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

• 1 dz. eggs
• 1 piece gouda cheese
• A handful of hot Hungarian peppers
• Approx. 2 to 3 green peppers, depending on size
• 1 head cabbage (most will be green)
• Either 1 pint mixed color cherry tomatoes or about 1.5 lbs. heirloom tomatoes
• 1 lb. green filet beans
• 2 ct. cucumbers
• 1 pint blackberries or approx. 1.5 lbs. peaches
• 1.5 lbs. spelt berries
• 1 bunch beets
• 1 lb. chorizo
• 1 head broccoli
• 2 ct. patty pan squash
• 6 ears sweet corn

I’m going to be preserving peppers and squash tonight.  We have enough of both to can or freeze.  I’m also going to make a small batch of pickles with my cucumbers since I have a few.

We ate the sweet corn for dinner.  This is one of the weeks when dinner was determined bulkiness.

We’ll be having beans with lunch tomorrow.  I’m not sure about the tomatoes, but they might just get pureed and frozen for later.

The cheese will keep a few days.  The peaches won’t be ready to eat for a couple of days, but will go great in our oatmeal.

The carrots will make a side dish for dinner tomorrow.  These peppers are hot and that is my least favorite Fresh Fork item.  I’ll probably just freeze them for chili this winter.

We have an abundance of eggs and I’m going to make some custard tomorrow.  I’m also going to hard boil some to have for snacks.  The chorizo was partially thawed, so it will become part of lunch tomorrow.

The spelt berries are in the pantry.  The beets will get used tomorrow.  I’ll probably make Harvard beets again.  It’s a household favorite.

The cauliflower was dinner.  I made it “mac and cheese” style.  I used the cauliflower (received instead of broccoli) as the pasta and made a white cheese sauce that used Mayfield Road creamery Smoked Gouda.  It was delicious.  I don’t have plans for the cabbage yet.

I’m leaving town on Sunday and will be back late on Wednesday.  I should have taken a vacation week with Fresh Fork, but I wasn’t really thinking.  I’m going to prepare and preserve as much as possible before I leave.  My goal is for Stephen to have food for while the kids and I are gone, but not be overwhelmed when he tries to find something in the fridge.  I did sign up for vacation next week.  That will give me a few days of recovery when I get back.  Our freezer is pretty full right now.  I just need a couple of days to make some jam and get a bit organized.  I’m hoping to make time for that next weekend.

Here’s the artistic photo from Kelly:

Here’s the list of contents that Fresh Fork sent us earlier in the week.  Squash was subbed for the napa cabbage.

Small CSA Share

• 1 package boneless loin chops, 2 per pack
• 2 lbs spelt berries
• 1 bunch spinach
• 1 head white stem bok choy
• 1 dozen eggs
• 1 bunch swiss chard or 1 head baby bok choy (depending on route)
• 1 bunch beets with tops
• 1 lb snow peas
• 1 head chinese napa cabbage

Large CSA Share Small contents above plus:

• 1 bunch carrots
• 1 lb shelled peas
• 1 head leaf lettuce
• 1 extra bunch spinach
• 2 bunches red bulb green onions

I’m hoping that I’ll be able to get some pork chops when I return.  It’s one of the best Fresh Fork items that we’ll get all summer.  If I was in town, I’d be trying out the dry container on my new Vitamix.  I like spelt berries, but I’m really anxious to try out making flour.  For now, I’m going to try my best to eat some good local food while I’m on vacation.  I visited a local market yesterday and have 2 Farmers’ markets on the schedule for the week.

Small CSA:

• 1 lb Berkshire chorizo sausage
• 2 lbs spelt berries
• 1 lb whole wheat linguini
• 1 bunch garlic scapes
• 1 head assorted leaf lettuce
• 1 quart strawberries
• 2 lbs hoop house tomatoes
• 1 dz brown eggs

Here is what we received.

The radishes were owed to us from last week since ours were missed.  The yogurt was an add on.  Most weeks, there are additional items for sale at the back of the truck.  It was $5 and although it’s expensive, we really like it.

Update on last week:  I ended up serving the tomatoes to my husband and son on their salads.

Here’s our plan of attack for this week:

We like the yogurt with jam mixed in and as the liquid for overnight oats.  I’m going to make whole wheat honey strawberry shortcake with the strawberries  I have radish top soup on the stove now.  Some of the radishes will be used in salad and the rest will be blanched and frozen.  The lettuce and tomatoes will get eaten in salad.  The sausage and pasta will be eaten as a main course.  We will sauté most of the garlic scape with other veggies during the week.  We may make some garlic pesto pizza as well.  Eggs and spelt berries are staple items and have a long shelf life, so we don’t have specific plans for them yet.