Adventures in Veggie Land

This year I am on a health kick, or at least I try to be. I definitely have stepped up my game with my eating habits. A girlfriend and I decided to split a CSA share at one of our local farms. CSA=community supported agriculture. Basically you buy a share of the farm as kind of an investment. Each week you can go pick up your share of whatever the land produced that week. You go and they tell you how much of what produce you can take. It is a great way to eat local and fresh goods, while trying some new things that you may not have thought to pick up at the market. Our CSA program started last week and ran through November. We did not split up the share last week, since I was away on vacation. This week is my first week with my pile of veggies. Next week it will be my turn to visit the farm and pick up our load.

When we signed up, the farm provided a list of which foods we could hope for. Spring time yields an abundance of leafy greens:

• Broccoli
• Scallions
• Chard
• Asian Greens
• Escarole
• Lettuce
• Turnips
• Radishes
• Spinach
• Peas
• Beets
• Dill
• Cilantro
• Fennel

This week we received: Broccoli, scallions, swiss chard, romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, radishes (with greens attached), fresh basil, turnip greens, and swiss chard.

I have a feeling my broth bags will be filling up very rapidly during our time with this CSA. Hopefully I can use as much of these veggies as possible. I definitely don't want to have any go to waste. I don't know have plans yet for my entire veggie load, but I do have some things figured out. For lunch tomorrow; I made a salad with radish greens, romaine lettuce, a sliced radish, and a tomato. I diced up all the scallions and stuck them in the freezer. They will keep for up to 6 months. I found a recipe for swiss chard and mushrooms that I would like to make for Meatless Monday. Having 3 heads of lettuce could be a problem for me, since I am not a huge fan of lettuce based salad. I may need to make lettuce wraps one night for dinner.

***UPDATE 6/8/12 I do not recommended making a salad with radish greens. I read this suggestion on some website. I really wish I could remember the website, because I would leave a comment telling them how horrible the idea is! Radish leaves are pokey, which I did not realize until I had them in my mouth. UGH! Trial and error is a great part of cooking, except when you bring something to work for lunch that is horrible and you have no other food to fill your belly!

This is very exciting for me. Hopefully the CSA works out well for us this year. I love having a fresh stocked kitchen!