To keep is in yummy fruits and veggies this summer, I'm doing a CSA workshare weekly. In exchange for manning their Friday evening pickup, I get a full CSA share full of beautiful organic yumminess. This CSA in particular is awesome because they have a "Market Style" option which means I can pick and choose what I want to go into my box. If I'm gone for a week or don't need as much that week I won't lose my food. It also goes until December! So exciting. The farm is located in a national park and is a nonprofit and operated by awesome people that I'm happy to spend time with. They offer internships to educate new farmers and an market and farm tours on Saturdays. It's a great place that I'm happy to be affiliated with. An added bonus for me (as a SAHM) is this is 4 hours a week where I don't have a baby attached to me - although I miss my girls like crazy and can't wait to get home!
What is a CSA? Community Supported Agriculture means that you are buying into the farm. You pay a set amount for the season or year to help the farm with their costs and in exchange you get a box of their bounty every week. Depending on the season, weather and conditions you may get more or less. You may get a whole lot of one thing and not a lot of something else. What you definitely get is the feeling of giving back to your community and supporting small farms.
So what did I get my first week??
Zucchini, squash (crookneck and pattypan) turnips, kale, rainbow chard, beets, eggplant, heirloom tomatoes.
Not pictured are the little grape tomatoes that I ate before I even left the farm. They were SO good. Sweet and still warm from the field.
What did I do with my bounty? The squash and zucchini were eaten with garlic scapes, shrimp and a butter sauce in orzo pasta. Amazing and possibly my new favorite dish.
Beets and Turnips were roasted and eaten as a side dish. My first time eating them and were so good. I will definitely make again!
Rainbow chard will be added to a chickpea stew this evening and will also be tossed in some scrambled eggs in a few minutes.
Kale was made into chips. Unfortunately I still haven't quite gotten that down yet :(
Eggplant was coated and fried and eaten as an improvised eggplant parmesean. I didn't have any parm so Big and I had eggplant mozzarella. It was delicious.
The bigger zucchini and crookneck squash are going to be shredded and made into pancakes that are going to be eaten with some shredded chicken on Saturday.
Next pickup is tonight, I'm so excited to see what we get!
Do you have a CSA? Any good ideas for recipes? I'm new to having this much yummy veggies to use in a week!
For more information, check out The Ecosystem Farm.
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