CSA Panic (it’s a thing, and I’ve got it…)

The last time I had a CSA, in 2009, I blogged about what I got in the share and what I did with it and it was really helpful with keeping me motivated and inspired. It was so helpful that now that I once again have a CSA, I’ve been searching my archives to see how I managed the CSA produce windfall in the past. I’ve been coming up short, so I’ve decided to post again, and hopefully future me will be grateful.

I had a CSA for a few years and then took some years off and focused mostly on the farmers market during the growing season. The farmers market is easier for me because I’m a menu planner but a CSA, while a lot more challenging, is also a lot more fun and stretches me as a cook and meal planner.

As in the past, I’m doing the World Peas CSA, and I’m getting my CSA as a workshare. So, in exchange for a small share, I spend two mornings a week packing CSA shares and doing other things at the Food Hub.

I’m currently in my fourth week (my shares for the weeks are posted above) and I’m really enjoying both the workshare experience and the (literal) fruits of my labor. I’ve been posting a lot of stuff on Instagram which, sadly, isn’t searchable (but this blog is!) so if you follow me there, there will probably be some duplication.

Anyway… Here’s what I’ve been making:

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World Peas CSA – Week Five

The weather this year is so different from last year and it has really made a difference in the amount of produce we’re receiving.  This week we got:

World Peas CSA – Week Four & Fettuccine with Mustard Greens and Mushrooms

This week’s CSA haul:

• Mustard greens
• Chinese broccoli
• Summer squash
• Slicing cucumbers – the whackadoo yellow kind
• Carrots
• Green onions
• Radishes
• Thai basil
• Blueberries

With some of my CSA haul I made a variation of Michael Chiarello’s Fettuccine with Mustard Greens and Mushrooms. 

World Peas CSA – Week Two

In this week’s share:

• Lettuce
• Baby Bok Choy
• Turnips
• Kale
• Basil
• Cherries

The milk is from the dairy.

World Peas CSA – Week One

Finally! YAY!

This week we got:

• Pea Tendrils
• Chinese Broccoli
• Swiss Chard
• Lettuce
• Garlic Scapes
• Radishes
• Mint (which I left in the swop box, my mint plant is double-OC)
• Strawberries
• And of course I picked up some milk at the dairy!

This year, for the first time,  World Peas is offering a small share which is what we signed up for.  This filled up the small (1/2 bushel) box pretty well, so I am interested to see what our yield is as the season progresses.

Just ten more days…

…Until my CSA starts. I can’t wait!

I love the WorldPEAS CSA and if you are in the Merrimack Valley or Boston area, I encourage you to check it out. 18 weeks of delicious produce, some of it ethnic and unique to WorldPEAS.

WorldPEAS’s parent organization, the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project assists people with limited resources, many of them immigrants and some of them urban teens, with beginning to farm in Massachusetts. NESFP provides training, support and a market (the CSA and Lowell Farmer’s Market) to the new farmers, creating local, sustainable economic development.

Plus, they’ve introduced me to such delights as ground cherries, pigweed, spey cabbage, thai eggplant, and sweet potato greens!

Happy American Craft Beer Week!

Much like last year, I celebrated American Craft Beer Week.  This year I tried to keep it to local beers (local being defined as New England) and, with one exception, I was successful.

Monday was a Haverhill Brewery HaverAle, a cream ale brewed in Haverhill, MA.
I love the pin-ups on all of Haverhill Brewery’s beers!

Caramelized Balsamic Vinaigrette

There’s only one word for Brie (or any cheese) topped with this vinaigrette – YUMMMMMMMM!  In the recipe description in Vegetarian Planet, Didi Emmons mentions that its “flavor threw me straight into food heaven.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself!

Potato & Roasted Garlic Soup

I made this over the very snowy New Year’s weekend and it is the perfect warm, smooth, comforting, and yummy thing to enjoy after playing in and shoveling the snow.

Baked Shells with Winter Squash

This right here may be the perfect late fall/early winter dish – it’s seasonal, warm, comforting, and (most importantly) delicious. Oh, it’s also pretty easy too.