What a pretty bag!

Here’s what we were expecting this week:

• 1 piece Mayfield Road Creamery “Bloomfield,” a brie style cheese
• 1 lb. raw honey
• 1 bunch Swiss chard
• 1 bunch carrots with tops
• 1 bunch radishes
• 1 bag mixed greens, can be used for braising or salad greens
• 1 head speckled romaine lettuce (it will have brown spots…that is how it should be)
• 1/2 dz. ears sweet corn
• 1 quarter peck gala apples
• 1 butternut squash (2 if they are small…but that’s doubtful based on what I’ve seen)
• 1 pint mixed color cherry tomatoes
• 2.5 lbs. Roma tomatoes
• 2 zucchini/squash
• Approx. 1 lb. onions
• 1 head broccoli
• A handful Croatian sweet peppers

We received everything exactly as listed.  I’ll probably just use the Swiss chard in a quiche.  We haven’t had it in a while and I plan to be home on Sunday, so it’s a good day to make it.  I’ll probably use some other veggies in it as well.  The kids are excited to see the carrots, so they’ll make an easy side dish for lunch one day this week.  I usually just cook them and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on them.

I have plenty of eggs and think some zucchini muffins are in order.  The corn is going to need cooked today, so I’ll be adding it to tonight’s dinner.

I haven’t decided on a specific use for the Brie, but I’m sure it will disappear.  We use honey as our regular sweetener.  This will mostly go into tea and muffins.

I’m going to make some sauce this week and use the onion, peppers and tomatoes.  We also picked tomatoes from our garden, so we have plenty.

We’ve been eating the apples as they come.  I’m going to try to source some additional ones for sauce this week.  Winter squash is my favorite.  I’ll probably make soup with this butternut squash.

The speckled lettuce and radishes will go into salads.  The broccoli is part of tonight’s dinner.

I’m determined to tackle braising greens this winter.  We’ll see these often and I never can get away from the bitterness.  I am going to conquer them.  I’m open to ideas.

Hopefully, our schedule will start to calm down this week and I’ll be able to cook a bit more in the kitchen soon.  Lately, our meals have been thrown together based on what’s handy.  It works, but I miss some of the more complex dishes.

Here’s what we received:

sweet snacking peppers, lettuce

corn, green beans

zucchini, bell peppers

cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes

eggplant

So, we ended up having the corn and green beans with dinner.  They were easy to fix and are bulky in the fridge.

I’ll be making chili this week.  The peppers and slicing tomatoes will go into it.  The lettuce and snacking peppers will make a nice salad.  My husband and son will eat the cherry tomatoes. I have a recipe for pancakes that uses zucchini, so I’m going try it out with the squash.

It really comes down to the eggplant.  Last time I had eggplant, I cooked it with onion, olive oil and some garlic until it was mushy and made a dip.  I intend to use it as a layer in lasagna, but that hasn’t happened yet.  It’s currently frozen in my freezer.

I’m ready for tomato season to end and I’m missing fruit.  I’m happy with our share, but I am excited for winter squash and apple seasons to begin.

Peppers, green beans

Zucchini, onions

Cherry tomatoes, slicing tomatoes

Sweet corn, green pepper

Lettuce

I took a dehydrating class last night.  I’m hoping to try out my new skills with the peppers and slicing tomatoes.  We’ll have the corn and beans for dinner.  This lettuce will go into salads for Stephen.  It’s not my favorite variety (leathery romaine), but it won’t go to waste.  I’ll pair it with some feta and cherry tomatoes an add a bit of basil balsamic vinaigrette.  I currently have a mound of onions that need chopped and froze so these will get added to that project.  I was hoping for zucchini since I found a recipe for cornbread that uses it.  I think I’ll be making it this week.

I’m glad I get a small share early in the week.  It tends to pair well with my large share that I get on Fridays.  It’s hard to believe that summer is almost over.

Since I was in Utah earlier in the week, I opted to take a vacation week this week.  Occasionally, I take a vacation week when we are having busy week or if I feel behind on veggies even if I am actually in town on pick up day..  Then, I usually hold my breath and hope that Trevor doesn’t send out the “best bag of the season” list two days later since vacation requests are due on Saturday and the list usually comes out on Monday.

Here’s what folks received in their bags this week:

• 3# bag red Norland potatoes
• 1/2 dozen sweet corn
• 1 bunch leeks (may be 1 leek depending on size)
• 1 bulb fennel
• Approx. 1.5 lbs. heirloom tomatoes
• 2 oz basil
• Approx. 2 lbs. slicing tomatoes
• 1 lb. grass-fed ground beef
• Approx. 2 lbs. peaches
• 1-2 eggplant, depending on size
• 2 zucchini or squash
• 1-2 onions
• 2-3 “Italian frier” peppers (red sweet stuffing peppers)
• 1 melon – choice of cantaloupe or watermelon
• 1/2 lb. Swiss chard
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 piece Havarti cheese

I’ve been hearing from other people who do CSAs that they have too much food or are too busy to get it all used.  I can’t say that we are perfect in our house, but we are pretty good at blanching, chopping and freezing items to make sure we don’t waste food when we are particular busy or have an over abundance.

Almost all of the above items could be froze with little effort.  I love pulling items out of the freezer in the middle of winter and getting a taste of fresh local food.

I think every bag is outstanding, but this is a bag that has lots of items that we get on a fairly regular basis.  I am happy with my decision to be on vacation.  With a little luck, I’ll get a photo of a large share tomorrow and add a photo to my post.

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 what we picked up today:

cantaloupe, watermelon

bell pepper, corn

onions, banana peppers

tomatoes, cherry tomatoes

lettuce

We love local melon season.  We will be cutting these melons up as soon as possible so we can enjoy them.  I also have a recipe from Jane Snow for cantaloupe gelatin that I am excited to try.  If it works out, I’ll share more about it soon.

Our green pepper, lettuce and tomatoes will go into salad.  The rest of the tomatoes will be snacks or frozen.  I found a recipe for tomato jelly that I’m going to try soon.  The onion and banana peppers will be chopped and frozen.  We’ll have the sweet corn with dinner tomorrow.

This is a pretty easy week.  It’s a good thing for us, since it’s a super busy week in our household.

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.

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.

Here’s what we were expecting this week:

• 1 slab Berkshire spare ribs, approx. 2.5 lbs.
• 1 pint homemade BBQ sauce
• 1 lb. stew beef
• 1 8-oz. portion mixed salad greens
• 3 lbs. roasting potatoes
• 2 lbs. organic spelt flour (substitute for your all purpose flour)
• 2 lbs. organic sweet corn, frozen
• 1 package Italian Sausage links, approx. 1.25 lbs.

Here’s a group shot:

We had some of this frozen corn at Thanksgiving time.  It was so tasty.  For now, this corn is in the freezer.  We’ll eat the greens in the next couple of days.  They look very fresh and tasty.

We put the ribs and sausage in the freezer also.  With my grandpa’s funeral this week, we aren’t eating many meals at home.

Eventually, we’ll use the stew meat in some stew.  The flour is easy to use in our everyday cooking.

This BBQ sauce was a hit this past summer.  We didn’t get it in our share, so I’m glad we have the opportunity to try it.  We were out of potatoes, so it will be easy to make a meal with this early next week.

Winter has arrived, so we have many shelf stable/freezer items this week.  I’m glad that it will be easy to use everything without any waste.  I plan to get back into the home eating cooking groove by Monday.

Here’s what we received today:

Let’s take a closer look.  I couldn’t really fit everything in the photo.

Green beans, sweet corn

Potatoes, apples (Honeygold variety)

Bell peppers, dill

Poblano peppers, zucchini

Onions, hot peppers

Leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce

Eggplant, basil

Tomatoes

I’m leaving for Hawaii on Monday, so this week is all about food preservation.  I’m cooking some meals for my family to enjoy while I am gone, but most of that work is done or planned.  In addition to my trip, my husband is out of town tomorrow through Friday.

I’m going to blanch and freeze the green beans.  I have others to freeze as well, so it’s worth the effort.

I plan to have some corn with the kids tomorrow and freeze the rest.  There’s only 6 ears so that should be simple.

Unless I get ambitious, I’m going to store the potatoes.  A few of the apples are already mixed in with the sauce that I was making tonight.  The rest will be going into apple-plum sauce tomorrow.  We picked plums yesterday, so I need to make something with them.

I’ll going to make fajitas and use some peppers and onions this week.  I’ll freeze the rest.

I’m going to make some basil/olive oil cubes for the freezer with the basil.  It will be handy for winter soup and tomato sauce dishes.

I already froze the tomatoes.  I just washed them, cored, and quartered them.  I’ll make a saucy dish with them in a couple of week.

The lettuce will get eaten in salads.  I’ll either blanch and freezer the eggplant or make mini eggplant pizzas.  It all depends on the rest of the items are going.

I’ll need to research the dill.  Usually, I use it in pickles, but I don’t have any cucumbers.

It’s going to be a busy week here.  I have a to do list that’s a mile long before my trip.