Hello there!
Our Plan B Organic CSA Share began last night! It was pretty much torture waiting all day long until our evening pick-up time…
This is the first time we have ever had a CSA share, so I was really excited to get started.
Here are the types of foods that are in season in June in this area. I bolded what we received.
June – Asparagus, Baby Salad Mix, Lettuce, Spinach (?), Green Onions, Radishes, Greenhouse Tomato & Cucumber, Strawberries, Swiss Chard, Kale, Broccoli, Shiitake Mushrooms, Beets, Sugar Snap Peas, new potatoes, Carrots + apples.
We have a half share which is enough for 1-2 people, however I could easily chomp my way through a full share I’m sure! :biggrin:
I love knowing that these foods come from local organic farmers working hard every single day to try and make a difference in the system. It feels good to support their efforts and get some fresh organic produce in the process.
I’m not sure what the greens are on the left…spinach??
I handled this food ever so carefully when I put it away.
I stare at it in awe, I appreciate it, and I try and think about how I will use it.
Any ideas? :biggrin: Maybe we can make this a weekly challenge- ‘Help Ange build a recipe from her CSA produce!’
I was really hoping I was going to find some kale in the bag because our local grocery stores don’t carry organic kale. Maybe next week though.
These are the cutest little apples I have ever seen….bumps and marks and lots of character!
After caressing my produce, I made breakfast!
I had some Vegan Overnight Oats ‘marinating’ in the fridge (it was a triple batch) so I just scooped out a serving, mashed a big banana into the bowl (with a fork), and topped it with shredded coconut and my coconut oil + maple syrup dressing (1/2 tbsp coconut oil + 1/2 tbsp maple syrup).
I used to look at overnight oats and CRINGE at the thought. Now I am completely in love. Funny how things turn out. If I had a dime for every email that I got from new Green Monster lovers that said ‘I thought those green drinks looked SO gross…and then I tried one and fell in love. Now I drink one every morning!’
I must admit I am missing my Green Monsters! As you may know my Kitchen Aid blender is broken once again. I am trying to decide if I am going to go BIG with a Vitamix or a Blendtec OR if I am going to try a mid-range brand that I have heard good things about (Oster, Hamilton Beach, or Breville). Decisions, decisions!
This morning I worked on shipments, ordering stock, and baking. Before I knew it, I was hungry for lunch!
I had an Ezekiel wrap filled with about 1 cup of Navy Beans, pasta sauce, mixed veggies, dried parsley, and ground pepper and sea salt.
Mmmmmm.
I also had a juicy apple.
Afternoon snack will be this guy…
Have you ever supported local farmers either through a CSA or by going to a Farmer’s Market? Do you find that your city or town has a lot of access to local and/or organic products? Why or why not?
Have a Terrific Thursday!
i love CSA its such an awesome way to support your local farms. it also forces you to try new produce and be creative preparing it! i hope you enjoy your veggie bag! :)
I agree, those mystery greens look like chard – rainbow or red. I prepare it the way some other ladies said: cooked with a bit of olive oil, garlic, and a dash of salt. I basically treat the stalks like celery. Chard is mild enough to eat in a salad. Other times I’ll tear it up and throw it in a pot of lentils or a soup. I really like it.
We’re doing a CSA for the first time this year, too, and totally loving it! You have more variety than we do, though. It all looks so good!
Get the vitamix! Youll never regret it! My only regret is going through twenty other blenders before the vita- it seriously is heaven;) Im also so amazed at the courage you guys have to do the tri- good luck!!
woohoo! the tri is coming up soon! I did a mini triathlon 5 years ago and it was a thrill to finish! although we swam in a pool i couldn’t imagine the open water swim! sounds like you are up for the challenge and im positive you will do great! I have a quick question and im sure you are the best to ask, its about amazing grass, which do you prefer! the amazing meal or the superfood? should i opt for the wheat grass as well??
Thanks hun!
I live in Orlando and we don’t have any CSAs in the area, but there’s an organic food delivery service (Orlando Organics) that I used to use… we stopped after a few months of 1) extremely quickly rotting fruit, 2) organic fruit with stickers labeled “Product of Chile/Mexico/some other foreign country”, 3) realizing we could buy the SAME BRANDS of organic produce at Publix for cheaper.
Here’s a question – why do so many farmer’s markets sell produce from very far away? We have a big market in Winter Park (Florida) that has a lot of local stuff, but they also bring in Michigan blueberries (that look like they were just purchased at the grocery store) and other out-of-season/non-regional stuff.
Blenders: I have the Oster “Osterizer Classic” and it has problems with tougher food. It takes a lot of liquid for me to make banana soft serve, and doesn’t chop the greens up finely enough to make a green monster drinkable (it’s REALLY hard to swallow a chunky green monster…). Plus every time I use it, it makes a burning plastic smell (like the motor is running too hot and the blades can’t spin fast enough b/c there’s too much solid food in the bottom of the blender). If I replace my blender, I’m totally going with the VITAMIX because even my non-raw-food-blog-reading friends recommend it to me :)
Ok, these banana soft serve overnight oats are getting ridiculous..
…ridiculously good, that is. : )
Hi Angela! A fellow blogger is hosting a “Cooking Away My CSA” challenge and I think it is such a great idea! Just thought you might want to check it out!
http://getnatured.blogspot.com/2010/06/cooking-away-my-csa.html