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Long ago I believe I posted about the CSA we belonged to. After a year hiatus, we have re-joined Eatwell Farm’s CSA. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture and is basically an arrangement where farms or a collection of farms sell produce subscriptions directly to end consumers. It works out well for the farms as these subscriptions keep money flowing throw the farm throughout the year despite the crop yield, and for the consumers it means incredibly fresh vegetables and good karma.

One of the more exciting things about CSAs for me is the exposure to new foods. It was through Eatwell that we years ago learned about green garlic (the first crop of young garlic which resembles green onions in shape and texture, but has a buttery garlic taste reminiscent of shallots) and fava beans. Our very first box contained both which we improvised into a shrimp/fava scampi. Today, we were introduced to romanesco and tatsoi. The former is a fractal looking broccoli and the latter is a peppery green.

Of course there are good years and bad years. The last year we subscribed, we amassed a cellar of potatoes and onions and were completely unable to keep up with the kale production in both our garden and our farm. That summer, the farm was hit with mediterranean fruit flies depriving us all the best fruits of summer (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant…). We ultimately canceled, up to our ears in potatoes. Thankfully, during our hiatus, the farm grew a bit and is now able to offer one of the best produce selections in the area. So, with as much produce as my kids consume at lunch these days, I decided we’d get back in the CSA.

Interested in finding a CSA near you? Check out LocalHarvest.org

Our box this week:
romanseco, carrots, tatsoi, kale/mustard greens, spinach, daikon radishes, cilantro, oranges, lemons, leeks, and 6 fresh eggs

What we’re eating:

• Tonight: tatsoi + pear + raspberry + smoked salmon salad – just wash and toss everything in a vinaigrette.
• Tomorrow: Spinach pizza; Green garlic pizza
• Saturday: breakfast of biscuits with spinach and egg scrambles; vietnamese sandwiches for dinner to use the cilantro/radishes/carrots
• Sunday: spinach dip + chips, apple+greens slaw and tofu dogs, beer/root beer
• Monday: Veggie Cobb Salad with fake-on, cheese, hard boiled eggs, romanesco, the remaining greens, green beans (+ capers and anchovies for the nicoise fans)
• Lunches for the brown-eyed pair: Leek and asparagus soup