CSA Week #3 - Vegetables Fall From The Sky

Only the third week and I'm falling further behind!

This week's bag was full of good stuff: red lettuce, romaine lettuce, green onions, one turnip, several small beets and nice beet greens, a dark green ball zucchini and a gold stick zucchini, broccoli, a small cabbage, two small kohlrabies, and God knows what I've forgotten.

Sunday I was able to do a thorough wash of the the lettuces, the beet greens, the zukes, broccoli and cabbage. I'm trying a new method of dealing with the salad greens: wash, cut up, spin in the salad spinner and store it in the fridge in the spinner.  Zukes and cabbage went into the fridge, broccoli was lightly microwave and split between marinating for salad and frozen for winter.

Sunday supper was a salad with a side of salad. Main salad was a mix of red lettuce, beet greens and stems, romaine lettuce, and green onions. The protein was provided by ham and provolone cheese on hubby's salad and feta on mine.  The side salad was what I call a chip/chop salad: chopped celery, chopped kohlrabi (peeled), chopped tomato, the marinated broccoli,  and chopped green onions. Salad dressing was garlic salt, wine vinegar and olive oil.

Monday continues to be food prep day and more washing of vegetables.

Monday lunch included cottage cheese with green onion tops chopped into it.  Veggie component included raw kohlrabi and raw turnip.

Monday supper was pan sauteed boneless chicken breast and a mustard green casserole. With the bacon and onions in the casserole, plus a topping of Bisquick and corn meal custard, this was pretty tasty.  No complaints from hubby so I rate it a success.  The recipe gave me a total of four meals for two (as sides). I'll freeze the excess for sides in the winter.

I'm trying a new (for me) method of saving green onions.  Clean them, leave on the roots but remove damaged or dry leaves, lay out on a paper towel and roll up like a shade. Dampen towel and store in an open plastic bag.  The longer leaves were trimmed off, washed, cut into 1/4" - 1/2" pieces and frozen for soups in the winter.

The best news is that I'm all caught up with the Mustard Greens.  Hurrah!

CSA Week #2 - Almost Caught Up

Yeah Team! Almost caught up with Weeks 1 & 2 of our CSA deliveries.

All we have left are Week 2's delivery of Mustard Greens and 1/3d of Week 1's Kale.

Normally with today's schedule, we would have had bought subs for supper.  Since I had planned salad, we had that. Last month I learned how to eat boneless, skinless sardines in oil.  At age 65, it was a total shock to find out that something that I'd avoided was actually good, and good for your. Just like comments on the Internet said, they taste like tuna, only better.

Tonight's salad consisted of the leaf lettuce, beet greens, and kale. Hubby had tuna fish & provolone, I had sardines and feta. We've finished the CSA green onions so I used ones from the pot that I'd planted in the spring. Kind of fun to step out the front door and just pull a few green onions out of a pot. Finished off the salad with shredded aged provolone, dried basil, garlic salt, balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

While I was eating (and feeling holy for using my CSA deliveries and not spending money), I read this Article - Your Brain on Kale  Totally made my day!

Plus, with kidney stone issues in the family, it's nice to see that the oxalate load is low.

CSA Week 2 - Already Behind With The Greens !

Today's CSA bag contained Green Onions, Broccoli, more Mustard Greens, Leaf Lettuce, Napa Cabbage, Mizuna, Beet Greens, and one Ball Zucchini (light green). Still left from last week's delivery was some Mustard Greens, Tatsoi, and Kale. After the salad to be served tonight, plans are to blanch and freeze the Tatsoi and Mizuna together for future Asian dishes or light soup. Mustard Greens are to be sauteed with bacon and onion or blanched and frozen. Kale may be blanched and frozen or cooked as creamed kale.

While tonight's supper didn't really make a dent in the pile of greens, it was very good. Serves two.
1.5 cups Broccoli (all that we got)
Sprinkle garlic salt or seasoned salt
1 TBSP Wine Vinegar
3 TBSP Olive Oil
3 small Beets (all that were suitable to cook)
Assorted greens including:
     Beet Greens
     Mizuna
     Leaf Lettuce
     Tatsoi
     Green Onion
Garlic Salt
Pinch dried Thyme
Double Pinch dried Marjoram
2 - 4 TBSP Wine Vinegar
6 - 8 TSP Olive Oil
Provolone slices or feta cheese
Pepperoni or salami or ham

Wash and cut broccoli into short spears and stem pieces. Microwave in 1/2 cup water for 3 minutes.
Drain, sprinkle with either garlic salt or seasoned salt, add 1 Tablespoon Wine Vinegar and 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil, stir and allow to cool.

Trim beet leaves about 1" above bulbs. Reserve leaves. Scrub beets to remove dirt and dead leaf stems. Microwave beets in 1/2 cup water for 4 minutes (test for cake tester). Allow to cool for 5 minutes then remove peel and cub into bowl with broccoli (move into dressing at bottom of bowl).

Rinse well and spin dry the greens.  Divide the greens evenly between two large plates, tearing leaves into small pieces. Slice green onions over piles of greens, then mix with hands. Sprinkle each plate with garlic salt, pinch of Thyme and Marjoram. Divide vinegar and oil between both plates. Slice provolone or crumble feta onto the greens. Do the same for your choice of meat. Serve.