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CSA has begun, need to change my menu plan techniq


trufflelover

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For a while now, my husband and I have planned our menus a (work) week at a time. On weekends we flip through our books and magazines and browse online to settle on five dinners to make that week. Then in one afternoon we pick up what we need all week. That worked well for making weeknight dinners stress-free, and helped us budget for groceries.

That's out the window now that our (first) CSA farm share has started. We'll pick up our produce (and fruit and herbs) on Thursday and will need to plan our next few meals around whatever we receive.

I need to be able to roll with whatever we get, which means I'll need a better-stocked pantry. What do you recommend we keep on hand to be able to whip up something great with whatever we happen to bring home on Thursdays? (Neither of us eat most meat, so meals will be veg, grain or fish-centered)

Thank you!

(Here's part of our first week's basket)

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Edited by trufflelover (log)
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I know this is hardly re-inventing the wheel in terms of pantry items but success for me with our CSA means keeping the following things on hand:

Garlic, onions, shallots, lemons, limes, a variety of nuts in the freezer, dried fruit, spices/peppers/salt, a few good vinegars and oils (olive, sesame, maybe a nut oil), a few cheeses, greek yogurt and, like you mentioned, a variety of grains, pastas and noodles. I assume you'll get fresh herbs w/ the CSA

One strategy I try to use is to list what I got at the CSA and a rough estimate of what I have and/or need to use in the fridge (mainly in terms of proteins). Then I try to match up the 2 using what I have in the pantry.

It usually works out pretty well but the menus always change over the course of the week.

Even with that strategy, I always spend lots of time on food sites trying to figure out how to use up something from the farm (like the 2lbs of Komatsuma stalks and baby bok choy stalks I have in the fridge right now, already used the greens).

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Those greens look fabulous! My first suggestion is to invest in some top-quality olive oils and vinegars for salads, if you haven't done so already.

Right off the top of my head, I agree with DScott's advice. I always make sure that I have some homemade stock in the freezer, and parmigiano-reggiano or romano cheeses on hand. I also cook many Asian stirfries with my veggies: garlic, gingerroot, peanut oil, soy sauce, rice wine, cornstarch or arrowroot for thickening the sauce, and toasted sesame oil for garnish. I keep canned coconut milk around for SE Asian stirfries.

I suggest that you check out Alice Waters' The Art of Simple Food. Her recipes are geared for the high-quality produce you're receiving from your CSA, and the recipes are easy enough for wkday meals. The cookbook also has a lengthy chapter about pantry staples that you may find useful. Don't be put-off by how outrageously simple some of the recipes are. They're designed to show off the best of a particular fruit or veggie. I've owned the book for only a few wks, but I've cooked 20 recipes from it, and l'm lovin' it.

When confronted with an unfamiliar veggie from my CSA (rutabagas??), my go-to book is Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. I've recommended that book to a bunch of people.

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Couscous, bulgur, quinoa and red lentils are good to have on hand. They meet all my requirements for an easy to put together weeknight meal- healthy, adaptable and relatively quick cooking.

Shelley: Would you like some pie?

Gordon: MASSIVE, MASSIVE QUANTITIES AND A GLASS OF WATER, SWEETHEART. MY SOCKS ARE ON FIRE.

Twin Peaks

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I echo the above opinions about what to keep on hand, and I'll add one more: bread crumbs, preferably made from fresh bread (I keep them in the freezer). There are a lot of vegetables improved by a smattering of crunchy, garlicky/herby, and/or salty bread crumbs.

We just started getting CSA deliveries and here's what I've found works for me. I also make up a list of everything in the box and cross stuff off as I use it. It gives me a bit of visual motivation to have everything used up before I pick up the next box. On my pick up day (Thursday for me), I have a easy protein ready to go in the fridge (fish fillets or whatever) that just needs to be sauteed. Then I pick out two of the vegetables in the box and cook them simply: stir-fried, roasted, etc. I think it gives me a bit of a kick start if I get through two of the items on the first night. Then I do my regular menu planning, incorporating what I get in the box, and then I go to the grocery store over the weekend to buy stuff for more interesting preparations.

One thing we really like is to make salsas. Good with chips, toasted bread, or on some fish. I just try to have something pungent (onions, green garlic, etc) + something bulky (fruit of veg) + something herby + something acidic (citrus, vinegar) in every batch.

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Thanks everyone for the good suggestions, especially the books. I made kale chips last night to go with a sandwich, and am thinking either stir fry or some udon noddles tonight to use the napa cabbage and broccoli.

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How'd you make those kale chips?

They were easy - just tear the greens into chip-sized sections, brush with olive oil and sea salt, and pop in the oven (I used the toaster oven so I didn't heat up the house) for about 7 minutes, turning halfway. A couple burned but the rest were crispy and good.

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Couscous, bulgur, quinoa and red lentils are good to have on hand. They meet all my requirements for an easy to put together weeknight meal- healthy, adaptable and relatively quick cooking.

I totally agree with all of these, and would add something I haven't seen already posted -- a variety of canned beans, including chickpeas, cannelini, pintos, and black beans... Love my beans and greens together, and add some sausage and you're really in good shape...

Emily

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I keep flour, rice, red lentils, white beans, black beans and a selection of pastas on hand as shelf stable staples. I also keep a selection of seasonings on hand that suit my style of cooking... fresh ginger and garlic, sesame oil, olive oil, butter, herbes de Provence, dried oregano, thyme, sage, a selection of chile powders and dried chiles, cumin, cocoa powder, star anise, Sichuan pepper...

I don't keep a lot of other grains around besides rice. We don't like them as much, and don't eat them quickly enough. With beans, same kind of deal. It's not worth keeping shelf stable food around for years... it will keep, but it won't be as tasty. I shoot for an amount that we use up in 6 months or less. This also cuts down on bug infestations.

From a cooking perspective, you can often lump produce into categories. Kale, chard, bok choy, cabbage, broccoli... they're all what I think of as "hard leafy greens". They all take well to being cooked by a wide variety of methods. Lettuce, arugula, mache, frisee... they're all "soft leafy greens". They can be cooked, but I tend to prefer them raw. Figure out what kind of vegetable you have, and odds are you know how to cook it. A stir fried dish built around bok choy works with chard or kale too. And a dressing that suits one kind of lettuce often works well with many others. The same holds true with the various other broad categories. (other categories I use are "hard root vegetables", "oniony things", "not dried seeds" and "fruits that aren't")

If you run into a vegetable that you're convinced you hate, make a list of what dishes you've hated it in. My mom *adores* eggplant cooked in nothing but butter. For years, I thought I hated it. Turns out, no, I actually quite like it... in moussaka and Thai style stir fries. Don't be afraid to try new things with a vegetable.

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Our CSA started last Wednesday. Thanks for the great suggestions. We did the CSA for the first time last summer and really enjoyed it, but sometimes felt that we weren't using it as well as we should have.

Keep the suggestions coming!!!

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Our CSA started last Wednesday. Thanks for the great suggestions. We did the CSA for the first time last summer and really enjoyed it, but sometimes felt that we weren't using it as well as we should have.

Keep the suggestions coming!!!

If you list the contents of your CSA basket, I'm sure I can think of a few things. I don't know if you're going for multi-course dinners or one dish meals.

ETA: Usually keep on hand basic staples that you value, KIM that one person's basics are another's chaff. :wink:

Using my own example: extra-virgin olive oil, lower grade olive oil (because EVOO is meant to finish a dish), unsalted butter, salted butter, lemons, limes, garlic, shallots, onions, fresh herbs (right now in the frigo I have chives, tarragon, lovage, sage and Italian parsley), whole spices (cinnamon sticks, cloves, mace, cardamom), ground and powdered spices, white wine, various vinegars (white wine vinegar, balsamic, rice vinegar), tamari, mustard, honey, beans/lentils/rice.

Edited by SobaAddict70 (log)
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Those are all great suggestions!

Does your CSA have a website? If so, check it in advance to see what's coming up each week. That way you won't stock up on something you'll soon be getting in your veg box. (Can you guess how I learned this tip? :biggrin: )

You might want to prepare for canning or freezing some crops. Lol, I still have pesto and tomato sauce in my freezer from last year's crop.

The veg are all so fresh and flavourful, that steaming and a little butter or EVOO is usually enough. Perhaps add some fresh herbs. A plate of such veg and bread, wine, and cheese is a little bit of heaven. And as the summer goes by, the veg assortment changes, so such a meal never becomes boring.

Edited by Channie (log)
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A community bulletin board for a neighborhood served by my CSA began posting recipes for the veggies in the weekly box. http://www.rockridgeresidents.org/index.ph...id=97&Itemid=29 The idea seems to have run out of steam after a couple months, but it's still a worthy idea for people who are committed.

Perhaps a blog format for the group, and more of an emphasis on easy dishes for wkday meals? The veggies are seasonal, so the recipes could be handy for a few weeks.

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Our CSA started last Wednesday. Thanks for the great suggestions. We did the CSA for the first time last summer and really enjoyed it, but sometimes felt that we weren't using it as well as we should have.

Keep the suggestions coming!!!

If you list the contents of your CSA basket, I'm sure I can think of a few things. I don't know if you're going for multi-course dinners or one dish meals.

ETA: Usually keep on hand basic staples that you value, KIM that one person's basics are another's chaff. :wink:

Using my own example: extra-virgin olive oil, lower grade olive oil (because EVOO is meant to finish a dish), unsalted butter, salted butter, lemons, limes, garlic, shallots, onions, fresh herbs (right now in the frigo I have chives, tarragon, lovage, sage and Italian parsley), whole spices (cinnamon sticks, cloves, mace, cardamom), ground and powdered spices, white wine, various vinegars (white wine vinegar, balsamic, rice vinegar), tamari, mustard, honey, beans/lentils/rice.

Early summer I don't have a problem, as its mostly lettuces, radishes, herbs, etc. Its when we get later into the summer and early fall. Kolorabi bigger than my fist (3 of them in my box one week last summer), etc.

I do know what I'll be getting each week, we get an e-newsletter on Monday afternoon, and then box is brought into the city on Wednesday, so I can prepare.

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I am so glad someone started this post. We joined a CSA for the first time last year, and each week we were somewhat overwhelmed. Most weeks we got lots and lots of greens. While I love the mustard greens and arugula, we typically don't get enough collards to do much with them. This year, we have already blanched and frozen collards and broccoli rabe.

This is the list of this week's potential harvest:

Produce:

Kohl Rabi

Siberian/Red Russian Kale

Mesclun/Mustard Mix

Encore Lettuce

Chioga Beets

Yellow Mangal Beets

Leeks

Pac Choi

Yellow Squash

Red/White/Yellow Onions

Green Zucchini

Bean Mix

Blueberries

That Pac Choi comes every week and I need new recipes for it.

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That Pac Choi comes every week and I need new recipes for it.

I'm not sure how you're cooking pak choi (or bok choy) now, but these recipes are part of my regular repertoire. I like them all. I've always cooked bok choy in an Asian style. I don't know of any good non-Asian dishes for it.

Asian Greens with Garlic and Chiles: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/vie...D-GARLIC-237115

Chinese Egg Noodles with Shrimp and Asian Greens: http://www.leitesculinaria.com/recipes/coo...gg_noodles.html

Bok Choy with Roasted Peanuts: http://css.wsu.edu/organicfarm/newsletters...GANIC052907.pdf

Stir-fried Mixed Greens: http://www.14acrefarm.com/recipes/rachel_summer.htm (keep scrolling down the webpage)

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My next pickup is tonight. Here's what we're getting:

Squash

Lettuce

Radishes

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Parsley

Kale

I leave town tomorrow so I only get one meal from this mix. Ideas on one great meat-free dinner with at least two of these ingredients?

(I have orzo, assorted pasta, brown rice, and assorted cheeses and oils on hand, as well as a few fresh herbs)

THanks!

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My next pickup is tonight. Here's what we're getting:

Squash

Lettuce

Radishes

Broccoli

Cauliflower

Parsley

Kale

I leave town tomorrow so I only get one meal from this mix. Ideas on one great meat-free dinner with at least two of these ingredients?

(I have orzo, assorted pasta, brown rice, and assorted cheeses and oils on hand, as well as a few fresh herbs)

THanks!

The kale will keep for a while, in my experience. You could roast the cauliflower and broccoli (delicious stuff), or make a grilled veggie salad. We did this last night. Made a balsamic/olive oil vinaigrette, brushed all the veggies with this (squash, beets, red onion). Let them cool for a bit, the make a salad with the lettuce, sliced radishes, grilled veggies. Add some goat cheese, and toss with more vinaigrette.

If you have time before you leave, you can blanch the kale and then freeze for later.

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I found a great blog entry that helps deal with the CSA produce and reduce and/or eliminate waste:

Farm to Fork

Additionally, I have come to rely on Green Bags for storing produce. They really extend the life of our veggies - especially the tender greens

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