box #11For those of you who aren't familiar with it, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Basically, you pay for a "share" in a farm in your area & you receive a portion of what they grow. Most farms allow you to receive a whole or half box or in the case of our farm we have a half share where we get a whole box every other week. There is a little risk in that just like the farmer you are dependent on Mother Nature. Our farm has flooded the last two years & some crops were lost but we still feel like we really got our moneys worth.
box #6For those of you in colder climates, like here in Minnesota, now is the time to sign up for this year's share. If you are looking for a CSA in your area, or even just a Farmer's Market, I recommend Local Harvest which allows you to search by your zip code. Many farms offer shares in things other than vegetables. Our farm also offers meat, coffee, fruit & cheese.
On to Menu Planning Monday...
Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Hot Pockets - No, we aren't resorting to frozen hot pockets. We'll be making our own with using puff pastry as a crust
Wild Rice Hotdish - I'll be messing around with another hotdish, this time with wild rice & ground beef.
My secret dish for this month's Royal Foodie Joust. This month's 3 ingredients are shallots, orange & edible flowers. It wasn't easy to come up with an idea for those.
Peanut Turkey Burgers - Matt is going to give his take on the burgers he loves so much at the Edina Grill
Cheddar Soup - From Soup's On!: 75 Soul-Satisfying Recipes from Your Favorite Chefs
Thanksgiving Dinner in February - We bought a turkey when they were on sale after Thanksgiving so we thought this weekend we'd finally get it out of the freezer & into the oven.
I'm still debating this week's cupcake flavor but I'm tempted to try something with Chinese Five Spice Powder.
As usual, check back during the week for results & recipes.
12 comments:
Thank you Thank you Thank you for the reminder about CSA. I had found one last year that I wanted to sign up for and had forgotten about it.
You menu looks great! So curious about the Royal Foodie Joust!
I'll be back!
great write up on CSAs I think they are great way to get good local products for a great price. I also think they are pretty cool to learn about new items to cook with.
Wow, that is such a great experience. As always your menu sounds great.
Cheers,
Elra
I've been reading a lot about CSA's. I'm still trying to decide. You are definitely the one who sparked my interest in them.
I'm concerned about spending $650 for produce...what if we don't like it, what if I feel the quality isn't there? What if it's heavily bruised? Those are the kinds of things I'm pondering. It's a very intriguing concept though.
Thanks for the CSA link. I'm going to have to get on the ball here in Kansas if I want in. Cupcakes with Chinese five spice sounds very interesting!
THe only CSA here is about 45 minutes from our house. I think for now, until other farmers get involved I will stick tot he Farmers Market in our community with local farmers. I so wanted to do the CSA but it just is not advantagous for us.
I CAN NOT wait to check out the peanut turkey burgers!
Thanks for sharing you menu looks great.
I've been unsure what to do. I've been unhappy with my winter CSA, and don't know if that's because I should have lower expectations since it is winter, or if I just am picky enough I need to select my own produce. I've gotten too many onions just off and potatoes with too much green under the skin.
In summer, I have the advantage of occasionally being able to get to a farm directly, and pick what is freshest, so think I will be sticking with that.
I think I'm going to do it! Join a local CSA program. I just googled CSA + my city name and came to a bunch of options. Any tips on how to pick a CSA site?
We used to belong to a CSA here in Boston, but we didn't have a great experience and now my husband is really put off the idea of farm shares. I can't wait for the farmer's market to start up again, though. It's so nice to have access to so many different vegetables that never get sold in the regular supermarket!
I searched the Local Harvest link and the number of CSAs in and around my area is overwhelming. I love the idea of having a weekly delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables delivered to your door. Unfortunately, it doesn't work for me at this time, but we do have a lovely farmer's market in Union Square on Saturdays, so I am going to start frequenting that more often. By the way, this is my first time leaving a comment, but I come to your blog on an almost daily basis, just to salivate over the wonderful dishes you make!! I'm going to pick something out and try it tonight for my boyfriend! He's a chef, but loves home-cooked meals, so I'll let you know how it turns out!
Thanks again for your blog. The chicken and almond hotdish was a success!!
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