CSA #2- Fritatta and Cucumber Salad

Mmm...awesome week!

We got:

blueberries
cherries
sweet onions
kale
red potatoes
cucumbers
yellow squash

We got so many blueberries that I am going to flash-freeze some of them on a cookie sheet and then put them into a ziploc.  We try to keep bags of frozen fruits on hand for smoothies, syrups, sauces and mixed drinks :)  We try to get them in season (and on sale).  Usually we have a bag of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and peaches.  We also keep similar bags of frozen veggies and one bag labeled "SOUP" where we put leftover veggies that we don't have enough of to save, but don't want to waste...a few green beans, corn, some peas we didn't get around to eating.  It makes it very easy to make up a quick soup...but not on a 100 degree day!

For lunch we made a yellow squash fritatta, and added in a sauteed sweet onion.  It was very good- it has a bit of parmesan in there that makes it quite tasty.  Will definitely make it again.  Even Beatrice got in on the lunch, devouring her first eggs (though hers were not as fancy as ours- just plain scrambled eggs).  Add a bit of toast and a fruit salad and we call that a good lunch for a 100 degree day.  No more turning on the oven today!

Another recipe we made this week is our take on cucumber salad.  We love the salad that always comes with your meal at a Thai restaurant. It is very cooling on a hot day, and a good way to use up all those cucumbers starting to come off the vine.  Here is our very easy version of it.  It is our own recipe, synthesized from a few recipes and our experience.

Cucumber Salad


Julienne or finely slice 3 cucumbers.  Toss with a pinch of salt and let them drain for 15 minutes.  While they drain, mix together the following:


1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup honey
2 TBL crunchy peanut butter
2-3 red chilis, diced (or fewer if you don't like spice)


pour this dressing over the cucumbers.  Top with crushed peanuts or sesame seeds if you have some on hand.  

Enjoy!

**we forgot to take a picture, so thank you Google Images for this lovely looking cucumber salad!**

It is CSA Season!

This year our CSA farm share from the past two years shut down, leaving us scrambling.  Luckily, we ended up with an even better situation (though we are in mourning for the fabulous cheese share that we will miss this year).  We have joined Genesis Growers, out of St. Anne, Illinois.  We will get a box of produce each week, and a dozen eggs every other week.  We picked up the first box today- right around the corner from us...walking distance!  This is a big improvement over the 20 minute drive during rush-hour pick up time from last year.

The box was full of beautiful things...and a good amount.  I feel like our family should be able to eat our way through this box without waste.  I may write a post here and there about what we get in the box and what we make.

Today we received:

-Kohlrabi
-Kale
-Romaine
-Cabbage
-Yellow Squash
-Purple Leeks? Is there such a thing?
-Cucumber

I mentally rate the produce by difficulty of knowing what to do with it (or what it is).  Cabbage, romaine, kale, squash, cukes...easy.  So I decided to go right for the tough stuff and dive into the kohlrabi and purple leeks.  I get bonus points for finding a recipe I could use both in.

For dinner, we tried this kohlrabi puree recipe from farmgirlfare.com.  I substituted a leek for the onion and omitted the mushrooms.  The puree is not beautiful since the leaves are in there, but it is nice and salty and earthy...and healthy.  I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but then stood there eating it by the fingerful.  Not a bad way to eat kohlrabi...much better than my only other attempt last year (roasting).  I might make it again...6/10.  Beatrice liked it, Violet tried it, Matias looked at me like I had 3 heads when I asked if he wanted any....par for the course around here.

I made kale chips out of the kale...those went over much better.  At one point Violet tried to take the bowl away from me, accusing me of wanting to eat all of them.  Touche.