CSA Supplies Received:

“Donut” Peaches
Classic Freestone Peaches
Cabbage
Squash
Zucchini
Cucumber

CSA Supplies Received:

“Donut” Peaches
Classic Freestone Peaches
Cabbage
Squash
Zucchini
Cucumber

CSA Supplies Received:

Sugar King White Peaches
Shiro Yellow Plums
Har Grande Apricots
Squash
Nasturtiums

CSA Week 4

CSA Supplies Received:

broccoli
lettuce
parsley
snow peas
spring onions
collard greens

CSA Week 5

CSA Supplies Received:

broccoli
beets
green onions
peas

CSA Week 6

One difficulty in doing this CSA project are the ravenous beats (read: children) that live in my house. This week’s shipment contained more apricots, plums, and peaches than are shown here, but the little rascals got to them before I could get home from work and snap a picture.

CSA Supplies Received:

beets
cucumber
apricots
plums
peaches
yellow squash
basil

CSA Supplies Received:

Broccoli
Lettuce
Spring Onions
Strawberries
Basil

Dish: Broccoli Penne with Pesto Sauce

Recipe as per Kate: “Ummm…there’s penne pasta, steamed veggies, vermouth, pesto, and a little parmesean cheese on top.” Okay, I guess that’ll have to do!

Pat’s Recipe Rating

3.5 stars. Very Good.

Notes

Kate used the Broccoli and basil from the CSA to create the previously described yummy pasta dish. OK, if I HAVE to be honest, the basil for the pesto was from basil we already had growing in our garden, but for the purposes of this project, it’s farm-grown basil!

CSA Supplies Received:

Swiss Chard (replaces Spinach lost due to wilting)
Spring Onions
Asparagus
Strawberries
Dill Plant

Dish: Cheese and Swiss Chard Pancakes

Using the swiss chard from the CSA, Kate adapted a “Cheese and Spinach Pancakes” recipe from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. It was yummy, but not fabulous. I do think spinach would have worked better in the dish than the Swiss Chard.

Pat’s Recipe Rating

3 stars. Good.

CSA Supplies Received:

Kale
Spring Onions
Asparagus
Strawberries

Dish: Asparagus Soup

Using the asparagus and the spring onions from this week’s haul, Kate put together the following dish.

Chef’s Note: This recipe comes from my grandmother. I’ve tried other recipes for this soup, but hers is the tastiest. However, like most things she makes, nothing is measured so it’s rather hard to try and write it down.

Olive Oil
1 small onion, diced (I used two of the spring onions, all of the white and some of the green)
1 large bunch of asparagus
Chicken broth (I probably used about 2 cups)
Small amount of light sour cream (I used about 4 oz.)
Salt, to taste
Fresh pepper, as garnish

1. Coat a medium-sized saucepan with olive oil and heat it over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until soft and translucent.
2. Meanwhile, trim and peel the asparagus (rather than discard the woody end, which is a complete waste of food, I use a vegetable peeler to scrape of the outer layer) and place in a vegetable steamer on the stove top. Steam until it is quite tender, but still a nice, bright green.
3. Add the onions and asparagus to your blender and add some chicken broth. Blend until smooth, adding chicken broth as needed until you reach the desired texture.
4. Add the blended mixture back into your saucepan and cook on medium heat until heated through. Add the sour cream and stir until worked throughout. Season with salt as desired.
5. Ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh black pepper. Very tasty with pita chips.

Pat’s Recipe Rating

3.5 stars. Very Good.

Notes

Ironically, I started this as a photography project, but since Kate needed to use the produce to start dinner before I got home from work, the supplies picture is by her.

As far as a subject for this new project, I want to branch out a bit. This winter, we signed up to participate in Great Country Farms Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. For those of you unfamiliar with CSAs, we pay a fee to have fresh produce delivered weekly during the harvest season. On a weekly basis from now until October(ish), we get an assortment of produce from the farm. Our allotment includes whatever happens to be in season. For example, this week we’re going to be getting asparagus, spring onions, kale and strawberries.

In order to make things even more interesting, Kate and I are going to collaborate on this project. So for our CSA Photo Project (still trying to think of a clever name), Kate will be in charge of coming up with yummy ways to use the produce we use every week. I’ll be in charge of taking a picture of our weekly delivery, and possibly some shots of the things she makes (inspired a bit by the wonderful work from the folks at Smitten Kitchen). We hope to post at least one photo of what we’ve received, and one recipe of what we (er. . . Kate) made with it. Additional responsibilities for Kate include: reminding me to take pictures, reminding me to process the pictures, and reminding me to post to the blog. Additional responsibilities for me include: procrastinating on all of the above. I’m sure this will be a wonderful exercise in marital communication skills.

I am actually really excited about this project, and hope it will be a lot of fun. Look for the first post sometime tomorrow.