Ambitious Deliciousness – Dont Eat Lazy.

My participation in the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) came to an end around Thanksgiving week. It’s hard to believe that 26 weeks went by so quickly! Since many people have been asking me questions about my experience, I thought I’d dedicate a post to the positives and the negatives, as well as share some photos.

Generally speaking, it was a good experience. I enjoyed anticipating what I would get each week by refreshing the Golden Earthworm website a bazillion times every Tuesday morning. The type of seasonal crops varied each week, as we received the best crops from that particular week. I looked forward to Tuesdays and planned my menu around the vegetables would get.

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Interested consumers then purchase a share to receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. The produce is fairly priced, local grown, and in my case, organic.

This is something I whipped up together with a few ingredients I had on hand. I used a couple of pieces of anchovy fillets just to see what it would taste like. I was pleasantly surprised, as it added an entire new dimension of flavor to the salad that I didn’t expect! It was scrumptious!

There is nothing more delicious than eating fresh vegetables that are in season. Check out the gorgeous colors on this swiss chard!

This salad is delicious cold or hot, depending on your mood. A quick blanching of the vegetables seals the nutrients, as well as the crispness. I have a taste for root vegetables that are bitter. If you prefer to add a bit of sweetness, try adding some honey to the dressing. Give it a whirl; I promise you won’t be disappointed!

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Interested consumers then purchase a share to receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. The produce is fairly priced, local grown, and in my case, organic.

This was my first time cooking with rhubarb. I never even knew what it looked like before, to be honest. To me, rhubarb = celery + a little bit of tomato + more tart than a lemon. Would you say that is a pretty accurate description?

I can see why strawberries are so often paired with rhubarb in pies and other desserts, as the flavors harmonize very well. But I didn’t want to go in that direction.
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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Interested consumers then purchase a share to receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. The produce is fairly priced, local grown, and in my case, organic.

I hate dislike beets.

Hate is such a strong word. Since I couldn’t remember why I didn’t like it in the first place, I decided to try it. Plus, it was included in last week’s share and I couldn’t let it go to waste!

My sister wisely suggested adding it to a salad with goat cheese, which was an excellent idea. I used blue cheese crumbles, pan fried tofu for protein, with a side of homemade vinaigrette dressing over arugula.

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Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a farmer offers a certain number of “shares” to the public. Interested consumers then purchase a share to receive a box of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. The produce is fairly priced, local grown, and in my case, organic.

Now that I’m on this journey of exploring new kinds of vegetables, I am happy to report that I got through my first box containing rhubarb, bibb lettuce, radish, Japanese radish, romaine lettuce, bok choy, beets with only a half head of lettuce leftover. It is quite overwhelming when you have a lot of fresh produce to use before it goes bad!

This week I learned how to store lettuce – leave it unwashed, in a plastic bag, with a wet paper towel and change the towel every few days. If you do this, the lettuce will last for up to a week. It’s also super important to wash everything carefully to get all the dirt right before eating!

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