CSAs...

[redglass]

Did the Roasted Beet Salad w/Gorgonzola Sauce alter your mind about beets?

Chuchelo, what a wonderful meal/memory! If I were served beets in France, I'd eat them too. If any pics of the salad exist, I'd love to see them.

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I have to say that I am no longer anti-beet! They aren't on my favorite food list either, but I would try them again. I felt like writing the farm to thank them for ridding me of one of my food aversions. Their color was beautiful, the texture reminded me of sweet potatoes, and I was surprised by how sweet they were- all I did to prepare them was roast at 400 for about 30 minutes tossed with salt, pepper and olive oil.

The dressing, though, was just ok- I thought that there were too many ingredients to make it sing- it turned out kinda gorgonzola-y, kinda-walnutty. Eh.

That salad does sound wonderful Chuchelo- what kind of dressing was it? A light vinaigrette?

[Faboo]

Chuchelo, come back! We need more info!

No beets this week. I wonder if I'll get them at all? Yesterday's delivery:

Broccoli, Cucumbers, Onions, Kale, Apricots, Plums and a little pot of

Chives.

Last week I was relieved to have a week off from having to find things to

do w/the produce. This week, I was super excited to get it. Without

it, I was eating a lot of pasta & bread, just feeling depressed and

unhealthy. I immediately had one of the plums and it was awesome.

I've never eaten a fresh apricot before, that should be neat.

Soups on!

[redglass]

mmm, fresh apricots....I first ate them when I lived in Germany and for whatever reason the ones I've tasted here just haven't been the same. I hope you enjoy yours, Faboo.

I got my share this week and was totally uninspired-not b/c of the produce, but I just hit a wall in terms of recipes. We received swiss chard, squash, an onion, some garlic, lime basil, potatoes, and cucumbers.

But, things have gotten better and we've eaten everything except the basil and cucumbers.

The potatoes were excellent- a gorgeous yellow color and creamy texture. We had just enough for 2 as garlic mashed potatoes and ate the leftovers as "fried" mashed potato cakes the next day (total carb overload, comfort food indulgence).

With the squash, chard, onions, and some goat cheese on hand I made a galette, inspired by the recipes from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. It was sooo good, if I do say so myself

I'm working up to taking a photo of my share- we shall see next Tuesday!

[Faboo]

Redglass, your share is so different, I'm thinking of getting a share from both Potomac Vegetable Gardens and Great Country Farms next year. Assuming I'm still employed . GCF was having a big shindig for members on Sunday, so I did the u-pick on Saturday morning. Got apricots, blackberries, collards, broccoli and okra.

Discovered that the okra plant has a beautiful flower, wish I'd had my camera, and the walk to the apricot trees was bucolic, past a pond, geese, llamas, chickens. The apricots were starting to fall off the trees, so I just picked them up off the ground. The ones GCF delivered on Thursday were better, guess fresh apricots are supposed to be hard, not like peaches. I plan to fry the okra as described in this weekends NYTimes magazine.

I'll check out the galette recipe for squash. I'm finding most squash recipes are casseroles that require a container of sour cream and sleeve of crumbled saltines. More for thanksgiving than summer.

Sure hope I see some pics tomorrow!

[redglass]

We hit the jackpot this week- a very generous (mini!) from PVF. From left to right (my very first picture on egullet!):

italian basil, potatoes, garlic, parsley, rainbow chard, patty pan squash, cucumbers and yellow squash and some beets.

Ideas thus far: tomato, basil and fresh mozzarella salad, tabbouleh, more garlic mashed potatoes

The larger shares got tomatoes and eggplant too- I can't wait.

Faboo, how was the okra?

[chuchelo]

Chuchelo, what a wonderful meal/memory! If I were served beets in France, I'd eat them too. If any pics of the salad exist, I'd love to see them.

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Sorry, no pics. Believe it or not I didn't even take a camera...

Redglass, I'm not sure if the dressing was really vinaigrette -- it was more infused than that, not too tangy but certainly not oily. It wasn't creamy. Not very helpful, am I...

[Faboo]

So last nights delivery was a little different than GCF's email said it would be. I was expecting corn, apricots, plums and peaches. My delivery included a mystery squash, green beans, two boxes of delightful yellow plums, six ears of gorgeous corn, four ripe peaches and two things I'm not sure of. They look like pickeling cucumbers. If anyone has a reasonable suggestion for what to do w/them, I would appreciate it.

It was another HHH evening as you can see.

Redglass, you got a huge order! Does Potomac Vegetable Farms have u-pick in addition to the delivery? I thought the squash I got this week was a patty pan but now that you say your's is patty pan, I'm not sure what I have, an albino . What are you going to do w/your squash? I dont even know how to cut one that is shaped like this up, so any pics you have of that would be great. I still haven't tried the okra. Just finished up last week's soup last night.

Chuchelo, glad you're still with us.

[Faboo]

I'm replying to myself . Found out the cucumber looking things were exactly that -- regular old cucumbers. Sliced them up for salad. Blanched the green beans for salad as well. Searched the internet for pattypan squash recipes and came up empty handed, so I wound up cutting it up like so and tossing it in this weeks pot of soup:

Finally tried the okra. Gotta admit, tasted like zucchini to me.

However, the sweet corn on the cob for dessert was awesome!

[redglass]

This week turned out to be somewhat of a failure in terms of actually using everything: still have squash, cukes, and beet greens left with another pick up tomorrow!

I was kind of at a loss with what to do with my "spaceship" (so says my SO) squash too- so I just cut it lengthwise into "saucers" with garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil and roasted- it wasn't that pretty, so no photos, but it tasted good!

PVF doesn't have u-pick as part of the CSA- they don't do corn or fruits (at least for the CSA) either. The veggies have kept our tummies full and so I need to get out there and find some great summer corn and fruits...

[babka]

I'm replying to myself  . Found out the cucumber looking things were exactly that -- regular old cucumbers. Sliced them up for salad. Blanched the green beans for salad as well. Searched the internet for pattypan squash recipes and came up empty handed, so I wound up cutting it up like so and tossing it in this weeks pot of soup:

thinly slice & saute in lots of olive oil until not quite golden, add dried marjoram and continue cooking until dark golden with black spots, add toasted pinenuts, toss & serve with pasta.

[redglass]

Not such a huge cornucopia this week, but we got a surprise- watermelon!! Also received TONS of tomatoes; about 6 "normal" tomatoes and about 12 ozs. of yellow and red cherry tomatoes.

I'm out of town this weekend, so I've already made tomato sauce with all of the tomatoes (using mario batali's recipe- on his website). I added some hot pepper flakes and a bit of tomato paste and a small can of tomaotes in addition to the fresh I got today. Mmm, yummy.

I've been reading Diana Abu-Jaber's memoirthe Language of Baklavaand she's inspired me- I'll be doing some sort of middle eastern stuffed squash-thingy now that I officially have more squash I can handle when I combine the squash I have from last week.

[Faboo]

Babka, thank you for your response. I have more squash this week with which to try out your recipe:

Redglass, it's a cornucopia. I too still have produce from last week, plums & peaches. Fortunately, on the way home from work today, I had a brilliant idea -- Peach Daiquiris!

Enjoy your weekend!

[Ari]

Faboo and Redglass, I just want to tell you how much I'm enjoying this thread. You've inspired me to join a CSA next year!

[Faboo]

Thanks Ari! I can’t wait till next years CSA either. It’s interesting to me how PVF & GCF are both in Loudoun County but have such different offerings each week. I still haven’t gotten tomatoes, never got beets, etc.

This week we picked three pints of blackberries, more corn and collards/kale. Besides the usual soup, I made zucchini pancakes. The tomatoes (from Harris Teeter’s past date rack -- I’ve had good luck w/the produce from that rack) were slow roasted w/thyme, salt, pepper & sugar.

Cooked up the pattypan squash per Babka’s instructions and it was very delicious! Thanks again, Babka!

[hillvalley]

It’s interesting to me how PVF & GCF are both in Loudoun County but have such different offerings each week. I still haven’t gotten tomatoes, never got beets, etc.

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You will probably get beets, their season is just starting. Beets tend to last longer than other summer veggies so your CSA may be holding on to them for future shipments. Also, tomatoes seemed to get a late start this year. The actual local tomato season is just starting to get into full swing.

Faboo, the cucumbers you received are called kirbies or pickling cucumbers. They tend to be a little more crisp and less seedy than your average cucumber. They are my favorite "standard" cucumber. Once you get more tomatoes they are great in gazpacho.

I've got a CSA question for ya. Do they ask for their plastic containers back? IS there any attempt made to recycle/reuse other containers?

[Faboo]

Hillvalley, thanks for the scoop on the cucumbers. I thought they looked like pickles, so I wasn't sure if they were suitable for salads. Kirbies is a cute name. They had some massive Kirbies for sale at the farm, like melons.

GCF does recycle plastic containers. We wash out and leave the empty container on the front step and they take it the following week when they deliver a full container. Some people return their empty containers when they go to the farm to pick fruits/veggies. GCF also encourages re-using the little clear plastic pint size containers they give out for u-pick. We've done that and have brought our own plastic bags for picking the greens.

Another cool thing GCF did during their family day event a week or two ago: they had a contest for the kids to see who could pick the most Japanese Beetles. So a little girl picked two pounds of beetles that were then fed to the chickens. I was wondering how they could stand all those people coming to the farm, but if I had people picking my beetles, the more the merrier. I wont feed my chickens the Japanese Beetles, cuz I think they are just too gross.

So the beets might still be coming...Hmmmm....

[redglass]

Yesterday's share was the highlight of what was a long and very frustrating day...

a beautiful little eggplant, a white bell pepper (first time I've actually seen one of these in the flesh), an onion, some more squash, mini roma tomatoes, more tomatoes, potatoes, green beans and garlic. And another sugar baby watermelon

I've started a new job this week (yay!) which leaves me less time to, uh, egullet at work. I'll try and post a photo tonight.

As for recycling, PVF reuses bags and containers- I also save bags, containers and rubber bands and bring them with me to the pick up so they can have them, although they've never asked so I have no idea if I'm being helpful.

[Faboo]

Congrats on the new job, Redglass! It's looking like the job market is opening up.

Here's last Thursdays delivery...two canteloupes, two squash, corn, green beans and a little pot of Savory. None of it was enough to do something substantial with so the corn and squash went in the weekly pot of soup.

We picked peaches (accidentally picked a plum ), blackberries, collards, jalapenos and okra.

Finally got a pic of the okra flower and all the other okra plants.

Monday I just had the blanched green beans for dinner. It was one of the best dinners I've had since the night I just had the radishes on bread.

I made jalapeno poppers last night. They were great.

Still have some breaded okra to cook up.

Tonite I get a new order. Cant wait!

[redglass]

What is the sauce you served with green beans? They look great.

ARg- again no photos this week- now that I'm picking up my share around 7 instead of at 3, by the time I get home, I'm so hungry and the veggies have been sitting out so long that I want to either eat them right away or at least get them washed and stowed for use later on.

We got a break from the squash this week- whew!

In the bag this week:

an eggplant the perfect size for two

bell peppers

tomatoes- baby romas and "normal"- don't know the variety, but they're good

onion

garlic

a HUGE bunch of basil

thyme

cucumbers

beets

The SO won't touch the beets, so I roasted them last night and made this http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/108478 for lunch today.

I'm using the eggplant and some tomatoes in the Mark Bittman http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/10/dining/101mrex.html that was in yesterdays NYT.

Faboo, are you an okra fan now? PVF included some in their larger shares this week, which gives me hope that I'll get some at some point.

[redglass]

**crickets chirping* Where is eveyrbody? Led away by DonRocks?

Another awesome week from PVF-

tomatoes- red and yellow

sorrel (on the left)

basil (the bunch on the right)

eggplant

peppers

a leek

garlic

an onion

a spaghetti squash

and....OKRA! Can't wait to fry some up and make my Alabama-born mother proud.

PVF really has the portions down- sometimes its a tad difficult if I'm making a big batch of something, but most veggies work perfectly for a week for two people. And we usually just eat the veggies with dinner and I take a tomato/mozz/basil sandwich with me to work.

I celebrated the bounty with a risotto with the tomatoes, basil, the leek and mascarpone and parmigiano reggiano. Pure summer comfort food.

[Faboo]

I'm still here!!! (although I did register at DonRockwell.com too ) If it's just you & me in this forum, I wont feel so bad taking up space w/my CSA pics. So here's what I got last Thursday:

and here's what we picked:

I could've picked okra too, but I'm the only one who ate it the previous week so I figured I'd pass. Mainly everything was eaten straight up, except the zucchini & squash which I shredded & made into pancakes:

and the jalapenos, which I stuffed w/cheese and just heated in the oven till the cheese was melty

I use plain old Caesar salad dressing w/the green beans, but they're so sweet they really dont need anything on them. I just like dipping my food.

PVF sure does give you a ton of produce. With the heat index feeling like 100 degrees, picking blackberries outside was grueling. That is something to consider when choosing a CSA.

I've only eaten risotto once, at the Lightfoot in Leesburg, I know it's a lot of work.

You're definitely more accomplished in the kitchen than I am. But I'm learning!

[redglass]

I'm not accomplished in the kitchen- that was the first risotto I made. I'm sure real risotto experts would tell you it was horrible (rice probably not the right texture, etc), but to me it tasted good!! There's also a great recipe from Bon Appetit that uses essentially the same ingredients (sub basil for chives if you have it, I usually use penne, too) that's alot easier but has many of the same flavors.

Accompanying my risotto success, however, was a dismal failure- the fried okra. I coated in cornmeal and seasonings, and fried in hot canola oil, but the breading just slid right off as soon as it hit the oil . It tasted allright but it wasn't anything like fried okra I remember. Did you have good results from the NYT recipe a while back?

Everyhing looks fabulous from GCF- I'm missing out on alot of those great summer fruits and corn (PVF doesn't do either, and I've got enough veggies that I don't need any more produce!) Do they grow everything on site? I didn't realize that VA was peach country.

[Faboo]

I'm impressed that someone could even think to make risotto. That would never cross my mind in a million years. "Hey, I'm gonna make risotto...not!"

I've only made the fried okra twice but both times the bread crumbs stayed on. I dipped the sliced okra in egg before dipping it in the bread crumbs. Also, the second time, the breaded okra stayed in the fridge a couple days before frying. My mother (she's no gourmet chef, that's for sure) says when you bread something, you should set it up in the fridge at least a few hours so everything can stick. I'm sorry you were disappointed. I know you were excited about making it.

So far everything I've eaten from GCF has been delicious! Yes, it's all grown on their 200 acre farm. They've got peach and plum orchards, corn fields, and of course, the blackberry field. I think that the blackberries & strawberries are their most popular items. Tons of kids are always there. A good activity idea for parents who dont know what to do w/their kids. Anyway, I've gotten so I dont want to eat veggies from anywhere else, even Whole Foods. Like I'm addicted. When I saw that I'd gotten another order of green beans last week, I was thrilled. A week before that, I wouldn't have cared if I never ate another green bean again in my life. Now they're like little energy sticks. I feel so great after eating just a few.

I'm surprised PVF doesnt do fruit. I do know that Virginia is peach country, I've seen peach festivals listed elsewhere. And corn is certainly grown all over VA. I'd ask PVF why they dont do corn and fruit, just out of curiousity.

[squids]

**crickets chirping* Where is eveyrbody? Led away by DonRocks? 

redglass, how long have you lived in this area? I ask because every year at this time, one can make it into work in record time, and activity nearly ceases on the boards! Think of it as the last hurrah before the kids go back to school, and before Congress and the Courts go back in session.

Faboo and redglass, keep posting the pics...eye candy for those of us aren't able to get the deliveries ourselves, for one reason or another.

[redglass]

Squids- I'm DC-burbs born and raised and have lived in one part of NoVa or another for my entire life, save college and some short stints in Germany. So, yes, I'm enjoying the August "vacation" from overfilled metro cars, etc. Does the city seem more empty this year, or is it just me?

Anyway, back to OT. I made some pretty good Baba Ghanouj from my eggplant this week, and threw in some basil instead of the parsley the recipe called for for a bit of a twist.

I've been eating tomatoes in sandwiches, plain with salt, pretty much anyway I can- they are SOOO good! I'm going to go through withdrawl when the season is over. Grocery store tomatoes (even whole foods) will never look the same to me again.

What I mistakenly identified as sorrel is actually celery leaves- no stalk, just the leaves. Anyone out there have the faintest idea how to use this? It has a quite bracing, lemony flavor- kind of reminds me of lovage, if that helps.

I keep meaning to make stuffed peppers with those we receive- not a big pepper fan, but if PVF can make me like beets, then anything is possible!!