Week Six CSA Pick Up

Actual cost of half-share through 5 weeks: $55, estimated retail value: $67

This week we picked up:

• 1 Kohlrabi
• Red Russian Kale
• Baby Beets
• Collards
• 3 Yellow Squash
• A HUGE thing of Fennel

Tags: beets, bounty, collards, fennel, kale, kohlrabi, squash

Baby Beets

On Wednesday night I cooked my first batch of beets… ever! We had about 6 baby beets from our week four CSA pick up. All I did was:

• Washed them, cut off the roots, sliced some of the thicker beets
• Chopped the leaves, removed the stems
• Brought about an inch of water to boil
• Threw it all in, covered it and let it steam/cook for about 14 minutes
• Strained them, added butter, salt and pepper

Mmm! They were delicious. Beets taste very earthy to me. I think I shall be purchasing more

Tags: beets

Week Five CSA Pick Up

Susquehanna Permaculture is looking for interns and apprentices! Go here to learn more: http://www.susquehannapermaculture.com/ Compensation? All of the fresh, sustainable food you can eat; free entry to all classes & workshops; direct educational experience with members of Susquehanna Permaculture Guild; certificate of completion. It’s worth checking out!

Tonight we picked up:

• 1 bunch Blue Scotch Dwarf Curly Kale
• 1 bunch Champion Collards
• 1 Summer Squash
• 5 Squash Blossoms

Tags: bounty, collards, kale, squash, squash blossoms

White rice & sauteed snow peas

It’s finally cool enough to use the stove. Last night I sauteed up about half of the snow peas we got with some onion and then mixed it all in with white sushi rice. It was delicious and I couldn’t help but eat a few snow peas raw (so crispy!) while I was cooking. Nom.

Tags: snow peas

Week Four CSA Pick Up

This was the first week we got to pick up our produce from the Millersville Market! The market has moved from the parking lot of the George Street Cafe to the open area in front of the new Student Memorial Center. I think this was a great move, they are sure to get more visibility and buzz located out in the open. It’s right down the street from where I work at the library, so I can easily scoot down to pick up my veggies.

In our weekly CSA email, Ben said that the hot weather has been good for some plants and bad for others. He also added a tracker so that CSA members can see the estimated value of the crops they have received compared to what they paid for their share. This way, it’s easy to see how we are saving money by purchasing a CSA share while supporting local sustainable farming at the same time.

If we had bought all of the produce received so far at a regular farm stand, it would have cost us $46.00. Our actual weekly share cost thus far ($275/25 weeks x 3 weeks for the half share) is $33.00. ZING!

Week four harvest:

• Snow peas
• Baby Beets
• Champion Collards
• Rouge D’Hiver Romaine
• Squash blossoms

Tags: beets, bounty, collards, romaine, snow peas, squash blossoms

Week Three CSA Pick-Up

Week three harvest:

• Salad Mix (same kind as last week – I’m not complaining!)
  
• Blue Scotch Kale (curled leaves)
• Sanguine Ameliore Lettuce
• Squash Blossoms

Tags: bounty, kale, lettuce, salad, squash blossoms

Baked Kale Chips

I have never eaten or even seen kale before, so I had absolutely NO idea what to do with it. Then I remembered the fabulous smitten kitchen and found these instructions for baked kale chips:

Salt & Pepper Kale Chips
Adapted from smitten kitchen who adapted it from a bunch of inspiring places!

1 bunch Blue Scotch Kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt & pepper – fresh from grinder

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Use a knife to cut out the stems and center ribs of the kale.
3. Rip into similarly-sized pieces (generally large as they shrink when baked).
4. Toss with olive oil in a bowl, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
5. Arrange leaves in a single layer on a baking sheet & bake for 20 minutes.

I would post a picture, but I ate these right up haha. They didn’t even really have time to cool, whoops

Tags: kale