2012 CSA Week 3 July 23

Here's what goes into cleaning all of your produce.....buckets and buckets all over the lawn, under the big tree of course. We clean it all up neat before you arrive.



With the mini drought we've had, produce has looked like it does not have as much dirt on it, but as we use grass clippings for a mulch, sometimes little remnants may be left behind. Especially on your beans as they are almost Velcro like before cooked. Speaking of grass clippings, if you or anyone you know gets rid of yours, we are always accepting them, as well as leaves in the fall. They are both great organic mulches that feed the soil once they break down into it.

This week, the medium shares received:
Lettuce
Russian kale
Swiss chard
Scallions
Garlic
Carrots
Rutabaga
Spinach
Green beans
Romano beans
Sugar snap peas
Sage

Large shares received the same minus sugar snap peas, and add:
Cukes
Summer squash medley
Stir fry mix
Napa cabbage
Cheddar cauliflower


Is anyone already sick of swiss chard? I told you week one to learn to love it :-) It's so beautiful, but so nutritious, and I could never get sick of it just sauteing it up with a little lemon.




Some other great ideas for swiss chard are to add it to a pasta dish after sauteing, just shred it raw into your salads, and my absolute favorite, though time intensive, is a Martha Stewart recipe for swiss chard & sausage lasagna I found a couple years back. You do not have to use fresh noodles like the recipe calls for, but if you can find them (or make them) there is definitely a texture and taste that adds to the dish. I also haven't made it as individual servings but just a whole pan. My newest idea came from my sister's Eating Well magazine this month. I haven't tried to make it yet but plan to this summer - it's to make vegetable sushi, replacing the nori with swiss chard. You could take this idea and use whatever veggies you have on hand and make any great sushi with it!



Okay enough about swiss chard. This week you have regular green beans, and the flat green ones are the Romano. These are great sauteed in olive oil & garlic - they are an Italian bean after all ;-) But here is another idea from one of my favorite food blogs Smitten Kitchen. This blog would be a great resource for you as she definitely hits up farmers markets and gets the fresh produce like you will get each week. It's also a fun read :-)



Baked goods shares:
Cherry Vanilla Granola
Oatmeal Bread
Almond Joy Cookies

Blessings.