Monday, August 12, 2013

CSA Week 8: Saucy

No veggies from last week since I was gone!

This week, we got:
  • Tomatoes (1 large, 2 medium, and a dozen plum)
  • Potatoes
  • Rosemary
  • Onions
  • Cucumbers
  • Summer Squash
  • (Red loose leaf lettuce) Traded for Yukina Savoy
  • Bok Choy
  • Sweet peppers

I boiled the Yukina and Bok Choy for dinner last Tuesday with my share partner Chris.  He took home potatoes, a cucumber and the zucchini.  I kept the rest, most of which went into a somewhat successful attempt at making my own pasta sauce.

I think the sauce failed mostly from a lack of garlic and herbs; it came out tasting mostly tomato-y and not very spaghetti-sauce-like.  I also wonder if including the plum tomatoes had anything to do with it, since I know the medium-sized tomatoes are supposed to be better for sauce.  Aside from that, though, making the sauce turned out to be more straightforward than I had anticipated, so I think I'll try again. 

Friday, August 2, 2013

CSA Week 7: relative simplicity and late postings continue

This is actually about last week's share.   I'm at my parents' house this week, hence I'm discussing last week's veggie adventures while my friend Charity takes my half of the share this week.

Veggies from week 6 did not all get eaten.  I forgot to eat the tomatoes before they went bad.  And I hadn't eaten the lettuce, either, but I incorporated it last week.

Last week, we got:
  • Basil
  • Beets
  • 6 Cucumbers
  • 4 Squashes
  • Lettuce (Green Romaine and Green loose-leaf)
  • Swiss Chard
  • Red Onions
  • Green peppers

Lettuce soup made an appearance yet again - I had some left over from the previous week, so I made a giant batch and froze some.  I simultaneously like lettuce soup for simplicity and flexibility, but it's starting to get old, so I need to figure out something else because the lettuce just keeps coming.

I sauteed some squash, but most of the squash, cucumbers, and green peppers all got eaten raw, dipped in ranch dressing or garlic scape hummus.  It was a lazy week where veggies were concerned, and I didn't feel much like cooking.  It also helped me eat healthier at my desk, which has been a challenge lately.

My favorite dish of the week was roasted beets with ricotta cheese.  Even though the beets took much longer to roast than I had anticipated, that was a delicious lunch.  Cheese is tasty, but who knew it could be a very filling protein component to a meal? (Answer: probably half the internet, but I think the story of this blog is me figuring things out that half the world already knows).   And beets.  I've eaten beets before, all pickled, and though I liked them they were more accents.  As the center-piece to a meal?  SO. GOOD.  And super easy to cook, too.