Due to circumstances beyond my control*, there will be no picture of the last CSA basket. It's rather fitting, in that I'm ending the same way I began ;)
I actually got the basket last Friday, a week ahead of schedule, as that was the last week of the CSA. But, as far as I can remember, the basket had squash, potatoes white and sweet, radishes, peppers, salad mix, carrots, celeriac, turnip and apples... and grape jelly!!
The radishes, peppers and salad mix became lunch, the taters and carrots ended up in the turkey shepherd's pie and I still have the rest of the food. The apples and jelly will be eaten as normal, but I have no plans for the rest.. yet.
Being that it's the end of my first CSA year, I'm thinking about how it went, and if I'll do it again.
And I wish I had a definitive answer, but I don't.
I like the connection the CSA gives me, the link to my local farming community. I like the fact that my money is going directly to the farmers. I like the fresh, healthy, local food.
But...
I found a lot of food to be repetitive of what I was growing in my own garden. I found that the quantity I received (although plentiful for the money spent) wasn't enough to either keep me in fruit and vegetables for two weeks, nor enough to preserve for winter. And, although this speaks more toward my own need for stability and control and not toward any lack in the CSA, I found the whole "Surprise!" thing slightly frustrating. At least with my own garden, I can see what's getting close to harvest, and plan accordingly.
So, what am I going to do going forward?
Although I haven't ruled out the CSA for next year, this year taught me that what I really need is a source of local food that does two things:
1. Supplements what I grow myself, and fills in the gaps.
2. Provides large quantities at one time for preserving.
Which, when you think about it, describes a Farmer's Market, not a CSA.
I do have an idea in the back of my mind, though, about approaching the farm about a "Preserver's CSA": I give them some money up-front, and plan to receive, for example, larger quantities of items I don't grow myself - fruits mostly, but also cucumbers and squash (since I can't seems to keep them alive here) and maybe a few other items, like corn. I think the benefit to the farm would be knowing they have a guaranteed sale, instead of waiting for me to show up at the Market, and the fact that I won't show up at the Market and buy the entire bushel of whatever they were hoping to sell that week :)
I still have a few months to figure this out, and I might just pop over to the farm one of these days and sound them out about this.
And maybe they still have some grape jelly....
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* I spent last weekend at my parent's house, cat-sitting while they went and had fun at a cottage for Thanksgiving. Thus, no camera and no photo!
Showing posts with label CSA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CSA. Show all posts
CSA Basket 9 of 10
The second-last CSA basket! I cannot believe it's gone so quickly!!
This week, we got the end of summer mixed with the start of fall...
The last of the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, kale, radishes, green beans, onions, apples and pears, potatoes both white and sweet, beets and a fantastic squash. The Katy-head did not come from the CSA :)
I think the tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and radishes will join some dressing and feta cheese for the last "Greek" salad of the year, and the rest will get eaten as part of some nice hearty fare over the next week or so.
The Katy-head is for decoration only :)
$5 Dollar Challenge Vegetable Soup
I had heard about this challenge from a couple of different blogs, but decided to pass, given the busy weekend ahead of me.
I made a run to the CSA farm last night, and to the Welland Farmer's Market this morning, without even thinking about this challenge.
I ate a late breakfast of local eggs and toast made from bread bought at the market, without even thinking about the challenge.
I canned up some tomatoes today, and worked a bit in the garden, without even thinking about the challenge.
I ate a "lunch" of an apple and pear from the CSA basket, without even thinking about the challenge.
I decided that vegetable soup sounded like an excellent supper idea, without even thinking about the challenge.
Half-way through making the soup, I thought about the challenge.
Of course, I'm not really following the rules of the challenge since I'm not sharing this meal with anyone but the dogs, who may get to lick my empty bowl, and the salt, pepper, spices and butter on the bread aren't local.
I also didn't keep track of costs - how much does home-grown produce cost? How much for the stuff from the CSA share? The corn was $6/dozen, so two cobs comes out to $1.00. The bread was around $3, so two slices is... somewhere around $0.50 maybe?
So I didn't really do the challenge, but thinking about it made me realize something.
Almost everything I ate today come from local suppliers.
Without even thinking about it.
And that makes me happy.
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* of course I didn't follow a recipe. It's vegetable soup. Clean and chop some vegetables, toss in a pot with some liquid and some flavouring, cook then eat :)
I made a run to the CSA farm last night, and to the Welland Farmer's Market this morning, without even thinking about this challenge.
I ate a late breakfast of local eggs and toast made from bread bought at the market, without even thinking about the challenge.
I canned up some tomatoes today, and worked a bit in the garden, without even thinking about the challenge.
I ate a "lunch" of an apple and pear from the CSA basket, without even thinking about the challenge.
I decided that vegetable soup sounded like an excellent supper idea, without even thinking about the challenge.
Half-way through making the soup, I thought about the challenge.
$5 Challenge Vegetable Soup*
2 quarts canned tomatoes, from last year's garden
2 quarts of water (use the jars from the tomatoes to measure, thus also rinsing out the jars)
All the tiny potatoes found from digging the potato patch, from the garden plus a few from the CSA basket
4-5 carrots, from the garden
1-2 onions, from the garden
Green and yellow beans, from the CSA
Corn, cut from 2 cobs bought from the CSA farm
Salt, pepper and a dash of celery seed and some thyme
Vegetable Oil
Warm the oil in a large pot, add the chopped onions and carrots (and celery, if I had any, would be added here), stir and cook for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add the chopped potatoes, tomatoes, salt, pepper and any spices you are using, then simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots and potatoes soften. Add the beans and corn, cook until tender, then serve with slices of local bread.
Of course, I'm not really following the rules of the challenge since I'm not sharing this meal with anyone but the dogs, who may get to lick my empty bowl, and the salt, pepper, spices and butter on the bread aren't local.
I also didn't keep track of costs - how much does home-grown produce cost? How much for the stuff from the CSA share? The corn was $6/dozen, so two cobs comes out to $1.00. The bread was around $3, so two slices is... somewhere around $0.50 maybe?
So I didn't really do the challenge, but thinking about it made me realize something.
Almost everything I ate today come from local suppliers.
Without even thinking about it.
And that makes me happy.
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* of course I didn't follow a recipe. It's vegetable soup. Clean and chop some vegetables, toss in a pot with some liquid and some flavouring, cook then eat :)
CSA Basket 8 of 10
My horrible composition of Week 8's haul :)
I stopped at the farm after work to pick up this week's basket, and realized I had forgotten (yet again) the box. As I had reusable shopping bags in the car, I used one of them instead - which means I had to take everything out of the bag and set them on the porch railing to take a photo.
As you can see, I should have picked another spot!
Oh well.
This week's goodies include beans, tomatoes, a green pepper, an onion, potatoes, a squash (yea!), and the first of the apples and pears - SO good!
I think one of the reasons I love fall so much is because of apples and pears. It sounds odd, I know, but that very first bite of a freshly picked Macintosh?
Sublime.
I think I could go for days eating nothing except apples and pears, but luckily enough, it's also the season for so many other goodies!
The tomatoes, onion and pepper will go into a pasta dish, the squash will probably join some of my carrots in a roasted veggie soup, the potatoes and beans will form part of my supper for the next few nights (along with some grilled steak), and the apples and pears will very quickly disappear :)
CSA Basket 7 of 10
Lettuce, tomatoes, corn, onion,
The squash will be grilled, as usual, the maters, lettuce and peppers will go to a salad, the onion is already in a batch of chili sauce and the beans and corn will be suppers (or lunches, as I'm on afternoon shift this week).
Only 3 more weeks... wow!
CSA Basket 6 of 10
Beets,
I think the "hard" veggies will end up roasted, the tomatoes, cucumber, onions and peppers will, as usual, join some feta in a salad, and I'll do something or other with the beans and the fruit.
Oh, I should state for the record, the container of tomatoes was full. Somehow, many of them disappeared on the drive home...
CSA Basket 5 of 10
I cannot believe the CSA is half over!
In related news, I also cannot believe it's August already.
However, I am enjoying the fact it is corn season, and you can't have one without the other!
In this week's basket, we have carrots, green onions, a bunch of parsley, lots of peppers, a few tomatoes (first of the year!), a selection of peaches and plums (yeah!!), more corn (double yeah!!), some beans, kale, a cucumber, a
Pesto butter! I can't wait to try it on the corn :)
The
CSA Basket 4 of 10
Ooooh, two photos in a row! I'm on a roll :)
This week, we got more garlic (yeah!!), green onions, new potatoes, cucumbers, a
The tomatoes came with a recipe for fried green tomatoes, so that is what they are destined for, the cuckes have a date with some vinegar and salt, the taters and carrots, along with some beets from my garden, are probably going in a baked veggie dish, the
Seriously?
You have to ask?
The corn is the ONLY reason I will boil a pot of water in this heat!
CSA Basket 3 of 10
Hey! At last, a picture of my CSA haul*!
This week, we got kale and chard, a large bag of mixed greens, green onions, 2 HUGE bulbs of garlic, oregano, shell peas, cherries (YUM!) and the oddity of the week - radish pods!
The farm included a sheet on the pods, with different uses, preparation methods, storage and health benefits. Makes me wish I didn't just pull up all my bolting radishes :(
One preparation method is pickling, so I think that's what I'll do. The peas, garlic (well, some of it) and the oregano might star in a pasta dish (I'm debating using the peas for this - might do another curry for work lunches, since I still have some potatoes kicking around that I want to use up before my own start producing), the chard and kale made it into my breakfast egg dish yesterday, the greens and onions will be used in salads, of course (still loving the chive vinegar!), and the cherries... well, let's just say they aren't long for this world :)
I also picked up a 4 quart basket of cherries yesterday (from a local fruit stand) that have an appointment with Mr. Dehydrator. Busy weekend, as always!
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* I don't know what happened in the picture, but the peas are MUCH better looking in person!
Cavena Nuda, aka getting naked with my oats
I first heard about this "new" grain back in March, but when I mentioned it to Canadian Doomer, and she found the price, I put it out of my head.
Then I got last week's flyer for my local bulk food store, which featured the for the "sale" price of $3.99 a pound. As the flyer also had a $3.00 off coupon if you spent more than $10.00, I figured it was time to try naked oats.
So, along with the peas from the CSA box, I made a potato curry (very simple - saute some onions, add some broth (I used chicken), cut up potatoes and curry powder, simmer until the taters are almost done, add the peas, cook until done) and served it over the oats.
Result?
It is not a rice substitute. Really, it isn't. It was fantastic, and in a direct comparison, I actually prefer it to rice. It is most similar to brown rice, but nuttier and chewier - both qualities I love in my grains. However, for certain dishes, like curries, rice works better because it "disappears" into the dish. Naked oats, like barley in my risotto, lends such distinctive flavour and texture, it does not make good supporting characters. That being said, I, personally, would have no issues with replacing rice with naked oats, but I love the chewiness and nuttiness of oats and barley, and not everyone does. And I also don't cook a lot with rice to begin with, so a "lesser" replacement wouldn't impact me that much.
However... We get back into that compromise between frugality and sustainability and local eating.
Please realize that the normal price for naked oats is over $5.00 a pound, and even on sale, this item is about 3 times more expensive than rice. For a family that eats a lot of rice, this is not going to be a frugal replacement. Even for me, I'd think twice about buying this at regular prices. Especially when there are local replacements (wheat and barley) that are very similar, and much less expensive.
I didn't use all that I bought for the curry, so I think my next trick will be to do a head-to-head-to-head comparison with oats, wheat and barley. Until then, the jury is out :)
Then I got last week's flyer for my local bulk food store, which featured the for the "sale" price of $3.99 a pound. As the flyer also had a $3.00 off coupon if you spent more than $10.00, I figured it was time to try naked oats.
So, along with the peas from the CSA box, I made a potato curry (very simple - saute some onions, add some broth (I used chicken), cut up potatoes and curry powder, simmer until the taters are almost done, add the peas, cook until done) and served it over the oats.
Result?
It is not a rice substitute. Really, it isn't. It was fantastic, and in a direct comparison, I actually prefer it to rice. It is most similar to brown rice, but nuttier and chewier - both qualities I love in my grains. However, for certain dishes, like curries, rice works better because it "disappears" into the dish. Naked oats, like barley in my risotto, lends such distinctive flavour and texture, it does not make good supporting characters. That being said, I, personally, would have no issues with replacing rice with naked oats, but I love the chewiness and nuttiness of oats and barley, and not everyone does. And I also don't cook a lot with rice to begin with, so a "lesser" replacement wouldn't impact me that much.
However... We get back into that compromise between frugality and sustainability and local eating.
Please realize that the normal price for naked oats is over $5.00 a pound, and even on sale, this item is about 3 times more expensive than rice. For a family that eats a lot of rice, this is not going to be a frugal replacement. Even for me, I'd think twice about buying this at regular prices. Especially when there are local replacements (wheat and barley) that are very similar, and much less expensive.
I didn't use all that I bought for the curry, so I think my next trick will be to do a head-to-head-to-head comparison with oats, wheat and barley. Until then, the jury is out :)
CSA Basket 2 of 10
See? Up there? The picture I didn't take, yet again, of my CSA basket, because *someone* didn't recharge the camera battery?
Oh well, simply close your eyes, and picture a box full of lettuces (romaine, a bag of mixed leaves and one of micro-greens), some chard, green onions, radishes, small turnips, a pint of peas and strawberries and rhubarb.
The peas will join some store-bought new potatoes and an onion from my garden in a curry, served over "naked oats"*. The lettuces will get added to more from my garden, and become my workday lunch salads. And the chard will join some beans and sausage in a cassoulet. I'll stew the rhubarb with local maple syrup, and add it to my morning breakfast of granola and yoghurt.
The strawberries?
They never made it out of the car :)
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*more about naked oats in another post!
We are somedogs, not someones.
Also, lacking opposable thumbs, we are not responsible for battery re-charging.
Oh well, simply close your eyes, and picture a box full of lettuces (romaine, a bag of mixed leaves and one of micro-greens), some chard, green onions, radishes, small turnips, a pint of peas and strawberries and rhubarb.
The peas will join some store-bought new potatoes and an onion from my garden in a curry, served over "naked oats"*. The lettuces will get added to more from my garden, and become my workday lunch salads. And the chard will join some beans and sausage in a cassoulet. I'll stew the rhubarb with local maple syrup, and add it to my morning breakfast of granola and yoghurt.
The strawberries?
They never made it out of the car :)
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*more about naked oats in another post!
CSA Basket 1 of 10
Barley and roasted asparagus risotto
We got our fist CSA basket last Friday, containing asparagus, lettuce mix, radishes, green onions, micro-greens, kale, Swiss chard, small turnips, and a small-leaved basil transplant. Although the farm owners apologized for such a "scanty" basket*, I thought it was plenty enough, given the spring we have had!
Part of this whole project is to see how well I do at actually eating seasonally, so I will be completely honest here - I had such a busy weekend (with an out-of town guest - had a GREAT time though!!), that the compost ended up getting the perishables - the kale, chard and micro-greens. My apologies to the growers, since I know I would be pissed to see my hard work getting tossed out!
However, the lettuce, radishes and green onions went into my first salad of the year, complete with a dressing made with my chive vinegar - yum!
And I was trying to figure out what to do with the turnips and asparagus. I know I could have simply cooked them as usual, and eaten both as a veggie, but I wanted something a bit different. Something that would extend the vegetables into a main meal, since spring is traditionally the "starving" time of year, and I think it's important to have a store of recipes that, while taking advantage of what is available, keeps this in mind. Omelettes and soups would both work, but I wanted to challenge myself, and try something new.
And lo and behold, I had a brain-storm one day - risotto. Keeping with the "local" theme, I chose barley over rice (not that this barley is local, that I know of, but it could be, unlike rice). The information that came with the basket suggested roasting the turnips, so I thought a roasted veggie and barley risotto would do. And seeing that I had stock, barley and Parmesan cheese (I know, not local, but again, could be) on hand, I didn't have to buy any groceries to make this work. Unfortunately, when I went to clean and cut the turnips, I realized each was occupied by some insect, so those, too, went to the compost. But the asparagus was good! Again, I don't follow recipes, but this is basically what I did:
Ingredients:
1 bunch of asparagus, washed and trimmed.
1 onion, minced (or, if, like me, a mince is beyond you, chopped as small as you can!)
2 cups barley
4 cups stock (I used store-bought beef stock, in a 900 ml container)
~1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (please use the real stuff, not the impostor that comes in the plastic container! (says the woman using store-bought stock...))
vegetable oil, salt and pepper
Pre-heat the oven to 400 F.
Heat a glug of oil in a large pot, over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, and cook until soft. Add the barley, and cook for ~1 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes, until the barley is cooked and the stock is absorbed. (I cooked mine for the full 45 minutes, and it was still a bit chewy, but that's the way I like it. Like all risottos, the liquid volumes and cooking times are suggestions only, since it really depends on what grain you are using, and how tender you like it. )
While the barley is cooking, place the asparagus in a single layer on a baking sheet and pour a bit oil over it - just enough to lightly cover. Shake the pan back and forth to distribute the oil, then salt and pepper to taste (do not use a lot of salt, especially if you are using store-bought stock!). Place in the oven, and roast for 5-10 minutes, watching very carefully - thin asparagus will not take long at all to roast, thicker will take a bit more, but this is a very quick cooking method! Every few minutes, take the pan out, shake it back and forth to move the asparagus around. When it is tender, take it out, and allow to cool slightly. Cut into ~2-3" pieces when it's cool enough to handle (adding it to the cooked barley will heat it back up).
When the barley is done to your liking, add the cheese and chopped asparagus. Stir well, taste, and adjust any seasonings. (I found it salty enough, and almost too salty - next time, I'll use home-made stock, since the salt on the asparagus, and the salty cheese, are enough for my taste.)
Then dish up and enjoy!!
Since I only have a half share, it means I get a full basket every two weeks, so no basket this Friday. But if I'm not working Saturday, I'll head out to the Farmer's Market, and see what looks good there! Meanwhile, there is another blogger who belongs to the same CSA - go see what she's making with her bounty!! She has posts at Eating Local in Niagara and Eating Niagara. Enjoy!
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* for future weeks, I will try to take a picture of the basket before I unpack it. Blame a busy weekend for this week's lapse!
Sometimes, you just have to wrap yourself in a blanket and jump*
I did it. I put my money where my mouth is - literally!
I signed up for my first CSA yesterday.
Yes, I do have a rather large vegetable garden. But I signed up for a CSA anyway.
Why?
1. My garden isn't quite large enough (yet) to be my main source of vegetables for any extended period
2. I have NO fruit plants (yet) (well, other than those that are botanically fruits but eaten as savory dishes, such as squash, tomatoes, peppers... what? Too geeky? Sorry, moving on....)
3. While I am growing a large variety of plants, there are many I don't grow that are available through the CSA
4. I'm interested in seeing if I can actually handle a large amount of produce coming in all at once, and either use it or preserve it before it turns into compost. And at $25.00 every two weeks for a half share, it's money I'm willing to risk to discover my shortcomings before I put the larger amount of money into expanding my own garden
5. And last, but not least, I'm supporting a very local farmer instead of the non-local grocery chains
It starts the week after next, and a half share is actually a full basket every two weeks (a full share is a basket every week). I'll be picking it up at the farm (who's web site is currently down) on Friday afternoons, and hopefully will be posting regularly about the CSA and my own garden, and how my attempts as eating local are working out! Good times :)
I have a LOT of meat in the freezer, and am planning on using that up over the summer, then also starting to source my meat locally. Due to the price, I'll be eating a lot more vegetarian meals, and need some help there.
Anyone care to share their favourite vegetarian recipes, that can be made from mostly local items?? Please?!?!
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*My former boss used to come out with some interesting sayings. We were never sure if he was doing a literal translation from his first language, or if these were just odd sayings of his, but either way, they were memorable!
I signed up for my first CSA yesterday.
Yes, I do have a rather large vegetable garden. But I signed up for a CSA anyway.
Why?
1. My garden isn't quite large enough (yet) to be my main source of vegetables for any extended period
2. I have NO fruit plants (yet) (well, other than those that are botanically fruits but eaten as savory dishes, such as squash, tomatoes, peppers... what? Too geeky? Sorry, moving on....)
3. While I am growing a large variety of plants, there are many I don't grow that are available through the CSA
4. I'm interested in seeing if I can actually handle a large amount of produce coming in all at once, and either use it or preserve it before it turns into compost. And at $25.00 every two weeks for a half share, it's money I'm willing to risk to discover my shortcomings before I put the larger amount of money into expanding my own garden
5. And last, but not least, I'm supporting a very local farmer instead of the non-local grocery chains
It starts the week after next, and a half share is actually a full basket every two weeks (a full share is a basket every week). I'll be picking it up at the farm (who's web site is currently down) on Friday afternoons, and hopefully will be posting regularly about the CSA and my own garden, and how my attempts as eating local are working out! Good times :)
I have a LOT of meat in the freezer, and am planning on using that up over the summer, then also starting to source my meat locally. Due to the price, I'll be eating a lot more vegetarian meals, and need some help there.
______________________________________________
*My former boss used to come out with some interesting sayings. We were never sure if he was doing a literal translation from his first language, or if these were just odd sayings of his, but either way, they were memorable!
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