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Fall, Week 1
butternut!
pole beans
cherry tomatoes
regular tomatoes
kale
Hakurei turnips
Yukina Savoy mustard greens
Sunchokes
Lots of new things this week! I haven’t tried most of these items before. I didn’t even know what a sunchoke was –thanks google images!
I plan to do some roasted root vegetables with isreali cous cous very soon, its one of my favs. I also need to do something with the tomatoes piling up and I bet those greens will be great in a stir fry.
I’m going to NC this weekend for my little sister’s family weekend at NCSU, very excited! But also mean lots of preservation to do. Better get on it…
An email showed up in my inbox this morning that made me a little nostalgic. My college is having its annual homecoming next weekend and the picture in the notice took me back:
This is the scene when driving up to the school, which never ever got old.
Warren Wilson is an old farm school, which is now a college with a farm where every student works and service to the community is required. It is a lovely concept called the Triad.
My first semester I was a dishwasher and my shift was breakfast. I loved it. It was peaceful and my mind could wander while spraying out pans and loading trays full of plates.
I also got to do a little baking and cooking in the kitchen. I actually continued doing it for extra money, even after my crew assignment changed.
It also made me smell like maple syrup.
Week 16
Last blue bag of the summer contains:
2 hot peppers (yay!)
Roma tomatoes
Regular tomatoes
Bag of green beans
Spaghetti Squash
2 Zucchini
Chard
Don’t see the chard in the picture? Its back there. In the newspaper bag. There was a little caterpillar on the chard leaves so I didn’t want to take it out of the bag. I need to take him outside when I get home tonight.
He can have AS MUCH chard as he wants between now and then.
Eat away little buddy!
When I opened my email this morning the first thing I did was look at the “In the Bag” for today. The coordinator of the CSA reminded us that this is the LAST WEEK of the summer CSA share. What?
It made me a little sad, even though we have the fall share coming. Change is always hard for me, and there seems to be a lot of it going around lately. I just got used to the summer veggies! What will the fall bring?
In the cooking world, its so good…add a little heat and we can take this:
to this:
But then, I think, weren’t they perfectly good just like this?
Well, maybe without the little branch.
But as long as I get more butternut squash, it will all be okay. 😉
For the Top Chef DC finale I decided to pull a little fancy dinner of my own. And of course, I had just returned from the land of enchantment with lots of chili powder.
I made the sauce from the powder and one from sour cream and then stuffed CSA peppers with chicken and cheese.
I didn’t wipe my plate before I served, so sadly, I did not win Top Chef DC. I know, I know. Next season!
After the stuffed peppers, we enjoyed another treat from my trip, chocolate elixir from Kakawa Chocolate house. This is seriously one of the best tasting things I have ever had to drink. When I walked into this little chocolate house in Santa Fe they welcomed me with a taste of EVERY flavor. I brought home several of the dry wafers flavors to make at home…
To grate:
To whisk:
To enjoy:
This stuff is so intense and delicious. I don’t like coffee (as traditional supertasters go), so this can be my espresso. Thank you chocolate gods.
A perfect end to a perfect meal.
I took a little trip to the southwestern US and it was breathtaking.
I rode the tramway up to the tippy top of Sandia mountian, which means watermelon.
And this is why:
It turns pink in the sunset.
I also had the amazing opportunity to visit a closed pueblo (Jemez) and view some programming. I met some amazing people and ate some incredible food. Out of respect for, and preservation of, their culture–no pictures are allowed on the pueblo. But trust me, it was just awesome.
We even made up to Santa Fe for an afternoon and ate at a little place called the Shed. This is an enchilada with some pork on it. Um, yeah. Pretty darn amazing.
All and all a pretty amazing trip. I am one lucky duck.
Week 15!
Here we go…
1 Butternut Squash
Bag o’green beans
Cherry Tomatoes
3 Tomatoes
1 Leek
2 Bok Choy
Head of Garlic
Bunch of Parsley
Big surprise of the week…
I LOVE BUTTERNUT SQUASH. It must have butter in it, cuz like, WOW.
Fall has always been my favorite season and now I have one more reason to add to the list. I know we have lots more butternut coming in the fall weeks of the CSA. Trader Joe’s even had pumpkins out already and we bought some ornamental gourds for the apartment. So excited!
Sorry for the late post, I was in New Mexico working and eating. Updates on that coming soon!
I come from a long line of folks who consider potatoes a vegetable.
Take for example, the beach this weekend. I had a cheesesteak, with a veggie side of fries! 🙂 And lettuce and ketchup, even. That’s three of my 5 vegetable servings for the day.
I kid. (Kinda)
We went down to Rehoboth Beach on Saturday and caught the most amazing weather. It wasn’t too hot or too cold.
We played arcade games on the boardwalk, napped on the beach, rode rides and played mini golf in the evening. A better day could not have been had.
The next day was rainy, which was perfect. We slept in to the pitter-pat of raindrops ate breakfast and went to the Tanger Outlets on the way home. For 5 hours. I’ll leave it at that.
This leaves me with two conclusions about how things would be in my perfect world:
1. Every weekend would be a beach weekend. One day sunny, one day rainy.
2. Potatoes would be a veggie.
Tonight I came home and wanted to do nothing but sit around and eat something unhealthy and watch TV. My wish came true with pizza and a Four Weddings marathon.
Oh, why do I love TLC so much?
It got me thinking about our special day!!
And there were green peppers on my pizza. And with four slices I think that I got a whole serving of veggies. I think that makes it okay.
Week 14!
In the bag this week:
2 eggplant
3 peppers
2 tomatoes
Kale
Zucchini/Squash
Green beans
Kale
Sweet potato greens
Um…Sweet Potato Greens??
I need help on this one guys! What do I do with these?
The Skeptical Vegetable 