What we did with CSA box #15 and what's in box #16

Once again we were traveling for one week of this box so a lot less to show (also I don't put everything I use onions & garlic in since that would be just about every dish.)

1. Curried Root Vegetable Soup (recipe next week) 2. Maple-Glazed Chicken & Squash

3. Corn & Sausage Chowder (recipe next week) 4. Maple-Glazed Sweet Potatoes, Apples & Bacon

And what's in box #16....

Kabocha & Festival Squash - We have quite a stash of squash right now, luckily it stores well in our cool basement. We'll continue to use it as a side dish mainly

Tat Soi- I'm thinking this will be a good addition to a soup

Parsnips - In soup, stew & roasted

Celeriac - Matt plans on using this in clam chowder

Sweet Potatoes - Stacey Snacks had a recipe for Sweet Potato Gratin I want to try

Carrots - We have an overload of carrots right now. I'll use some in lentil stew & perhaps some bread but I think its time to prepare some for freezing.

Sunchokes - I'm always so happy to see these, they are amazing roasted

Scarlet Turnip - Thinking a lamb & root vegetable stew

Rutabaga - In the same stew as the turnip

Baby Beets - These beauties call out to be roasted, they probably don't even need to be peeled.

Onions

Garlic

The box also had a head of cabbage & some beauty heart radishes but I left them for someone else as we already have enough of both.

Only one more box left this year.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #14 and what's in box #15

I have to admit we didn't do very well with box #14 especially since we headed to San Francisco the day after we go it. Basically we used an onion here, some garlic here, a little spinach here, but we have a lot left. Luckily much of it will last.

& what's in box #15....


Cabbage - Matt is joking we need to make saurkraut, I'm serious about it!

Carrots

Festival Squash - One of these makes a perfect side dish for the two of us, steamed with a little butter

Red Cipollini Onions - These will be perfect in a stew

Scarlet Turnips - I think I'll try this sweeter variety of turnip in a stew

Beauty Heart Radishes - I really haven't figured out how best to use these yet. Maybe I'll pickle them for a banh mi

Onions

Garlic

Sweet Potatoes - These are going to Memphis with us to be part of the Thanksgiving dinner, probably with some maple syrup & pecans.

Parsnip - Perfect roasted with a chicken

There was also some greens in our box but I left them in the swap box as since we are leaving town & they need to be used the quickest.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #13 and what's in box #14

1. Guinness Beef Stew 2. Pizza Bianca with Leeks & Prosciutto 3. Hearty Lentil Soup 4. Asian Stuffed Peppers 5. Peppery Olive Oil & Sweet Potato Bread 6. Lamb Patties with Fennel Tzatziki & Spinach Couscous 7. Sweet Potato Ravioli with Spinach in Cream Sauce 8. Roast Chicken with Potatos, Carrots, Parsnips, Brussel Sprouts & Fennel 9. Pork Chops with baked Squash & sautéed Kale

What's in box #14


Spinach - It think its time for some spinach lasagna

Celeriac - I want to find a better soup recipe than the last celeriac one we made, it was a little too celeryish

Festival Squash - We really like this squash best just roasted with some butter

Sweet Potato - So many possibilities

Garlic

Onions

Beauty Heart Radish - I wonder how these taste roasted

White Turnip - I'll add to other roasted vegetables or into a soup

Carrots

Kabocha Squash - This is really the best way to use this

Escarole - Apparently this is very good sautéed as a side dish

Collards - This will get used in soups & stews like we use kale & chard

Leaf Lettuce

There was also a bag of salad greens but since we are heading out of town I left them for someone else to enjoy.

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #12 and what's in box #13

1. Turkey Chili (recipe to come) 2. Roasted Butternut Squash Curry 3. Sausage & Peppers Pasta 4. Crock Pot Rib w/ Potato & Leek Gratin 5. Roasted Vegetable Salad with Fried Goat Cheese 6. The box

And what's in box #13 - A lot of staples in this box

Fennel - I'm thinking something with fish will be a good use for this fennel but I'm not sure yet.

Bok Choy - Stir-fry

Lettuce

Red Kale - Think we'll sauté this up as a side dish with pork

Carrots - These small carrots will be a perfect lunch time side for use as we try to stop eating chips.

Delicata Squash - Perfect just baked with a little butter.

Butternut Squash - This will probably become a soup as well

Parsnips - We'll roast these with Sunday's chicken

Potatoes - Some will get roasted with the chicken & some used in soup

Red & Yellow Onions

Garlic

Sweet Potatoes - I'd love to try a sweet potato gnocchi

Leeks - We are trying to have soup at lunch every day so I think I'll make a potato leek soup

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.

© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #11 and what's in box #12

1. Pepper Chutney 2. Sweet Potato & Black Bean Curry 3. Potato & Celeriac Buttermilk Gratin (recipe to come) 4. White Bean & Spinach Soup 5. Chicken Noodle Soup 6. Vols au Vent filled with Chicken & Vegetables

What's in box #12

Spinach - I've been rowing spinach into all my soups & stews lately

Arugula - Think I'll make a salad with some of the squash & peppers & some fried goat cheese

Rainbow Chard - Another green we like in soups though its also good sautéed up with some garlic as a side dish.

Broccoli - My go to green side just steamed

Leeks - I love roasted leeks, perhaps in a gratin with the potatoes

Butternut Squash - Think this is the squash I'll roast for the salad

Delicata Squash - We fell in love with this squash last year. Its perfect just roasted in the skin for a side dish with a little butter.

UV Roaster, Ukraine and Jalapeno Peppers - Think I may roast some of these up & freeze them for later use.

Red & Yellow Onions - It seems like I use onions in every dish

Potatoes - Maybe its time for a potato leek soup or potato leek bread, yum!

Garlic

Carrots - We've gotten into the habit of having carrot sticks with lunch instead of a big pile of chips.

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #10 and what's in box #11

1. sweet corn tamales 2. using up the veggies ratatouille 3. Cheesy Cauliflower Pancakes 4. Cherry Tomato & Goat Cheese Pie 5. smoked tomato salsa 6. baked cheesy broccoli romanesco 7. tomato, corn & bacon salad 8. hot pepper jelly 9. The box

And CSA box #11

Tomatoes - I have a bunch more ripe in the garden too so I'll probably can them.
Jalapenos - Salsa!

Ukraine Peppers - I might use these in the tomato sauce

Garlic

Parsley Root - I really thought these were parsnips but I guess this is a new vegetable to our CSA boxes. Apparently it is best used in soups & stews so I'll make some soup this week & freeze the rest.

Raspberries - These will get frozen with the last boxes batch to use in raspberry apple sauce.

Lettuce - for sandwiches & a salad nicoise salad

Spinach - I'll use this in soup

Celeriac - Our newsletter suggests fritters & that sounds too good not to try

Broccoli - Matt is addicted to broccoli, bacon & raisin salad for lunch so that will use the bulk of this.

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #9 and what's in #10

1. Carrot cake 2. Carrot Raisin Salad 3. Sausage & Peppers 4. BST (Bacon, Spinach & Tomato) & roasted potatoes 5. Raspberry Swirl Gelato 6. Tomato Sauce 7. Honey Soy Stir-fry 8. Pasta with Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce
We still have quite a bit left from this box as we usually have two weeks between boxes.

Box #10 is a doozy....

Carrots - A have a fridge & freezer full at this point. Need to find more creative recipes for them

Salad Mix

Cauliflower - We like it best roasted

Radishes - Great in stir-fry

Sweet Corn - We'll eat two this week with butter & I'll freeze the rest

Broccoli - Best just steamed

Melon & Watermelon - We've been enjoying the melons in our box as a nice light dessert

Spigarello - Matt wants to see if we like it better cooked in a soup than we did in stir-fry

Edimame - Steamed & salted for a snack. Also been good shelled into stir-fry

Black Cherry Tomatoes - Thinking of using these on a pizza

Raspberries - Matt would like me to make some raspberry applesauce

Pimentos - We used these in the sausage & peppers

Jalapenos - I plan on using these in some roasted tomato salsa

Orange Ukraine Peppers - Think I might do a roasted pepper sauce with these

Onions

Garlic

Zucchini - We'll grill this with the one still left from the last box

Tomatoes - I want more BLTs

Turkish Orange Eggplant - Think we'll try these unusual little eggplants in a stir-fry

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What's in CSA box #9

We are back from India and quite a bit jetlagged. It's always hard to come back from a long trip, face that empty fridge & get back into the swing of cooking. Luckily for us there was a CSA box waiting & I've been doing most of the cooking from it.

Beans - These red & white beans are the type to shell & eat.
Spinach
Radishes - We sliced some in a stir-fry last night which was quite good.
Carrots - I'm getting a glut of carrots in the fridge again this year. Guess its time for carrot cake.
Watermelon - Dessert for a bbq tomorrow
Squash - I think this will get grilled for a side dish at the bbq
Melon - A delicious orange melon that Matt & I ate for dessert last night
Grape Tomatoes - I turned this into a quick sauce for pasta the other night using an onion, some garlic & fresh basil & oregano
Sprigarello - A type of broccoli rabe. We used in in the stir-fry last night & I was not wild about it at all. It had quite a rubbery texture.
Orange Ukraine and UV Roaster Peppers - I'll use these in sausage & peppers this week
Jalapenos
Edamame - We steamed & shelled some into the stir-fry which was good. The rest I'll steam & serve as an appetizer tomorrow.
Broccoli Romanesco - I'm thinking of baking it with some cheese as a side dish
Cucumber - this will just be a snack
Yellow Onions
Garlic
Raspberries - I'm going to add these to homemade vanilla ice cream tonight.
Tomatoes - Matt wants a good BLT
Potatoes

We have another box coming this Thursday as well (we usually get one every other week but got off schedule with traveling) so we really need to work hard to eat most of this box in one week.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #7 and what's in #8

1. Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes 2. Zucchini Carbonara(recipe to come) 3. Black Bean Burgers with Roasted Cauliflower & Steamed Beans(recipe to come) 4. Chorizo Stuffed Zucchini 5. Espresso Glazed Steak (recipe to come) with Smashed Potatoes & Creamed Red Mizuna 6. Smoked Chicken Tacos with Peppers & Onions 7. Asian Noodle Salad 8. Bruschetta 10. Tomato & Onion Tart with Sautéed Greens

Sorry there are so many "recipes to come" here. I've been cooking a lot & have a nice backlog of posts waiting to go up. There are a lot of zucchini dishes here that used both zucchini from the farm & our own garden.

Box #8 is pretty amazing. The farm says the cool summer is giving us one of the best seasons ever.

Salad Mix

Amaranth - Will go in stir-fry

Yellow Watermelon & Butterscotch Melon - We'll take these up to camp for some snacking this weekend

Carrots - Stir-fry, salad & maybe salsa

Japanese Eggplant - Stir-fry

Various Green Peppers - Matt is going to can some salsa using these

Onions - Also in the salsa

Tomatoes - In the salsa

Cucumber - Think this might be snacks for this weekend as well.

Eggplant - I actually should have left this in the swap box as Matt does not like eggplant

Garlic - Going in the salsa

Summer Squash - I'm ready to yell surrender to the zucchini & summer squash so I think I may give these to my mom

Potatoes

Beans

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #6 and what's in #7

1. Broccoli & Bacon Salad 2. Zucchini Pickles (recipe to come) 3. Paella 4. Grated Zucchini for freezing 5. Summer Harvest Pizza on Honey Wheat Crust (recipe to come) 6. Classic Coleslaw 7. Grilled Zucchini with Chipotle Bacon Sauce 8. Creamy Sausage & Zucchini Pasta 9. Roasted Vegetable & Quinoa Salad

And on to box 7...

Cauliflower - We are going to roast this & have it with the leftover chipotle bacon sauce

Zucchini - Look for an upcoming post with lots of zucchini ideas

Sweet Spanish Onions - One has already been used in a Onion & Tomato Tart

Garlic

Peppers - Fajitas next week

Tomatoes - The first of the season. Mostly used in the tart mention above but the rest are going in bruchetta

Potatoes - We'll be taking Garlic Scape Potato Salad to a picnic tomorrow

Yellow & Green Beans - I'm going to blanch & freeze a bulk of these

Cucumbers - We're making pickles this weekend

Dill - Good for the pickles

Red Mizuna - Not sure how to use this mustardy green yet

Sauté Greens - Just a quick wilt with some garlic & these are a perfect side. This batch has such wonderful flavor.

Carrots - I think Matt is wanting some Morning Glory Muffins

Arugula

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #5 and what's in #6

1. Pea Risotto 2. Flank Steak Stir-fry 3. Grilled Trout & Fennel with Lemon Cream Sauce & Sautéed Beets 4. Roasted Beet & Fennel Salad 5. Strawberry Shortcake 6. Grilled Zucchini (with a flatbread sandwich) 7. Baja Fish Tacos 8. Beet Green & Amaranth Quesadillas 9. Dutch Baby with Fresh Strawberry Sauce

A few notes on the items without links. The pea risotto was a really basic risotto recipe that we added some shelled peas & some sugar snaps that had been sautéed in a little butter. The beef stir-fry was super simple & tasty with peas, sweetheart cabbage, bok choy & scallions all in a store bought teriyaki sauce. The grilled zucchini was just coated with a little olive oil & balsamic vinegar & cooked in a grill basket.

And on to box #6

Cauliflower - Think we'll roast this as a side dish. Its really good with Indian BBQ Sauce

Broccoli - This will just get steamed or used in a stir-fry

Savoy Cabbage - Probably headed for a coleslaw

Spinach - We are responsible for bringing a salad to camp this weekend & I'm thinking a spinach salad with eggs & bacon would be good

Arugula - Love this on pizza

Beans - Steamed

Golden Beets - I'm tempted to try my hand at beet ice cream

Carrots - Stir-fry, salads, carrot cake

Fresh Garlic - We've been letting the fresh garlic cure to use later

Cipollini Onions - I bet these would be fabulous grilled

Cucumber - Should go in a salad but I'm thinking Pimm's Cup

Squash - Matt loves it grilled

Chard - Sautéed with some bacon or sausage & some nuts, yum

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #4 and what's in #5

Here's what we did with the latest from Harmony Valley Farm...


1. Bakewell Tart 2. Chicken with Garlic Scape Pesto 3. Linguine with Spinach, Garlic & Red Pepper 4. Garlic Scape Pesto 5. Radish Tortilla 6. Strawberry Port Sauce 7. Asian Chicken Salad 8. Strawberry Balsamic Jam 9. Lamb Lettuce Wraps 10. Pancakes with Fresh Strawberry Sauce 11. The Box 12. Toppings for Grilled Pizza

A few words on the dishes that don't have links to recipes...

The Linguine, Spinach, Garlic & Red Pepper dish is an easy one that I make when its just me for dinner. Cook about 3 oz pasta. While your pasta is cooking sauté some chopped garlic & red pepper flakes in a generous amount of olive oil. Drain the pasta & return it to the pot. Stir in the garlic, red pepper & olive oil then about 2 cups cleaned spinach. Stir until the heat of the pasta wilt the spinach & serve.

The Chicken Asian Salad is cabbage, scallions & sugar snaps from our garden topped with chicken & almonds. The dressing was a simple mixture of soy sauce, olive oil, sesame oil, salt, pepper & a little sugar.

For the Fresh Strawberry Sauce on the pancakes just mix strawberries with sugar & let them sit at room temperature for at least an hour.

And box #5...

Strawberries - I have a lot of vanilla ice cream in the freezer calling for fresh strawberry sauce

Sweetheart Cabbage - Matt is craving coleslaw

Romaine Lettuce - Salad & perhaps some wraps

White Scallions - Nothing special planned we use these in a lot of different recipes

Red Beets - Roasted & in salad, yum! I may freeze the greens for use in a soup later

Fennel - Matt wants to grill the bulbs. I'd like to use the greens with fish

Fresh Garlic - A mild garlic to use in everything

Zucchini - Matt says he could have this grilled or sautéed with every meal.

Amaranth - Wikipedia has a good article on how this beautiful leaf is used by many different cultures. I'm thinking in a stir-fry or cooked in a Greek style with olive oil & lemon and served with fish.

Peas - I cooked the peas from our garden quickly in hot oil with a sauce of soy sauce, honey & garlic & it was wonderful. Think I'll do that again.

Salad Mix

Find more ideas on using your CSA box at Cooking Away My CSA.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #3 and what's in #4

I've joined Cooking Away My CSA this year which is a group of people around the country sharing how they use their CSA boxes.


1. Broccoli Sesame Salad 2. Parsnips Muffins (recipe to come) 3. Baby Turnip Slaw 4. Grilled Asparagus 5. Pickled Spring Onions 6. Seared Salmon with Creamy Green & Roasted Pepper Sauce 7. Strawberry Rhubarb and Gingered Honey Rhubarb Jams 8. Spinach, Bacon and Onion Tacos 9. The box

What's in box 4...

Strawberries - These are always the best & sweetest strawberries of the year. I'm thinking of using then in ice cream or just on top of shortcake.

Red Radish - These make a great sandwich. I also heard they are good in frittatas instead on potato so I may try that this week.

Spinach - With so many greens in this box I may just blanch this bag & freeze it for later use.

Salad Mix 

Greenleaf Lettuce - I want to make lettuce wraps with this over the weekend

Kohlrabi - Matt loves the root julienned & used in slaw.

Napa Cabbage - Stir fry perhaps, maybe cut some up to use in steamed bun filling.

Garlic Scapes - We used half of this as a grilled pizza topping last night. We've also used it to replace garlic in other recipes. I think the rest will become pesto.

Scallions - All of these have already been used on pizza.

Broccoli - This was a pretty small amount of broccoli. We steamed the florets & put them on pizza.

(In case you are wondering our CSA is Harmony Valley Farm.)

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #2 and what's in #3

We ended up taking most of box #2 to Matt's parents so it wouldn't go bad while we were out of town so I only have a few things to show for this box.

1. Cardamom Rhubarb Sorbet 2. Spicy Sunchoke Dip 3. Grilled Duck with Wild Rice Cakes 4. Apple Rhubarb Strudel 5. Turkey Yakitori Burgers 6. Grilled Asparagus Pizzas
And here's box #3

Spinach - Much of that will go into tonight's Spinach & Caramelized Onion Tacos

Arugula - No plans for this yet beyond salads

Baby Turnips - I want to use the greens in stir-fry along with some of the turnips. They rest I may roast or just sauté

Baby Broccoli - I'm thinking a salad with broccoli, sunflower seeds & raisins

Asparagus - This is the best looking batch yet. We just love it grilled with a little olive oil & salt, the perfect finger food

Green Garlic - Also in tonight's tacos

Potato Onions - These would be great grilled but I'm thinking some sort of spring onion tart might be nice.

Bok Choy - Headed to a stir-fry

Rhubarb - If we can find some fresh strawberries we plan on canning some rhubarb strawberry jam this weekend.

Hon Tsai Tai - Also stir-fry bound

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What we did with CSA box #1 and what's in #2

This has been a pretty fun box to work with. Along with the items below we had a few spinach salads & had ramps in a tasty omelette. We tried making the burdock chips but I accidently burned them to a crisp.

1. Creamy Sausage, Spinach & Morels over Polenta (recipe coming soon) 2. Trout with Rosemary Tomato Sauce & Sorrel Rice 3. Ramp & Buttermilk Biscuits 4. Linguine with Morels, Ramps, Sunchokes & Spinach 5. Grilled Flatbread Sandwiches with Roasted Sunchokes 6. Rhubarb Phyllo Nests 7. Moroccan Chicken with Sorrel Couscous 8. Potato, Parsnip & Ramp Tart 9. The original box

And box #2

We are heading our of town to Matt's parents this weekend so we'll take a lot of this box with us & I'm not sure what the plans to use them will be yet.

Sunchokes - Someone posted this link to a great sounding dip on the HVF Yahoo Group that I'll try tomorrow. I'm also thinking these would make great chips.

Rhubarb - More desserts on the way

Parsnips - I still have a few of these left from the last box too. Time to research some new parsnip recipes.

Spinach - This spinach looks wonderful & perfect for salads.

Ramps - Matt's parents have never been able to find ramps where they live so we'll be bringing these to share.

Green Garlic - These would be good in the Ramp & Buttermilk Biscuits I made last week. 

Egyptian Walking Onions - I think I want these just grilled like we do with knob or spring onions.

Salad Mix

Sauté Greens - Sautéd with a little garlic or green garlic this is a favorite side in our house. They also work well in savory tarts.

Asparagus - We are making Grilled Asparagus Paninis tomorrow

Herb pack - Already planted in the garden for a whole summer's use.

Spring Radishes - I may pickle these, they are such the perfect little size.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

What's in CSA box #1 '09

We've been so ready for our CSA season to start here in MN. It always brings such inspiration to our kitchen to get fresh seasonal goodies from Harmony Valley Farm. Spring boxes are of course lighter than those we'll get in mid to late summer but they usually include some interesting items.

Overwintered Parsnips - We like parsnips both roasted & mashed

Ramps - We had our first taste of ramps last year & have been really looking forward to getting them again this year. I'll be making a ramp & potato tart tonight.

Sunchokes - I like these roasted with a little olive oil & salt, yum.

Burdock - I'll admit last year I left the burdock at the CSA pick-up for someone else because I had no idea what to do with it. I hear it is good fried into chips so we'll try that.

Rhubarb - Crisp? Pie? Jam? Something sweet & yummy

Black Radish - I might try pickling these

Overwintered Spinach - I plan on sauteing some as a side with chicken. The rest will be a salad

Sorrel - This will get sautéed & mixed with couscous for a side to Moroccan chicken. Its lemony flavor should mix well.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2009 Kathy Lewinski

Penne with Skillet-Roasted Root Vegetables & CSA box #19

When I saw this recipe from Bon Appetit on Serious Eats I thought what a great way to use some of those root vegetables I've been getting from the Farm.

This was a wonderful meal. I was so surprised at the great sweet, caramelized flavor the vegetables got cooking on the stove instead of the oven (I think the trick was to chop them relatively small). The red beets gave the whole thing a slightly reddish hue but I think it actually looked pretty.

I did make some adaptations to the original recipe. I changed up the vegetable mix, they used golden beets, sweet potato & parsnips, I think you could use an root vegetables you have on hand. The recipe called for using the beet green if you have them. Since I cut the greens off the beets to store them (they keep longer this way) I didn't have any but what I did have was kale. Kale is not as tender as beet greens so I added it while the vegetables cooked in the broth to soften. I also added white wine to the recipe because I thought it would add a nice flavor when used to deglaze the pan. This is one I'll definitely make again!

Penne with Skillet-Roasted Root Vegetables
adapted from Bon Appetite Jan '09

1 T olive oil
1 c red onions, roughly chopped
3 c mixed root vegetables, chopped (we used beets, turnips & parsnips)
1 T fresh rosemary, chopped
1/4 c white wine
3/4 c chicken broth + more if needed
1 c kale leaves, stems removed, ripped into pieces
8 oz penne pasta
1 T butter
3/4 c grated parmesan

Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the onions & root vegetables. Cook for about 9 minutes until the vegetables start to brown & soften, stirring occasionally. Stir in the rosemary & cook for another minute. Pour in the white wine & scrap off any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth & kale. Cover & turn heat to medium. Let cook for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are very tender.

Meanwhile, cook the penne according to the package directions. Drain. Return the pasta to the pot & stir in the butter & most of the cheese. Stir in the vegetables. If the pasta seems to dry add a little more chicken broth.

Serve with remaining cheese sprinkled over the top.

2 large servings

This week was our last CSA box for the year. Lots more wonderful root vegetables that will store for at least a couple weeks. We also got some beautiful dried peppers.

It'll be strange not getting a box of vegetables every two weeks anymore. We've gotten so used to having that bounty in our house. We will be signing up for next season with Harmony Valley Farm. We've so enjoyed the variety we received from them this year & the number of new things we've been able to try. I think a few of my readers are also members of HVF so, if you are please leave a comment I'd love to know.

What's in CSA box #18

Usually I would show you what we did with the last CSA box but really other than a Vegetable Curry we didn't do anything too exciting. We used a lot of things just as side dishes, mainly roasting them. Now on to box #18

This is the first of two extended season boxes we'll receive & then we are done until Spring.

Red Cipollini Onions - These little onions are perfect for stews & roasting. I'm thinking they'd be wonderful in a Beef Bourguigon.
Shallots
Savoy Cabbage

Black Beans - Apparently our farm got frustrated trying to find organic black beans that were grown locally (or North America for that matter) so they decided to grow their own. These babies will be for chilies & soups.

Carrots

Celeriac - I think I may mash this one

Golden Turnips

Garlic

Black Radishes

Sunchokes - Matt thinks that roasted these taste a bit like plantains so perhaps I may have to create a meal like we used to get at Cha Cha Cha in San Francisco

Red Beets - I might be time to make some borscht though I don't have any beet greens

Parsnips

Red Turnips

What we did with CSA box #16 & what's in box #17

We don't have much to show from what we did with CSA box #16. We were in the California for one week right after the box came. THe nice thing is a lot of this type of produce stores for awhile so we are keeping it fresh & cool in our basement root cellar.

1. Mac & Cheese with Squash 2. Matt's Vegetable Soup
On to box #17. This is our last regular season box (yes, this late in MN). We have two extended season boxed coming in January & then we're done until May. Luckily there is a winter farmer's market once a month a Local D'Lish so we can still get some good local produce through the tough months.
 

Sunchokes - We'll roast these & serve them with pork.

Carrots - Yes, more carrots. I think I'll make some Morning Glory Muffins while my parents are here.

Red Cabbage - This will be turned into a warn cabbage salad for Christmas Eve to be served with Swedish Meatballs.

Red Potatoes

Festival Squash - I'll steam these in the oven with butter.

Celeriac

Parsnips - We love them in soups, stew & roasted though I'm thinking a parsnip mash might be called for.

Red & Gold Turnips - We used some already in beef stew. It think we may roast some.

More Radish

Parsley Root - Gotta figure this one out.

Red Beets - I love roasted beets & have a hard time doing anything else with them.

Bugs Bunny only wished he had our problem...

We have too many carrots. For the last 4 or 5 CSA shipments we've received a bag of carrots & the crisper drawers in our fridge are full of them. Matt's Mom told me over Thanksgiving that if I grate & blanch them they will freeze well for baking later on. Matt did a little research & discovered that they will freeze well in slices to use in stew & soup later on as well.

I froze 3 bags of slices for soup & stew, one of diagonal slices for stir-fry & 1/2 c bags of grated carrot for muffins & bread.

It's a pretty simple process especially if you don't bother peeling your carrots.
1. Cut or grate your carrots to the desired size.
2. Blanch the carrots in boiling water, 2 minutes for slices, 1 minute for grated.
3. Cool the blanched carrots with cold water & drain.
4. Put in airtight containers & freeze
5. Use within 10 - 12 months

I still have 2 1/2 bags of carrots in the fridge so I'll do more for the freezer. We only have CSA deliveries through the end of January so we'll be happy to have these local vegetables stored away for the rest of the winter.