{This week - clockwise from top left: Rainbow chard, kale, young carrots, radish, kohlrabi, young cabbage, mesclun mix (spicy greens including arugula, lettuce and mustard), new potatoes. And ironically a little girl's hand holding a tootsie pop - not part of CSA. ;] }
This is our 6th week of 19 getting fresh, lovely, leafy goodness from a local farm. I'm really enjoying the surplus of veggies in our fridge and the challenge to use things we wouldn't normally buy. When we received our first few CSAs, I was not super excited. Still dealing with morning sickness, lack of motivation, and just feeling blah. I didn't usually want to spend much time in the kitchen and I felt like I was just wasting our veggies. Thankfully we are past all that (for the most part.)
One thing I have struggled with is properly storing the items to ensure they stay fresh for a little while. Not sure why it took me 6 weeks to google "how to store ____" but that's super helpful! I would usually just prop them all in a bowl of water, or just lay them on the bottom shelf. I liked seeing the greens from all the veggies each time I opened the fridge. Now I've learned that leaving the tops on root vegetables (carrots, radishes, turnip, etc) sucks all the nutrients to the tops and the root gets limp and undesirable. I've learned to cut the tops off (after I photograph them of course!) and store the veggies in water in the fridge.
I've also preserved some things by freezing (garlic scape pesto, blanched greens) and pickling (garlic scape refrigerator pickles.)
I've learned so many things about different veggies and am looking forward to trying some new recipes.
What are your favorite recipes with seasonal veggies?
