I’ll miss the veggies, of course. But, I’ll miss the experience, too. I really enjoyed those days when it was my turn to go to the farm and pick up for the group. For just a day it was nice to shed the suburbs, the corporate life, the cars and traffic; to get outside in the great outdoors; to mingle, although briefly, with the people who farmed and harvested the vegetables. For a few hours I’d walk the fields and pick my own beans, cukes, berries, apples, strawberries and kiwis. I’d smell the freshly baked bread sold in the barn (even though I can’t eat it I love the smell of home made bread). And, it was gratifying to see the baskets in the barn brimming with vegetables and fruits in shades of green, yellow, red, orange, and brown. I even liked dividing everything up and delivering it to my co-CSA partners in town.

And, that’s just the experience not the food. We ate beets, chard, kale, and so many other veggies for the first time this year. My kitchen and family experienced new recipes. Our diets were more nutritious and it seemed like everything tasted better.  The bonus—the food was organic.

So, will I do it again? Yes, definitely. I hope you’ll try the experience, too, if you have the opportunity.

Fortunately, my trip to the farm was made in beautiful weather. I was able to spend some time picking more raspberries and then follow the signs up the hill, down an old road, and into the field where the kiwi grow. The kiwi plant looks like a cross between a vine and a small tree. They grow in an arbor setting so you walk beneath the canopy of green leaves to pick the gorgeous little fruit hanging down in clumps waiting for you. Kiwi, kiwi, and more kiwi!

I always thought they grew in warmer climates so was surprised to see them in the pick your own section of the large chalkboard in the barn. These kiwi, though, are not like the green ones you buy in the store—not like the New Zealand kiwi. They are small—a little bigger than a large grape—and greenish brown. Wash ‘em off and pop ‘em in your mouth. They’re citrusy, sweet, and wonderful! Big score!

There will be no kiwi recipes because IMHO they are meant to be eaten just the way Mother Nature made them.

It’s simply roasted with other vegetables and then used in a variety of recipes. And, oh, it’s sooo good. Just look at it. Isn’t it beautiful?

The roasted veggies are delicious mixed with tomato sauce and then served over gluten free penne. Tomorrow I’m planning to have roasted vegetable topped pizza. And, then who knows? It freezes very nicely so there’s time to think up some new ways to enjoy it.

Roasted Eggplant, Tomatoes, Onions, and Peppers

Cut up the veggies. I used 2 or 3 ripe tomatoes, a large onion, a medium sized eggplant and a large red pepper. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Roast for about 30-40 minutes until nicely wilted and beginning to carmelize. Keep an eye on the veggies to assure they don’t burn. I peeked in at about 15 to 20 minutes, tossing them to assure even cooking.

The summer is just about over (remember it doesn’t officially end until September 21) and life is slowing down a bit. And, so unfortunately are the veggies. Although we’ll get something each week until Thanksgiving I don’t expect to get the kind of bounty we had in the summer months.

So, how did I do? Well, I did find it was tough keeping up with the veggies some weeks.  But, I did learn a few tricks—a little late—along the way to help me use up what I’d gotten.

I now have some corn, green beans, and carrots in the freezer for this winter’s stews and soups. And, I will definitely make more Maple Corn Fritters because they’re sooo good. I’ve also got some frozen soup (Jane’s Garden Minestrone) and ratatouille which will make nice lunches on cold days. I learned to make a big pan of all types of veggies mixed together to have with grilled chicken or fish. Or, on cooler days I roasted them with potatoes for a one pot meal.

The most important thing I took away from this experience was to let go. That’s a tough one for someone like me who’s a planner. I make a list when I go to the grocery store and in my head I’ve planned what I want to make the upcoming week. You kind of have to do that, right? Well, with the CSA, Mother Nature is doing that planning for you. You can kind of get an idea of what’s in season and get a jump on it but for the most part you get your veggies each week and then decide what to do with them. That’s just the opposite of what I’ve always done. I think I’ll be better at it next year.

Anyway, we got Brussels Sprouts Greens this week. OK, could you have planned for that one? Not me. I didn’t even know there was such a thing! Well, I just jumped in and here’s what I came up with.

Brussels Sprouts Greens with Penne

First, I sauted a half an onion (chopped) and a clove of garlic in olive oil. I added two beautifully ripe diced tomatoes. Topped it all with the chopped greens (without the woody stems) and simmered it until they were wilted. A little more olive oil, some chicken broth, cooked pasta and some diced cooked chicken were mixed in. Served with grated cheese and, boy, was it was heaven!! The greens were sweeter than expected. I like them!

So, I’ll try to write each week but if not will do so when I can.

The Northeast got a tremendous amount of rain this spring and early summer. So, we will definitely not be worried about drought as we have been in some summers past. Unfortunately the crops are behind. According to the farm lettuces are doing just great but other plants are not producing as many vegetables as they have in the past. I know that our own few tomato plants have small green tomatoes when we should be close to picking them about now.

This week we got a lot of lettuce, cucumbers, onions, and more beets. (Beets, beets, beets!) More zucchini and I got there a little late so I missed out on eggplants! Too bad. There was swiss chard, amaranth (a very pretty green I have never seen before) and green beans.

I made a great Green Bean Salad. It’s a family favorite: cut the beans into 1 inch or bigger pieces. Cook them until they’re al dente. Add your favorites (cut into bite sized chunks): carrots, artichokes, cooked red potatoes, black olives. Mix with a balsamic viniagrette. Chill and then serve.

Pick your own was interesting: more green beans, pickling cukes, and flowers. Beautiful, beautiful flowers. (That I picked just before the heavens opened up and drenched us with more, yes more, rain.)

I think we made up for it this weekend, though. Spent some time at the beach with my mother, niece, and sister. My sister is a CSA maven. I brought the bag of veggies, she dug in and planned how we’d use them—well, most of them—this weekend.

We really didn’t get anything new this week. So here’s what we did - salad, salad, salad.

• Roasted Beet Salad - roasted the beets in parchment and then foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes until fork tender. Then chilled them, cut them up and ate them with some herbs and a light vinaigrette.
• Green Salads - We had a salad every day for lunch with fresh greens, radicchio, cucumber, raw peas, and some of her fresh, homemade goat feta. 
• Fresh Bean Salad - yellow and green beans and basil. Also, some artichokes and veggies which were not from the garden. Again, a light vinaigrette.

I’ve got some summer squash, fennel, and half a head of cabbage left. Tomorrow night I think I’ll make ratatouille. Have got to come up with something new for cabbage because I’ve got about a head and a half in the fridge.

For the fennel—I’m thinking carmelizing, like onions. I’m not sure yet what to serve with it but will come up with something. The fennel we get from the Garden are small. They are flat not the typical large bulb you see in the grocery store.

Tuesday will be here again in no time so I’ve got some cooking to do!

The day seemed very promising weatherwise—sunny and warm. We’ve had a lot of rain in the Northeast this spring so the few sunny, summery days we’ve had have been cherished. I sat on my Mother’s deck and took in view—fields and mountains and not another house in sight. It was serene and the heat from the sun was delicious.

The sun was still shining when I traveled country roads to the farm. I enjoy entering the little barn to measure out my 1 pound of this, a few of these, another few pounds of that. I’m there with other women all gathering  the bounty they’ll cook sometime later that day or week for their families. You can feel that we share a similar, almost instinctive, intent. I’m certain if coffee, tea, or ice cold lemonade were served we’d stop to visit awhile before moving on to the rest of the day.

Next was “pick your own”—my favorite time. There were the last of the strawberries and just ripened sugar snap peas in the fields. I like the fields and the evidence of skill and caring obvious in the orderly rows of strawberry plants and tall, staked and tied snap pea vines. The vines were at least six feet tall and there was just enough room to walk between two rows. When I got 10 or 12 feet deep I was surrounded by green and the sky was visible between curling vines and leaves.

I’d seen the sky was beginning to cloud up and standing in the field could feel the storm making its way toward the farm. The wind picked up a bit and there was a cool damp breeze. I was done for the day and on my way back to my Mother’s the storm kicked up an amazing wind. I almost felt like I was in Kansas, Dorothy! It was pouring buckets by the time I got to her house so I waited out the storm there.

All in all it was a perfect day!

Oh yeah, you probably want to know what I got at the farm—the requisite lettuces, a cucumber, snow peas, broccoli and fava beans. Another cabbage, the radicchio, baby turnips, carrots, and garlic scapes. And, the strawberries and sugar snap peas.

Tonight I made Chicken Teriyaki using onions, snow peas, broccoli, carrots, garlic scapes, and radicchio. I sauteed a smashed garlic clove and chopped garlic scapes in grapeseed oil. Added the sliced and quartered onion until wilted. Then broccoli, snow peas, and carrots, tossing a few times, and sprinkled with San-J Gluten Free Teriyaki Sauce and Marinade. Covered for a few minutes. Finally, made a well in the veggies, added a little more oil and the chicken tossing until cooked through. Added the chopped radicchio and covered until wilted. Topped with a little more Teriyaki and tada. Fresh, crispy and wonderful.

This week I’ve been introduced to garlic scapes—a pigtail-like green stalk that’s a gourmet favorite. A quick scan of the internet tells me they can be made into pesto, steamed or roasted like asparagus or used in a stir fry. So, there’s some culinary experimentation in my near future.

And, the long awaited fava beans that my sister raves about every year. She sautés them with a little garlic and oil, adds some mint and serves over pasta. That’s a bit different. Worth a try.

There are more greens destined for salad, a zucchini to be grilled, some broccoli, another cabbage, and snow peas. I’ll be sure to update with some more details about how I used these wonderful veggies.

June 29

Last night we had NJ BBQ Ribs with my version of Bubble and Squeak (using smashed red potatoes, carmelized onions, and shredded sauted cabbage plus some herbs). And, then, tonight I made Escarole & Pasta - sauted escarole, tomatoes, chicken broth over gluten-free pasta and topped with Tiny Turkey Meatballs. Perfect! Recipes to come.

I have a nice escarole, half a head of cabbage, and some broccoli in the fridge (not to mention those beets!) that are waiting to be called into service. One of them will have to step forward for tonight’s dinner. Thinking the cabbage could make a great slaw to go with the flounder I’m making. Gotta do a little research on that but it sounds like a plan.

June 24

Made Pretty Chopped Slaw with the cabbage last night. Definitely a keeper.

I noticed we got beets this week and last. I’ve never cooked fresh beets so I posted a question on Twitter about how people like to prepare their beets. Got some interesting suggestions and this coming week I will be trying one. But, which one?

@artchair I wrap them in foil along w/a head of garlic. Cook at 425 until soft. Then peel, cut & eat over spinach w/a drizzle of oil.

@jo_jo_ba Raw grated into salad w carrots + cuke, or baked into chocolate cake ;-)

@KandTglutenfree Last week, I cut in chunks then roasted. Cooled. Then mixed with fresh mint and goat cheese. Yummy! Roasting is the key!

@Cyetter My mother bakes them in the oven wrapped in tinfoil? Smells good.

@othergretchen Roasted beets! Beet soup! If they are sweet and tender, raw in salads with goat/sheep cheese and walnuts!

@sarahfelicity Borscht. Or in a cold beet salad with goat chevre.

Lots of great suggestions from my beet loving friends! Thanks.

June 14, 2009

My sister shared an interesting recipe with me that sounded wonderful—Watermelon Feta Salad. I made it tonight and I will definitely be making again because it was quick and delicious. First, I tossed baby greens from the Garden with a lime vinaigrette dressing (lime juice, white balsamic vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper). Topped it with watermelon, sliced in 1/4 inch thick bite-sized pieces, sheep’s milk feta, thinly sliced red onion and drizzled with more of the lime vinaigrette. The sweet taste of the watermelon, creaminess of the feta, and tang of the citrus makes for a really refreshing summer salad. (And, apparently a very popular combo because if you Google it you will find many variations on the theme!)