Planning week of meals around CSA boxes - Page 2

[sunnylady303]

One of my favorite things to do with cauliflower is to make a pasta dish with it. I steam the cauliflower (or if I'm lazy or in a big hurry, I throw it in with the pasta), boil some bowtie or ziti type pasta, toss it in a big bowl with shredded gruyere cheese, a bit of mustard, some butter, and some bread crumbs crisped in olive oil. If I'm really energetic, I'll caramelize some onions to go in too. MMM....can't wait for CSA season!

[punkrockmommy]

I am just starting a CSA this year i am so so so so excited. I love the farmers that are doing it <i have bought stuff from them at the Farmers Market for the last 3 or 4 years> and I am so down with the whole recipe sharing. I am new to most of the stuff that i will be getting but i really and trying hard to eat healthier and i think this will help out alot. It is only 200 for a half share and it is only me and my DP and my 3yo so i think it should be enough. Yeah, i would love to once it starts.

[mama3x's]

Herbangirl: I would make minestrone with that list: potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks (right?), and kale. I love kale in minestrone. Just add broth, whatever bean you have on hand, garlic, thyme and pasta if you want. I freeze half (before I add pasta) and make it a few weeks later.

[mommy2xander]

Our CSA doesn't start till June either, so please keep this thread going!

[mudmama]

June here too. But I'm subbing! Can't wait to share and learn here. Last two years I got a lot of stuff I didn't know what to do with.

[mom de terre]

June's so far away! Makes me want to move to CA . We have a new CSA and I'm soo excited because it comes with homemade organic goat cheese every week!!

[Cassiopeia]

Another June here. This is our first year in a CSA and I'm definitely feeling some anxiety about using it all! We got a blueberry farm share too with ours - really looking forward to that!

[meggles]

Yay, I just got our weekly box!

We have:

Asparagus
Carrots
Leeks
Lettuce
Spinach
Radishes
Arugula

Any ideas for the leeks? (I can't make creamy potato/leek soup because I'm off dairy for dd).

[Gitti]

To clean the leeks, cut them lengthwise and you can rinse the sand off. They usually have some sand in the middle.

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Recipe:

Cut the long halves in 1/2 inch thick pieces and sautee in plenty of olive oil. Don't skimp on the oil.

Boil some whole wheat pasta. Drain and dump into the skillet with the sauteed leeks. Toss and re-heat. Put on plates and cover the top with finely chopped walnuts.

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Or you can use leeks in any soup you make. I love them in soup.

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Use leeks instead of onions for anything. Great on pizza.

[sanguine_speed]

Originally Posted by meggles

Any ideas for the leeks? (I can't make creamy potato/leek soup because I'm off dairy for dd).

If you use soy, I find that silken tofu makes a great base for cream soups. And creamy potato leek soup is SOOOOOOOOOOoo yummy!

[Fiestabeth]

Originally Posted by meggles

Yay, I just got our weekly box!

We have:

Asparagus
Carrots
Leeks
Lettuce
Spinach
Radishes
Arugula

Any ideas for the leeks? (I can't make creamy potato/leek soup because I'm off dairy for dd).

I put leeks in my dairy free potato soup. To give it a creamy consistency, I put about 1/3 of the soup in the blender until smooth, then add it back into the pot.

[dot2dot]

Our CSA just got started so I have been scouring the internet looking for recipes, too. I found this website for some other CSA that has a lot of recipes put together for different items. I think I still want to buy From Asparagus to Zuchinni, but that website sure looks convenient!

[Mihelinka]

We are supposed to start our CSA in may, but i doubt we'll get anything until June the earliest, Bad weather here.

[Nimbus]

dot2dot, thanks for the wonderful link and book recommendation. Our CSA starts in June and I'm getting really excited. I think I'll try to hit Half Price Books soon to see if I can find some suitable cookbooks. I'm determined to use everything from our share so we can get the maximum nutritional benefit. I also want to convince my dh it makes financial sense for us. C'mon June!

[sunnylady303]

Ours starts next week and I am still trying to figure out how to plan my week of meals when I don't know exactly what I'll get each week. But I am so so excited!

[emilys_mom1]

I found this thread very interesting. I just research some of the farms in our area and can't wait to get emails back from them.

Do you all find this cheaper than buying for the grocery store?

[BetsyS]

Ours started this week!

For us, it's a little bit more expensive than the grocery store, but really fresh, local, and organic, so it's worth it. I shop at our local Korean market, and most of the things I buy aren't organic. It's also insanely cheap (1/2 the price of others around here), so my comparison is off.

This week, we got:
2 bunches of chard
1 huge mess of kale
2 large spring onions (big enough to grill as a side dish)
salad greens
1 bunch cilantro

[attachedmama]

:

[Qestia]

subbing! we just signed up for a halfshare for the first time, it won't start till June and I can't wait, we found a place that does berries and apples too. I'm hoping it will introduce a little more variety into our lives, we tend to eat the same things over and over again.

[BetsyS]

This week, we have tons of kale, so I'm sitting down with some cookbooks tonight. We also have some head green that I'm not sure what it is (!). I'm going to have to figure that out before I cook it. I tasted it, and it's similar to the taste of escarole, so maybe I'll cook it like that.