Week 13 marks the half way point in this year's Grant Family Farms CSA membership, and has me thinking of the experience to date. So far the experience has been an enlightening reconnection with the local food chain - learning to what's in season, what grows in Colorado, and how to make great food out of it. While the Cherry Creek farmers market may have tomatoes in May (when you question the purveyor you'll find that they are actually sourced from California), Grant Family Farms provides honest, locally grown produce. They may be one of the "mega" CSA's around, with several thousand acres under management, but for a first timer this has been a great experience. I hope the fair weather and plentiful moisture continues, so we can reap the full benefits of the coming harvest.
So on to the harvest - this week's basket included:
- Read leaf lettuce
- Beans
- Tomatoes
- Cucumber
- Zucchini
- Corn
- Spring baby greens
- Radishes
- Parsley
- Yellow squash (pattipan?)
- Potatoes (Yukons)
- Cipollini onions
- Kale
Overall, a larger diversity in produce then summer's early baskets. I used the produce in several ways, with varying success.
The various lettuces, tomatoes and cucumber were used in fresh green salads.
The zucchini, yellow squash, parsley, and tomatoes were used in a light pasta sauce with garlic, red pepper flake, onion, italian sausage, and basil. This dish was a wonderful expression of summer's bounty - full of fresh bright flavors.
The corn was cooked on the grill (my favorite preparation).
The radishes were prepared using a quick pickle method (vinegar, sugar and coriander) - while tasty, the odor was beyond funky.
The potatoes and onions were tossed with olive oil, garlic, salt, black pepper and paprika. Then oven roasted until cooked through. Unfortunately, the potatoes were a bit dry - Yukons would probably do better in a stewing preparation, or mashed with copious amounts of butter and milk!
The kale was cooked with garlic, red pepper flake, olive oil and lemon - one of my favorite kale preparations. This dish is full flavored and spicy - however, you can adjust the flavor level by adding / removing garlic to taste.
Finally, I used the remaining parsley and tomatoes in a simple tabbouleh with bulgar wheat, mint, scallions, garlic, olive oil and lemon. This dish was a wonderful accompaniment to the Moroccan spiced lamb sliders w/ cucumber yogurt sauce.
With Week 14's basket arriving tomorrow, I still have all the beans, a few potatoes and a few onions to deal with. Overall, we worked through the basket effectively, eating many healthy flavor meals, despite eating out twice!
