eat radishes right out of my Gramma's garden when she was pregnant with me, so it's no wonder that I just simply adore them. If you've never had one, go get some! They are super crisp, amazingly fresh, and have a peppery bite to them that will surprise you.

Radishes are usually grown during the cooler months, but they will grow all summer if you want them to. The greens are edible too - although they are kind of prickly, so I'm not a huge fan of eating them raw. Besides just eating them right out of the garden, here are a few of my favorite ways to use them up. 

• Slice them thin and put them on a salad. I love pairing them with whatever fruit is in season. The fruit is sweet, and the radishes are spicy, and it just ends up to be perfection on a plate!
• Make Radish Butter! I know it sounds strange, but it's so amazingly delicious on a big crust baguette. 
• Or if butter isn't your thing, make a Radish Dip. Mix 8 ounces of softened cream cheese with one small bunch of radishes in a food processor. Throw in a pinch of salt and a few basil leaves. You can dip crackers, pretzels, or other veggies in it. I brought this to a farm potluck once and it was gone within a matter of minutes.

And don't forget the greens! My favorite way to use the greens is making a pesto with them. It has a spicy, peppery flavor that is unique in pesto. you can spread it on crusty bread, put it out on a Bruschetta  platter, mix it with some hot pasta, spread it on chicken ... once you've turned your greens into pesto, the possibilities are endless! This Baked Ziti is one of my favorite ways to use up pesto.

You can also roast and pickle radishes, but I haven't found a recipe for either of those that I actually like. I think they taste best raw.

What are your favorite ways to eat radishes?

CSA Adventures: Springdell Edition

When we lived in Atlanta, we were part of a CSA at a small urban farm and we loved it. It challenged us to eat locally and seasonally and it transformed how we thought about food. We found ourselves stocking up extras and planning to make it the entire year without having to buy produce at the grocery store. I loved sharing our CSA Adventures here on Soul Munchies, and have missed that part of our life - so I am bringing it back to you with a new and improved series ... the Springdell Farm Edition!

We didn't have a CSA last summer, simply because there were so many farms around us and I couldn't choose one. As I explored the farms, I found myself going to one over and over again, so this year we jumped right in and are now proud summer, winter, and soon-to-be spring supporters of Springdell Farm in Littleton, Massachusetts. Beginning this week, we will get 95% of our produce, eggs, and meat for the entire year through their farm and local partners - and we can hardly wait to pick up our first share!

We chose Springdell because of it's variety and because of the size of the CSA. We like that they offer a Winter and a Spring CSA in addition to the common and popular Summer CSA. We love that the land they are on has been a farm since the 1700s, and has been in their family since the 1930s. I personally love that the main farmer is a young woman, not even 30, who grew up on the farm and now has made it her own. Her mom is the main meat farmer - and it makes my heart sing to support a farm run by a mother/daughter pair.

My own adventures in gardening here have taught me that farming is a real art here in New England, and I'm so thankful to have Springdell and its crew to feed my family ... since my crops are mostly feeding wildlife. We will pickup our Summer share on Thursdays, so I'll do meal planning and preparation over the weekend and check in here on Soul Munchies sometime on Sunday or Monday each week to show you what we picked up and how we are using it. I hope you'll come join the fun!

Radish Butter Sandwiches

I can hear you now ... Radish butter? Have you lost your mind? But seriously ... it's the best appetizer and/or light lunch I've discovered lately. It's fresh, flavorful, and just downright tasty. There's something about the crunchy, peppery taste of a radish mixed with good salted butter that screams "Spring is here!"

I first made it with some french breakfast radishes I picked up from the farmer's market, but it's also delicious with plain red radishes or big purple daikon radishes ... or any radish you choose. The flavor is more or less peppery depending on the variety you choose, but no less delicious. Try it ... and let me know what you think!

Radish Butter
From Deborah Madison's Local Flavors

Ingredients
5 french breakfast radishes, chopped small (it was a little over 1/2 cup)
1 stick salted butter (1/2 cup), softened - it's best with Kerrygold butter or Amish roll butter, but any salted butter will do
1 tsp lemon zest

Preparation
Mix ingredients well. I use my KitchenAid mixer, because it's super easy - but you can also use a good old fashioned wooden spoon too.

Serve spooned over crusty bread. A good baguette from your favorite bakery is perfect.

Photo Credit