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Fresh Fork Market 2012 Summer CSA–week 9

Aug 032012

We picked up our bag in Mayfield this week without issue. I was glad to make it a quick trip and didn’t even get the kids out of the car. I’ve decided that the large is really hard to take a photo of since it’s so large. This is all of the items except the meat. I had already popped them into the freezer.

Here’s what we were expecting this week:

1 whole cantaloupe
Either 1 pint mixed color cherry tomatoes or approx. 1.5 lbs. heirloom tomatoes
2 ct. zucchini/squash
2 ct. eggplant
1 bulb garlic
1 large candy onion
2 oz. basil
1 bunch curly kale
Approx. 1.5 lbs. slicing tomatoes
1 lb. bulk Italian sausage (ground)
1 pint blackberries or approx. 1.5 lbs. peaches
1 small yellow watermelon
1 lb. yellow wax beans or green filet beans
1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
1 head lettuce
1 bunch radishes
1-2 cucumbers depending on size

These melons are really small. I think I’ll call them personal size. We’ll eat them quickly.

The guys of the house will snack on the cherry tomatoes. The rest are going into some salsa (hopefully tonight).

We’ll eat the lettuce in salad and use the basil for some dressing. I need to pick up some more balsamic vinegar, but we’ll make due until then.

I haven’t decided on a dish for the kale yet. It may just get sautéed. The cucumbers will be great for salads and snacking.

I have lots of garlic frozen from last year. I’ll have to remember to use it more often. We had the onion with our dinner tonight.

I’m not a huge fan of ratatouille, so we’ll probably make a veggie lasagna this week and use the eggplant. I’m hoping to try a bread and butter zucchini pickle recipe with the zucchini (and a few others we have).

We’ll have the blackberries for breakfast tomorrow. Our fridge is too full to keep them around. We’ll either roast or pickle the radishes.

The beans will be a side dish for Sunday. I put the Italian sausage and ground beef in the freezer.

I really need to get some preserving done, my fridge is over flowing. A little canning and freezing and we’ll be all set. It’s easy for us to use our items when we eat at home, but we’ve had a strange schedule lately and we’re a bit behind on consumption.

Geauga Family Farms–summer week 9

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Jul 312012

The kids and I had a crazy busy day today. So, when Sally was still sleeping at 4:30PM, I called Stephen and asked him to pick up our share. I should send him more often! He came home with 3 fruits. We like to eat our veggies, but LOVE to eat fruit.

Here’s a shot of what we picked up today:

onions, lettuce

bell peppers (one in our share and one gifted from another member)

slicing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes

peaches, blackberries

watermelon

Since we picked 60 pounds of peaches on Sunday, I’m in clean the kitchen and canning mode. So, this needs to be an easy CSA week. The peppers, onions and slicing tomatoes are going to be frozen. The blackberries will be great with breakfast tomorrow. The lettuce will go into a salad with a cucumber from last weekend. We’ll eat the peaches in oatmeal as they ripen. The watermelon can get in melon line. We have a cantaloupe cut up in the fridge, plus two other melons that we picked up over the weekend. Since everyone in our house loves melon season, we’ll have no problem consuming it. We made two quiches today and have some local pasta in the freezer. We’ll be having easy to throw together meals the next few days.

Fresh Fork Vitamix Workshop

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Jul 282012

On Monday, I had the opportunity to attend the Fresh Fork CSA Vitamix workshop. This workshop was a joint effort between Vitamix and Fresh Fork. Using the Vitamix and local ingredients to come up with tasty dishes was the goal.

Becky was our hostess and she was great!

Her and her crew did a great job hosting us. Trevor brought lots of fresh and local ingredients.

Trevor and Robert helped pass out samples to the class.

Here’s a photo with a few of the menu items. Most of them were delicious. I took a lesson from the strawberry syrup and made fresh hot blueberry syrup this week. It was so delicious and only took 5 minutes and 2 ingredients for thick syrup.

After trying many dishes, it was time to pack up. Several people bought Vitamix machines or dry goods containers. Trevor and Robert opened shop to sell all of the leftover produce. It was instant farmers’ market. I doubt there was much left to carry back to the truck.

I left with whipping cream and blackberries.

I had a great time at the class and decided that even though I use my Vitamix several times a week, it’s very under utilized. I’ll hopefully be changing that soon.

Fresh Fork Market 2012 Summer CSA–week 8

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Jul 272012

Since we had my niece and nephew this week, we waited until today to pick up our share in Mayfield. Although I did stop in Beachwood yesterday for yogurt and milk since we needed to replenish.

Here’s what I picked up:

Here’s what we were expecting to receive:

1 pint blueberries
6 ears sweet corn
3 lb. Yukon gold potatoes
1 bunch rainbow Swiss chard
1 bunch collard greens
2 ct. cucumbers
1 pint cherry tomatoes or approx. 1.5 lbs. heirloom tomatoes (about 3 depending on size)
1 package chicken bratwursts
1 lb. yellow wax beans
2 ct. green peppers
1 cantaloupe
1 package pork spare ribs
1 jar Pope’s BBQ sauce

It looks like we got regular slicing tomatoes and some cherry tomatoes. We were also shorted the BBQ sauce, but my husband was able to pick it up on his way home from work. So, it’s here, but missed its photo opportunity.

We’ll have the chicken brats for lunch or dinner on Sunday. We’ll either grill them or braise them in beer. The kids have really been enjoying the cucumbers for snacking.

I’ll be making some fajitas Sunday or Monday. I’ll use a couple of onions that I still have along with the collards or chard and peppers in them. The blueberries will be lucky to be around after breakfast tomorrow.

We never got around to our Ohio City pasta last week, so I’ll probably make the béchamel sauce this weekend and use the tomatoes. The cherry tomatoes will make good snacks for the guys of the house tomorrow.

The beans will make a great side dish in the next couple of days. We’ll probably cut the cantaloupe up this weekend and eat it, but I am interested in trying Jane Snow’s cantaloupe gelatin dessert recipe.

Both the corn on the cob and ribs are on tomorrow’s lunch menu. I think we’ll be grilling!

The potatoes will last a few days, and I don’t have an immediate plan for them. Either the collards or chard will go into our fajitas. The other will probably go into a quiche or just be sautéed for a side.

It’s been fun getting the large from our Fresh Fork CSA. But, on Friday evenings, our fridge is packed to the max. We have been trying to use local eggs, milk and yogurt. When we add that stuff to the contents of our bag, it makes for a well stocked kitchen. It also means that we don’t need the grocery store much and prioritize our meals to use up bulky items first. I can’t wait to see what we are getting next week.

Fresh Fork Market Canning Class

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Jul 252012

Last night, I had the opportunity to take a canning class. I’ve been doing some simple water canning for a year or so, but I always think there is something new to learn.

Here a shot of the set up:

The class was quickly put to work shucking corn, dicing peppers and chopping onions. The goal was to make some relish.

Clark and Robert taught the class and it was really well presented. There were lots of questions and good discussion throughout the class. I met the person in blue at the end of the evening. She had the best knife skills ever. Maybe she’ll teach me one day soon.

Here’s an action shot of Robert and Clark teaching and demoing.

I had a good time, tasted some awesome “slightly sweet” pickles and picked up a few tips. Despite the construction issues in getting to the Beachwood Community Center, the facility was really conducive to a class. I’d love to have a canning party soon. I wish there were commercial places to can in the area. My little kitchen just isn’t suitable for what I dream about.

Geauga Family Farms–summer week 8

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Jul 242012

Today, I took 4 kids with me to pick up the Geauga Family Farms CSA at Whole Foods. Since my niece and nephew are here, we had two extra with us. It was not our smoothest pick up because Aunt Lyn / mommy camp is really wearing out the kids. Everyone was tired and grumpy.

Here’s what we received in our single share:

lettuce, patty pan squash

green pepper, onion

cherry tomatoes, potatoes

green beans, fennel

I was quite happy to see lettuce in the share this week. We’ve been out since Saturday. We’ll roast the patty pan squash and stuff it for lunch one day soon. I like to use some sausage, rice or egg and veggies in a stuffing.

The green pepper will go into our salad and also be used for snacking. I’m going to probably just chop up the onion and freeze it. The cherry tomatoes will go to lunch with Stephen the next couple of days. I’ll probably make some mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner tomorrow.

In 4 years of doing different CSA programs, I received fennel for the first time today. I’m anxious to read a little about it and pick out a good recipe or two. I’m hoping that I can find something with ingredients that I already have on hand so I can use it tomorrow!

Other than the fennel, this is a pretty straight forward week. I’m hoping for fruit next week!

Fresh Fork Market 2012 Summer CSA–week 7

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Jul 202012

We picked up our bag in Beachwood yesterday. Some weeks, it’s just more convenient for us. I love the colors in this week’s bag.

Here’s what we were expecting to receive:

1 dozen pasture raised chicken eggs
1 piece Havarti from Mayfield Road Creamery (8 oz.)
2 ct. zucchini or squash
1 bunch carrots or 1 bunch beets (switching from last week)
1 lb. whole wheat linguini
6 ears sweet corn
1 lb green beans
1-2 bulb onions depending on size
1 lb. apricots
2 lbs. peaches
Approx. 1.5 lbs. tomatoes
1 pint mixed color cherry tomatoes
1 pint blueberries

We were missing our blueberries. I’m hoping to stop by Mayfield today and pick them up. We are a bit overstocked on eggs at the moment. My niece and nephew are coming next week and they love eggs, so I think it will all even out. I packed some of the tomatoes in Stephen’s lunch this morning. I doubt any will be left by tomorrow.

I’m actually keeping up with onions. These are the only two that we have in our fridge. I’m guessing they will just be used in regular cooking this week. I’m hoping to grill zucchini for dinner tomorrow.

These tomatoes will probably be made into tomato béchamel sauce for our pasta. It’s convenient that we received carrots this week too.

Peaches and apricots disappear around here quickly. Nick likes to do a magic trick where the apricot turns into a pit. If there are any left tomorrow, we’ll grill some with our zucchini.

Everyone in our house loves cheese, so there’s never a need to figure out a plan. The pasta will be an easy meal for lunch on Sunday with the sauce.

The beans will make a good side dish for dinner tonight, along with the corn.

I’ve also been buying yogurt and milk from the truck. Between the CSA and the extras, our fridge is packed today. It sure beats shopping at the grocery store.

Geauga Family Farms CSA–summer week 7

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Jul 172012

It’s week 7 of our Geauga Family Farms CSA. We made our pick up at Whole Foods and headed home as quickly as possible since it’s 97 degrees outside.

Here’s what we received in our small share this week:

tomatoes, pickling cucumbers

onions, cucumbers

zucchini, cherry tomatoes

beets, lettuce

green beans

I think we’ve passed the heavy greens part of the season with all of the heat lately. I suspect, we’ll see more greens when the weather cools toward the end of the CSA season. The tomatoes will be great for salads. Stephen and Nick like them. Sally and I do not. If anyone has any tips on learning to like the texture of tomatoes, please let me know.

I’m going to make refrigerator pickles with both types of cucumbers this week. I need to slice the onion for a cabbage dish that I am going to make. I used the reserved onions in tonight’s dinner, so I need to replenish. I had some squash grilled at an event this past weekend, so I decided to just make zucchini straight up tonight. I’m not sure what I don’t eat it like that more often. This week’s zucchini will be eaten with minimal preparation.

I’m going to venture out of my comfort zone on the beets and try to use one raw on some salad. I may also use some on a quesadilla of sorts. I’ll let you know how it turns out. The beet greens weren’t worth keeping this week.

The lettuce will go to salad and the beans will be a great side dish in the next day or two. I was sad that we didn’t receive any fruit this week. I was expecting blueberries. The ones we received the last couple of weeks were so good. I have plans to go picking on Thursday, so I’ll be able to replenish our supply then.

With all of my preparations over the weekend, I feel very caught up in the kitchen and ready to tackle this week’s share.

Taste of Tremont

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Jul 152012

Today, I worked the Fresh Fork CSA booth at Taste of Tremont. I was able to park near Tremont and College streets. I was told to look for the smoke. It was easy to spot.

I met up with some of the other crew and got to work. It’s always nice to see Allison and Kelly. In the background the roasting of corn had begun.

Fresh Fork displayed some products for sale. Mostly, we sold corn on the cob and pig roast platters.

There were a couple of downpours, but it was hot and sunny most of the day.

I think Trevor enjoyed a couple minutes away from the grill during one of rains. Bean was a big help, but after a few hours started to get bored. Later in the day, it was time for the second pig.

It was fun to be a part of the crew today. Maybe in a future year, I’ll visit a few of the other vendors. This was the tenth year for the event which draws 20,000 people each year.

Fresh Fork Market 2012 Summer CSA–week 6

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Jul 132012

Due to some other plans today, we picked up our bag yesterday. The flexibility is awesome.

WOW, I need to get a better photo set up as I am having trouble fitting everything in one frame! This week’s bag is great. I’m still getting used to the vast amount of stuff in a large vs. the small that we subscribed to last year. I’d never go back to the small.

Here’s my attempt at a group shot.

Here’s what we were expecting to receive:

1 whole chicken
1 pint blueberries
1 head leaf lettuce
2 ct cucumbers
2-3 zucchini/squash
1 head red cabbage
About 3 tomatoes, depending on size
1 lb. apricots
1 bunch beets or 1 bunch carrots (rotating for the next two weeks, everyone will get each)
2 lbs. peaches
1 bunch green onions
1 lb. green beans
1 package of ravioli
1 bunch Swiss chard

Our chicken was partially thawed. I’m guessing that was due to the excessive heat yesterday. So, instead of putting it straight in the freezer, it’s thawing in our fridge. That made fitting everything in the fridge a bit challenging, but we managed. I’m hoping to cut it up and have Stephen grill it for dinner tomorrow. We’ll see how that goes. Usually, I roast them whole. I’m going to cut the onions up and freeze them.

I’m not sure about the red cabbage. I may use some of it in a slaw, but I need to do a bit more research. The cucumbers have been great for salads and snacking. I keep thinking about making some pickles, but they keep disappearing.

We’ll grill the zucchini with the chicken. The apricots almost didn’t make it through dinner. After packing lunches today, there’s one left.

The peaches have been great for snacking or in our oatmeal. These need another day or two to ripen. With our abundance of lettuce, the tomatoes will be great in the salads (for Nick and Stephen).

I made a simple white sauce to go with the spinach and garlic scape pasta last night. The pasta was on the strong side, but it was definitely tasty. You can’t really tell from this photo, but this is the biggest head of lettuce ever.

After going to the Beet class last week, I’m excited to make puree and freeze it for future pizza! These are the best beet greens that I’ve ever seen. I’m going to use them tomorrow so I can enjoy them. The four of us finished the blueberries this morning at breakfast. It’s a good thing that I picked 15 pounds for the freezer this week.

The green beans have been tasty this year. These will make a great side dish with one of our chicken meals. I’ll probably use the Swiss chard in some eggs for breakfast tomorrow.

This weekend is all about using up the bulk. Our fridge is overflowing with fresh goodness. Hopefully, by Sunday night, we’ll have it a bit more under control.

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