Getting Ready For My CSA

My CSA share starts arriving May 5th.  Last year I found there were lots of leafy greens early in the season.  I'm looking forward to baby spinach, kale, collards and chard.  But first, I have to get my kitchen ready.  My freezer gets down right scary.  It is time to clean it out.  There is a bag of vegetable trimmings that I've been planning to use for stock all winter long.  It looks like the bag may contain some kale, beat greens and potato.  I'll give it a go and hope it is taste yummy.  I've also saved a strange combination of breads.  I hate the thought of throwing away a leftover bun or roll, and so they just seem to accumulate in my freezer.  Never matching up nicely to go with any meal.  To use them up I'll be making my own bread crumbs.  


Vegetable Stock:
- leftover veggies
- 3 gloves of garlic (don't even bother to peel) 
- 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
- about 6 cups of water
- salt & pepper
- if the leftovers don't include onion and celery I'd add it
Put it all in a pot, bring to a boil, let it simmer for about 60 minutes and strain.  


* If you have plenty of time to cook here are some ideas for getting super soup stock.  Cook it for longer than 60 minutes.  When it comes to stock the longer the better.  Roast the vegetables in olive oil before boiling. 


Bread Crumbs:
-leftover bread
Tear the bread into pieces and pulse it in the food processor until it's coarsely chopped.  Spread the bread crumbs on a baking sheet at bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

About Me: Victoria

Hi, I'm Victoria, and I am a CSA member! This is my second year belonging to a CSA, though I have switched farms this year to a CSA that includes some fruit. I love cooking for myself and my husband, as well as my daughter who is just starting on solid foods. I will cook anything, though I tend to focus on traditional dishes (pasta, meatloaf, roast chicken, macaroni, etc.). My husband is also an avid cook who loves Asian inspired dishes and raw foods (sushi, ceviche, oysters, carpaccio...).

Cooking is a family activity at our house. We love to use fresh ingredients wherever possible. Our favorite cookbooks at the moment include Food Revolution by Jaime Oliver, I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown, Cooks Illustrated (Magazine and Books) and so many more, mainly old ones passed down by our families. I am very excited to have a place to share recipes and other information about the CSA along with my fellow local food lovers!

Food, Inc. on PBS tonight, April 21st at 9 PM EST

Food, Inc., the outstanding documentary about the practices of the American food industry, will be broadcast on your local PBS station this evening. I strongly recommend watching it - if not this evening, then whenever possible. It is available through Netflix, Amazon and basically every other source imaginable. Fully recognizing that the filmmakers have an agenda and a point to make, the raw facts are just astounding.

Speaking for myself, at the very minimum it absolutely cured my occasional cravings for McDonald's or any fast food burgers.

Try This Week: Asparagus

It is still early in the season, but fresh, local produce is beginning to bloom at your nearby market. This week, think about making something with ingredients that are in heavy supply - they will be cheaper (good for you) and less resource intensive (good for everyone).

Asparagus is a great early spring item. I am trying out the Italian Asparagus Fettucini from Jaime Oliver's excellent site. Oh, and if you have not heard of it or signed yet, sign Jaime's petition to improve food in schools across America. It is in conjunction with his excellent Food Revolution program on ABC, which is worth watching just for the scene where he shows a group of kids what really goes into their chicken nuggets. Spoiler alert: watch for Jaime's visible heartbreak when every kid still volunteers to eat the 'chicken' nuggets.

Leeks are also a good item to keep an eye out for. They make excellent soups, especially when paired with potatoes. I will post items from other sources, but Jaime Oliver also has a lovely Leek Potato soup recipe in his book, Jamie's Food Revolution: Rediscover How to Cook Simple, Delicious, Affordable Meals. This has been our cookbook of choice for the past few weeks and have really enjoyed everything made from it so far.

Finally, this is a great time to start cleaning out the fridge to prepare for your CSA goodies. Use up any leftover produce, especially frozen and canned items from last harvest. You can also start gearing up for this year's haul by making basic items that can be frozen ahead of time, such as stocks and spice blends. We will put up some recipes to help out as we make these items ourselves!

Happy Cooking!

Welcome to the CSA Café!

Welcome to the CSA Café! This is a place where you can learn how to make the most of your CSA membership. We are not farmers, produce sellers, chefs or in any way associated with CSA programs - we simply are members of local CSAs and looking to share our love of the produce we receive every week!

Why are we starting this blog? Especially if this is your first year joining a CSA, it can be hard to figure out what to do with a surprise box of produce every week. Finding recipes, knowing what you can save and what to use now, even knowing how to take care of the different items can be time consuming and even frustrating. Our goal is to help you "Use The Box" to maximum effect, for you and your family!

Leading up to the CSA season, we will post recipes to help you clean out your pantry, fridge and freezer as well as make some basic ingredients that you can use in conjunction with the items you will receive with your CSA. In mid-May, once most CSAs start delivering produce, we will start posting tips, recipes and other information on what to do with the items you are receiving.

We will introduce ourselves in the next few days. In the meantime, remember to sign up now for your local CSA! And if you aren't able to join a CSA or prefer to buy local produce from another source, no worries - this blog is all about eating what is in season to feed your family cheaply and healthily, no matter the source!