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CSA: Weeks Thirteen and Fourteen

Spotted like Jacob's cattle

It's getting late in the growing season (next week will be the last regular pickup for our CSA) and I'm surprised that we're not feeling more vegetable fatigued. Vegetables are great and all, but two grocery bags full every week? I think the good people at our local CSA are mostly responsible for that, having planted a wide variety of crops and being conscientious of the volume they were producing and the schedule. We had a consistent supply of the basics around (scallions, onions, basil, greens, peppers) and something new in each week's share.

The one exception has been eggplant. I am only a recent convert to eggplant and if you had asked me two months ago how I felt about it, I might have regaled you with stories of grilled eggplant and eggplant marinara pasta that I have enjoyed, but now I'm ready for a break. Despite how healthy and wonderful of a vegetable it is, it's still something that I need to enjoy in moderation, which I define as something less than once a week. We're going to give some eggplant parmigiana a try this week and see if a spoonful of cheese helps the medicine go down.

On a more positive note, I am getting used to having the heartier greens (Swiss chard, kale, collard greens, broccoli raab, etc.) on a regular basis. The collard greens were last week's pleasant surprise. I had had them at restaurants before but they were mostly boiled to exhaustion and stewed in a garlicky oil that overpowered most of their flavor. We cooked up a batch over Labor Day weekend that was fantastic, though—quickly blanched and then sauteed with bacon, onion and a little vinegar—and the perfect accompaniment to the hickory-smoked ribs.

Week Thirteen

Week Fourteen

Assorted
Sugar baby!