Hi everyone, Jess here to chat about the 15th CSA pickup of the season! It sure is a beauty…
Celery is making an appearance in the box! If you haven’t had Springdell Celery, you are in for a treat, my friends! It’s the real deal, absolutely nothing like supermarket celery. It’s flavor is unmistakeable, it’s lovely in soups and stocks. I chop the entire celery up (including all the leaves, they carry great flavor) and blanch it for 1 minute before freezing. This way, you can enjoy it long after celery season ends. You can also skip the blanching step and go right to freezing it after a good wash, but then I advise that you use it within a month or two. My plan will be to wash, chop and freeze a few cups which will be slated for Thanksgiving stuffing and other fixings. The rest will be blanched and frozen for longer term storage.
Overwhelmed with any of the other CSA veggies? Please click on any of the veggies below to be whisked away to the CSA365 Veggiescope for that particular vegetable. This will give you some ideas for how to enjoy that vegetable, and/or how to keep it from taking over your refrigerator or countertop!
- spaghetti squash
- acorn squash
- heirloom cabbage
- Macoun apples
- zucchini squash
- bell peppers
- classic eggplant
- wax beans
- speckled roman heirloom tomatoes
- heirloom tomatoes
- celery
- carrots
- parsley
- Italian roasting peppers
- Micro greens
- Loose leaf lettuce
- Eggs
Zinnias
Here comes another reason I love the CSA. I’ve been part of CSAs for over a decade, and yet I always find new surprises in my share box! Take this cabbage, for example. It’s my first time seeing a cabbage that looks like a Conehead from SNL fame. I can’t wait to see how it tastes!
Here’s a little something I did yesterday with some zucchini and summer squash, just to mix it up. Inspired by Pommes Anna, I melted a good amount of butter into a nonstick frying pan. Once melted I added some thinly sliced zucchini and summer squash in a pretty design. I topped it with a sprinkle of salt and more butter (I planned to spice it up, but I wanted to keep it very simple so my little one would try it. Next time, I’ll get a little more daring!)
I covered the pan as it sizzled. When the time was right, I removed the pan from the stove, placed a plate on top and inverted the pan onto the plate. It was pretty and simply delicious, and the idea is definitely leaving open many possibilities for more adaptations!
We had a playdate that morphed into a dinner date, so a Meatless Monday stir-fry was on! Some of the veggies were chopped and enjoyed in a quick sizzle through some teriyaki marinade. The tofu was yummy with the marinade, simple and yummy over rice.
We’re still looking at having the canning swap this weekend (Saturday from 4-6pm), but keep your eyes open for an email from Farmer Jamie, and please RSVP if you plan to attend. If there’s not enough interest for Saturday, we may try to reschedule the swap to a Sunday morning, as word from folks visiting the farmstand is that a Sunday might be better for folks that want to attend. Let’s be in touch!