Recipes for my CSA veggies

We have bought a 1/2 share in a CSA for the past couple of years. Getting a bag of veggies each week has been a good way for us to eat more veggies plus try ones we otherwise wouldn't. Of course, the downside is we get some veggies we don't care for. And we have to find ways to prepare everything!

I thought I would share some of my favorite recipes.

Beets: I like to roast beets. I had no idea I liked roasted beets until I tried them. Wash and cut into chunks (bite-size or so is good). Place on foil in baking pan. Sprinkle with olive oil and sea salt. Pinch foil closed and bake at 400 for about an hour, until tender. 

Kale: I don't like kale. Hate it. The only way I will eat it is in soup. The two soups I've tried that work well are Zuppa Tuscana (recipe from allrecipes.com) and Pork, White Bean & Kale soup (recipe from Eating Well).

Jalapeño peppers: Bacon jalapeño poppers. Yummy! I use my friend Lisa's recipe, although I sometimes omit the scallions.

Berries: If we aren't going to eat them before they turn, jam is my go-to. I like these recipes from allrecipes.com for Blackberry Jam and Strawberry Jam because I don't have to go buy pectin or can them. I just put them in the fridge and use them. 

Rhubarb: Rhubarb muffins (from The Rhubarb Compendium; I like the 7th recipe listed on this page). Or, if I have strawberries, Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler (recipe from Taste of Home). I should try jam sometime, because I love strawberry rhubarb jam. 

Basil: I chop the basil and freeze it in olive oil to use in sauces. Fill each compartment on an ice cube tray with chopped basil, cover with olive oil, freeze. Easy.

Tomatoes: I love BLTs, of course. Or even plain tomato sandwiches. Sometimes I substitute spinach for lettuce or add feta. When I have a LOT of tomatoes, I've been trying my hand at making sauce. Poach the tomatoes to remove skins, remove seeds and most of the liquid (squeezing works pretty well), then puree. Bring to boil in a pot, then simmer until it thickens. Add garlic, oregano, basil, onions, whatever. I cool the sauce, then put it in quart size freezer bags. Then I just thaw a bag when I make pasta. (Hint: green tomatoes will ripen if left on the counter or in a paper bag.)

Zucchini: My go-to for zucchini is Zucchini Bread. Of course, my recipe makes 2 loaves at a time, and I often have enough to make several batches, so I shred and freeze the zucchini to use all year. (Hint: my recipe, from allrecipes.com, calls for 2 cups of shredded zucchini, so I freeze bags of 2 cups.) 

Turnips and Rutabagas: Well, I'm not crazy about these. This year I tried my hand at pasties. I don't have a recipe down yet, but this was actually not a bad way to eat these root vegetables.

Cabbage and Leeks: My friend Amanda passed along this recipe for Potato, Cabbage, Carrot and Leek soup that I tried this year. It was quite good paired with corned beef.

There are, of course, other recipes I've used. And the most popular way to eat cucumbers, green peppers, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower in our house is raw. I just put them out for snacks and they disappear. 

Bring on the veggies

This is our second year participating in a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). If you aren't familiar with CSAs, in a nutshell, you pay a farmer before the season starts for a share (or half share) of produce from the farm. Then each week you pick up your bag or box of fresh veggies.

Last year we purchased a half share through Stranger's Hill Organics. It was a good learning experience for us, with a convenient location for pick up. But it just wasn't the right fit for us. Instead of quitting, we looked for a CSA that would be a better fit for us.

This year we have a half share with Heartland Family Farm. We considered a half egg share as well, but a dozen eggs every week was a little more than we could commit to.

So far, I really enjoy the variety. Heartland Family Farm offers a wider range of produce, including some fruits and berries, so it feels a lot less repetitive than last year. I hate kale, so 15 or so weeks of kale last year was just too much.

One of today's recipes: French leek pie

Some of the produce we've received so far this year:

• kale, but only a small amount, and only for 2 weeks
• Swiss chard, this year's pick for veggies I most look forward to being done with
• rhubarb
• strawberries, unfortunately only 1 week
• spinach
• red potatoes
• asparagus
• beets
• Napa cabbage
• cabbage, another item I am getting tired of after only 2 weeks
• leeks
• herbs
• Italian dragon's tongue beans
• broccoli
• popcorn
• eggs
• green onions
• water cress
• radishes
• mustard greens, which went to the rabbits (we just couldn't eat them)
• zucchini
• kohlrabi
• braising greens
• summer squash
• cucumbers

We're only 2 months in, but it's been quite a mix. Part of that seems to be the better weather this year (last year's drought limited some of the crops), but part is just the wider variety of vegetables this farm grows.

One of the things I started last year was making soups to freeze and freezing extra of various meals we made. By doing this, the volume of veggies wasn't as overwhelming and we had real organic veggies all winter.

Quart size bags of veggies in the freezer: shredded zucchini, chopped onions, chopped peppers

A few selections in the freezer: pesto, Swiss chard pie, strata, Swiss chard & bacon muffins

Here are a few of the recipes I've used last year and this year for some of our veggies. Please share your favorite recipes in the comments.

Baba Ghannouj from Saveur (I also hate eggplant, but this is one way to use some up.)

Beef Stew with Roasted Winter Vegetables from Allrecipes

Butternut Squash Soup from Allrecipes (Ok, but a little spicy for our taste.)

Creamy Cucumber Soup from Eating Well (This was surprisingly good. Would be perfect with a baguette.)

French Leek Pie from Allrecipes

Garlic Buttered Green Beans from Recipe Circus

Napa Cabbage Salad from Allrecipes (Love this recipe!)

Pork, White Bean & Kale Soup from Eating Well

Spinach and Cheese Pie from Relish

Stove Top Baby Red Potatoes with Basil, Shallots and Garlic from food.com

Rhubarb Muffins (7th recipe down) from The Rhubarb Compendium (I love rhubarb, and these muffins are fantastic.)

Restaurant-style Zuppa Toscana from Allrecipes (We had enough to last all winter given all the kale we got last year.)

Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler from Taste of Home

Tuscan Pasta with Tomato-Basil Cream from My Recipes

Tuscan Sausage and Chard Soup from Allrecipes

Zucchini Bread from Allrecipes (A fabulous recipe, this works with summer squash too. I freeze 2 cup portions of shredded zucchini and summer squash to make this all year round.)

I do notice a trend, partly because it's an easy way to get Chris eating vegetables: I make a lot of soups. I also make a lot of baked goods if there's any way to make a vegetable into a muffin.