Because of Sandy, our Trick or Treat was moved to tomorrow, so we decided to pick up our share today.  I didn’t want to be in a rush to put it away, have dinner and have the kids ready.  This is our last pick up for the summer season and also the coldest/wettest pick up.  I planned a nice butternut squash soup for dinner from the freezer today.  It’s a great day for soup.

Here’s a group shot of today’s pickup:

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Here’s what we were expecting to receive this week:

  • 1 bunch carrots with tops
  • 1 head jumbo white stem bok choy
  • 1 lb. ground pork
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 1 head broccoli
  • 1 butternut squash
  • 2# turnips
  • 1 bag salad mix, lettuce
  • 2# bag of sauerkraut
  • 1 quarter peck Empire apples
  • 2 frozen pizza dough balls
  • 1 package goat feta cheese
  • Baby Peppers (came in last week’s package)

The carrots will make a nice simple side dish.  Everyone likes them in our house, so these won’t last long.  The pork and beef is intended for meatloaf.  Maybe Stephen will make his famous meatloaf this weekend.  That would be delicious.

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I’ve started looking at lamb recipes and found a Lamb and Feta Stuffed Cabbage recipe.  I think the feta will go into that recipe soon.

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We were almost out of apples again.  Those will go into oatmeal.  I can’t get enough winter squash.  I’ll be roasting this along with pie pumpkins that I picked up today.  Uses are endless.

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For the first time, we received fresh sauerkraut.  I’m excited to try it, but I am also glad that it will keep a while in the fridge, so there’s no hurry.  This broccoli looks outstanding.

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We’ll have it as a side along with pizza for dinner tomorrow.  With Trick or Treat, we’ll need an easy to clean up meal.  The lettuce will go into salads tomorrow or Saturday.

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I’m not sure about the bok choy, but I am thinking a stir fry like we made with the Napa cabbage last week.

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I don’t have any current plans for the turnips, but I am glad they will last a while.  Maybe we’ll make soup later in the week.

I’ve enjoyed trying out the large package this year.  I’d never go back to the small.  I love the bag size for us.  It worked really well.  I’m not interested in the full access package.  I like getting the variety in the large and then supplementing with extras as needed.

 

Due to some last minute travel plans for the weekend, we picked up our CSA share today.  It was our first time picking up on a Wednesday in Solon.  The pick up spot at a church was very nice.  The lot was shady and newly resurfaced.  With a busy evening that included preschool parent orientation, it was very dark when I attempted photos.  So, I’m just using one tonight.  Yes, I have nice lights, but I don’t have the energy for that tonight.

Dark overview photo:

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I think the only thing the photo really shows is how big a large share is.  I’m continually impressed with a what we receive for our value each week.

Here’s what we received:

  • 1 bunch Cylindra beets
  • 1 quart whole milk yogurt
  • 1 acorn squash
  • 1 pint blackberries
  • 1 bag mixed peppers
  • 1 lb. red fortune plums
  • 2 lbs. Roma tomatoes
  • 1 kohlrabi
  • 1 bunch collards
  • 6 ears sweet corn
  • 1 ball fresh mozzarella cheese
  • 2 frozen pizza dough balls
  • 1 pint heirloom tomato sauce
  • A handful hot Hungarian peppers
  • Approx. 1.5 lbs. heirloom tomatoes
  • concord grapes

Originally, we were going to get a spaghetti squash and not have grapes.  You can’t argue with mother nature.  We’ll see squash soon.

This is a crazy week for us as we are leaving town for a few days tomorrow.  So, all of our food needs to be cooked, eaten, froze, or packed so that we don’t lose any of our items.

I have some beets already in the fridge.  I’m going to make Harvard beets and freeze them.  I’ve never frozen that recipe before, but a quick Google search tells me that it’s possible.

We love the yogurt and are fully stocked.  I’m glad it has good dates.  I’ll be taking one container with us in our cooler.

I love winter squash season as much as melon season.  I’ll roast this acorn squash, make puree and freeze it.  It would probably last if I just waited until we got home from our trip, but I’d rather just take care of it now.

The plums and blackberries will come with us on our trip if they last that long.  I’m going to freeze the peppers, tomatoes, collards and corn.  I’ll blanch and chop as needed.  I’m hoping to make the grapes into a usable concentrate for sorbet.  Then, I’ll freeze it.

I’ll use the pizza dough, sauce and cheese to make some pizza for lunch tomorrow and maybe dinner on the road.  The dough was already thawing before I got to it, so I need to use it up.

Whew!  I need to get busy.  We’re leaving at 12:30pm tomorrow and I still need to pack too.

 

Today was the last pick up for the Fresh Fork CSA winter subscription.  Now, we have to wait until the week of June 4th for the summer season to begin.  Meanwhile, this week’s pick up is definitely pizza themed.

Here’s what we were expecting to receive this week:

  • 1 8 oz. package smoked gouda
  • 2 frozen pizza dough balls
  • 1 lb. Italian sausage
  • 1 lb. ground turkey or chicken
  • 2 lbs. rolled oats
  • 1 pint pizza sauce
  • 1 package veggie burgers (2 burgers)
  • 1 bunch ramps
  • 1 veg (will likely include kale, chard, spinach, lettuce, and other spring greens)

Here’s a group shot:

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I’m hoping to use the ramps and spinach on pizza this week.

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We’ve never received ground duck before.  We had our choice of duck or chicken.  I’ve had ground chicken before, so duck was the easy choice.  I’m not sure what I’ll do with it, but I am thinking about making wantons and using it in some kind of filling.  The Italian sausage will go well on the pizzas.

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I’m excited to try Clark’s sauce.  I’ll be using it on pizza with this dough.

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I’ve never had the Luna veggie burgers before, but they look delicious.  For now, they are in my freezer.  I’ll use Gouda on our pizza too.

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Stephen and I eat oats for breakfast most mornings.  These will be gone in no time.

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With a few weeks until our next pick up, we stocked up on yogurt.  We were also out of eggs, so I picked up a dozen of them as well.

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It’s been a really fun winter season.  I can’t wait for summer to start.