So, we are doing a CSA this summer in addition to our garden. We started out just doing a half of a share because I didn't want the pressure of having to eat/process it all during the week. Long story short, we are know getting the full share every week (Saturday). I've gotten a lot of question wondering what the heck we do with it all. This post will have a good example of what to do with CSA stuff that doesn't resemble predictable vegetables (early summer in Wisconsin!) for a family of 4- two adults, 2 toddlers (who don't have the foggiest idea what I sneak into their bodies!).
This week's score included: parsley (curly and flat leaf), cilantro, kale, nettles, rhubarb, baby beet roots and tops, cabbage, mixed greens, and scapes. In addition, the Tree-Ripe Citrus truck was in our area on Tuesday, so I may have also gotten 25 pounds of peaches and 5 pounds of blueberries!!
Does everything need to be handled on the same day? No. I had all week! There is also time to do research! As always, Pinterest is a wonderful resource. My CSA board! So here goes nothing...
Rhubarb - went into some delicious whole wheat rhubarb muffins. I made a double batch. We ate some and froze the rest in 6 muffins to 1 quart size ziplock to pull out during the school year. This is the third CSA with rhubarb. I've used this recipe each time as the whole wheat, oats, rhubarb... makes me feel like they are healthier!!
Blueberries- Coletyn ate them!
Baby beet roots/with tops - These aren't like beets you see in a store. The roots themselves were roughly the width of my pinkie and about 2 inches long. There were also two huge bunches of them!
- beet greens joined the nettle in a meatloaf as a spinach replacement
- beet greens and roots when into the kids' smoothies
- beet greens were chopped, blanched and frozen in 1 cup quantities for future meatloafs
- beet roots were washed in boiling water (only way to get dirt off) and roasted. After roasting, I turned them into a beet root pesto for my mother. I still can attest that beets taste like dirt. So in the food processor they went with some roasted scapes, lemon juice, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Then I drizzled in the grape seed oil. Voila, pesto!
Blueberries- Coletyn ate more of them!
Kale- As soon as I saw the Kale I knew what I wanted to make. I have this to die for recipe for kale soup. Thank you Bevcooks.com and well, of course, Pinterest!! I replaced the italian sausage with these chicken sausages below. Thanks Woody! And I may have also made a double batch. We ate it for a meal then I froze the rest in meal size portions for winter lunches at work. I hate packing lunches!!
In the midst of all this, I also decided that instead of just using the rest of my freezer stash of stock (yes, I make our stock... it's so easy) I needed to make a huge stock pot of more stock. Jason wanted salads with chicken breasts on them for his lunches for the week, I had root veggies that were on their way out in the fridge and I didn't have enough stock in the freezer for my double batch of soup. So, chicken breasts on the ribs, water and cleaned out the herbs and roots veggies that were close to turning.. bam. Stock!
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| Stock and soup. Dual burners! |
Blueberries- Coletyn... who wants to change a diaper!
As I was cleaning out the fridge for making the stock, I found a quart of milk that was about to expire and some left over roasted chicken scraps. Hmmmmm. What could I do with those?? Add them to two quarts of the stock I just made and voila (not really voila but I needed a dramatic effect- see recipe!) 19 pint jars of cream of chicken soup ready for the freezer for the winter crockpot meals. Sans the BPA of course! I've always wanted to make these, I've just never seized the opportunity. Thanks to Once a Month Moms for the recipe!
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| I love these twist top Ball plastic jars. The lid interlocks with the bottom of a jar on top. Makes stacking in the deep freeze a dream! |
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| Stock left for freezer, next recipe and soups ready for freezer! |
Parsley- I put parsley in everything. It always isn't enough.
Cilantro- Jason and I really don't like cilantro. I think we had one to many bad cheap restaurant salsas. I gave it to some friends.
Mixed greens and cabbage went into salads all week long.
Peaches- we of course ate a few pounds (Cecelia sometimes two per meal) and I also used them in kids' smoothies with the baby beets. I also put a few peaches, blueberries and coconut milk in the blender and used these zipzicles I've been waiting to use. Cecelia loves them. I also just so happened to have a bottle of strawberry wine hanging around and a few sprites. Sangria anyone? Yes, that was finished to the last drop!
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Peaches still... I also made a pork marinade and we had peaches on the grill. With what was left, (probably about 15 pounds) I blanched them for about 30 seconds, ice water bathed them and slipped the skins right off. I could then quickly cut off pit, add a little lemon juice, mash and store in 4 quart size freezer ziplocks. 2 will be for peach applesauce in fall. I made strawberry and blueberry last year. They were spectacular! I am feeling peach preserves for the other 2 quarts. I'll decide later!
Blueberries (those that Coletyn didn't eat) were flash frozen on jelly roll pans then after frozen put into two gallon size ziplock bags. Freezing them this way allows me to be able to take the quantity I want out of the bag instead of having too many or not enough. Don't worry, I am feeling the need for a whole freezing vs. canning post in the future!
All this just in time for Saturday to roll around and a whole new box of veggies. This time, some are getting a little more familiar (as in they look like what we have in the back yard!) I think I am officially done having to get veggies at Woody's (I was supplementing a bit here and there!) until winter! Boo yah!
Hungry yet?!
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| Cucumbers, green pepper, cauliflower, purple cauliflower, green beans, dill, kale, swiss chard, kolarabi, sage, thyme, pickling cukes! |
I want to be like you when I grow up :)
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