We’re well on our way into September here, rains have finally kicked in, and the growing is good. Before we all start worrying about how long we can ward off frost, let’s take a moment to appreciate how beautiful the CSA full harvest is. Potluck anyone? Please check out my page of recipes.
Saturday's harvest 9/12 - You know you want a share of this...
Potatoe, Pohtahtoh: Up close and personal with the veggies.
Grab a share...(Kelly did!)
The glory of green in downtown Gallup.
This is peak tomato season, the time of a garden that sticks in our memories and motivates us to plan the next season. We are so happy to have our families working along side us (and riding on our backs) as we develop a new local food system for our small town.
Andy and his son James are harvesting chard early in the morning.
It turned out to be quite an event on Sunday afternoon, thanks to everyone spreading the word, Andy and Theo playing guitar and singing, Amy planning it and chopping up veggies, Brad and Lidio taking turns on the grill making scrumptious roast veggie fiinger food to complement the cake and sandwhiches others brought.
Mothers and their children hanging out under the shelter at the Open Garden 2008
Theo and Andy jam for an hour at the Open Garden 2008
Lidio took a turn at the grill with the freshest, ripest ingredients from the garden all around him.
Julie, thanks for this link to the article linked here and quoted below. It contains seven suggestions for dealing with the this wholly different food-getting system!
Seven Tips for Managing Your CSA
1. Deal with everything right away. We pick up our CSA on Saturday afternoons, which means we have no excuse not to aside some time over the weekend to sort, cook, and organize. If you pick yours up during the week, it’s a good strategy to plan on an hour or two that evening and make it part of your routine.
2. Make a list of what you have. It’s easy to shove your bundle of five radishes into the back of a drawer and forget about it until things get smelly. We like to keep this list posted right on the fridge so we see what’s in there and cross things off as we use them.
3. Take a seat and plan out your meals. Meal planning for the week is a good strategy anyway, but it’s even more handy when you’re trying to use up your CSA and avoid making the same stir-fry night after night.
4. Organize your fridge. Group together the foods that go together: greens in one place, salad fixings in another–whatever works for you. We cut off the tops of beets and put the bulbs in a separate space from the leaves. We also like to trim and discard or compost any parts of the vegetable that we know we won’t be using, like the tops of leaks (unless we’re making stock!).
5. Wilt down greens right away. Since the leafy greens take up the most space and usually get wilted down anyway, why not wilt them down to begin with? An armful of chard wilts down to about a cup, which can then be stored in a container and added to dishes as needed.
6. Save what you can. Often we’ll get very small amounts of something–a pint of blueberries or a handful of ramps–that aren’t quite enough for a whole recipe. Since you’re likely to get another pint the next week, try to determine if your first batch will keep that long and then combine them.
7. Freeze what you can. If all else fails and food is backing up, turn to your freezer. Berries freeze very well, as do many vegetables like beans and corn. If you have time, we recommend blanching vegetables until barely al dente before freezing them. This helps preserve the color and decrease cooking time on the other end.
Thanks, Lidio, for letting us document this first share of the harvest on July 12th, 2008.
Here’s what we each got for a full share:
Here’s some research from Julie H. Feel free to comment below or email me to add your own recipes.
Steve,
here is a recipe for basil and parsley pesto. I haven’t tried it but it sounds yummy. Today was great…thanks.
RAVIOLI WITH PARSLEY PESTO – From the six o’clock scramble
Servings & Prep Time
25 minutes Prep + Cook Time
Servings: 6* 20 oz. reduced fat cheese ravioli
* 1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley, or use curly parsley, coarsely chopped (1 3/4 cup tightly packed parsley, total)
* 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, tightly packed, plus additional for serving
* 1/2 cup walnuts
* 3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
* 1 tsp. minced garlic, (1 – 2 cloves)
* 1/4 tsp. salt
* 1/4 tsp. black pepper
* 2/3 cup olive oil
* 2 tomatoes, chopped
Cook the ravioli according to package directions and drain it. (While the water is heating, prepare the green beans, if you are serving them.)
Meanwhile, In a food processor or blender, coarsely chop the parsley, 1/4 cup basil, walnuts, Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper. Then, slowly add the oil and continue to process the pesto until it is well combined.
Gently toss the warm ravioli with one cup of the pesto, reserving the remaining pesto for future use. Top the ravioli with the tomatoes and a handful of fresh basil before serving.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Add 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes to the blender with the pesto ingredients.
Tip:
This recipe makes about two cups of pesto sauce, which is twice the amount that you will need for the ravioli. Freeze the extra for a future meal, or serve it as a spread for crackers, layer it over goat cheese for a tantalizing dip, or toss a couple of tablespoons of the sauce with green beans for an excellent side dish.
Nutritional Information per serving (% based upon daily values)
Calories: 254; Total Fat: 11g, 16%; Saturated Fat: 5g, 24%; Cholesterol: 47mg, 16%; Sodium: 325mg, 14%; Total Carbohydrate: 28g, 10%; Dietary Fiber: 2g, 6%; Sugar: 3g; Protein: 14gLemon Sesame Glazed Greens
Recipe courtesy Alton Brown, 2005
Show: Good Eats
Episode: Field of Greens
1 to 1 1/4 pounds stemmed hearty greens, mustard greens, or kale
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lemon, zested
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon sesame seedsRemove any large stems from the greens and wash them thoroughly; do so in a sink with at least 5 inches of water. Moving the leaves around in the water and allowing them to sit for a few minutes to allow the sand or dirt to fall to the bottom of the sink. Once clean, roughly chop the greens. You should have 1 to 1 1/4 pounds finished greens once they are stemmed. (Weigh the greens after stemming, but before washing.)
Heat a large 13 by 11-inch roasting pan set over 2 burners on medium heat. Once hot, add the olive oil. Add the garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the greens and saute for 4 to 5 minutes, tossing continually. Add the red pepper flakes and the sesame seeds. Toss to combine. Adjust seasoning, if needed. Serve immediately.
Zucchini Soup with Pesto
3 lbs. zucchini, sliced
2 medium onions, chopped
3 Tbl. olive oil
6 cups chicken broth (I use water + Knorr veg cubes)
3/4 cup (7 oz.) pesto, homemade or bought
Grated parmesan, for garnish
Basil leaves, for garnish
In a large pot, saute onions in oil until limp, about 10 mins. Add zuke and only 1 cup of the broth. Bring to boil, cover, and simmer until tender, about 15 mins.
Puree in food processor or blender. Return to pot, add remaining broth, and bring to boil. Off heat, stir in pesto.
Garnish bowls with grated parm and basil leaves..
Makes about 11 cups
PASTA WITH GREENS/CHARD
Slice the greens and/orchard about twice the size of matchsticks… it doesn’t have to be exact, you could tear it, even. Then, cook the greens with chopped onion (or shallots), garlic (chopped or slivered) and chopped parsley. (You could also add chopped tomatoes.) Then toss it with fresh cooked pasta and grated parmesean or pecorino.
There are a number of variations, such as adding butter or a little chicken broth or other herbs. I use whichever greens I have, such as spinach or turnip greens or, particularly tasty, beet greens. Greens are really wonderful this way as a ‘pasta sauce’
Pea shoot and green garlic pesto
1 bunch pea shoots (cut above the rubber band andwashed)
1 (or 2 if you like it garlicky) green garlic washed and
chopped with plenty of the green top included
4 T. olive oil
1 t. salt (or to taste)
1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan
1/2 c. toasted nuts (walnuts, pinenuts, etc)
12 oz. cooked pasta
Combine pea shoots, green garlic, olive oil, salt, parm
(short for parmesan in our kitchen), and nuts in a
food processor. Process until you have a nice bright
green paste. If it’s not combining well drizzle in more
oil as it’s processing. Toss with the just-drained pasta.
Garnish with a little freshly grated parm and serve hot,
or refrigerate and add a cup of halved cherry tomatoes
to make a nice pasta salad.
Simple Rainbow Chard
1 bunch rainbow chard
1 T. olive oil
Lemon wedges
Salt and pepper
Wash and trim chard, slice stems into 3/4 inch lengths.
Arrange stems on steamer rack over boiling water,
cover and cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Toss
with olive oil and arrange in center of serving platter.
Coarsely slice leaves and place in steamer basket.
Cook until velvety, 5 to 10 minutes. Toss with olive oil
and arrange around the stems. Chill or leave at room
temperature. To serve, sprinkle with lemon juice and
season with salt and pepper if desired.
