Tomorrow I will be writing about the farm, today was CSA pickup day.
Week Six. Halfway through the Early Bird. I know why people love this CSA. The trip to the farm alone is worth it. The sheep need shearing! It was 88 degrees up there!
This week we got some new items. I know this value added CSA for early birds brings some items in from farms further south of here, but I have no problem with that as I get very fresh veggies that haven’t been sprayed or transported thousands of miles from foreign countries.
We got:
1/2 pound salad mix
1 pound bean sprouts
1 pound brussels sprouts
2 pounds beets
1 bunch rainbow carrots
3 pink grapefruit from Florida
1 bulb garlic
1 pound collard greens
1 bunch radishes
1 dozen eggs
Toasted Sesame Seed Bread
We could have swapped eggs for cheese, and of course, there were at least six different bread choices out there. I already used some bean sprouts with the last of the spinach, the last of the sugar snap peas, some garlic and onion to make a stir fry for dinner tonight.
I will be making pesto. Sort of like this one. I will be using the carrot greens, the radish greens, some basil from my windowsill pots, and maybe some of my baby arugula from my seedlings in the patio doorway.
basil growing on the windowsill
The picture directly above is my starter tray that contains arugula, kale and mesclun. If I thin out the arugula, it will add a touch of that peppery bite. If I wait only three or four days to make this, I will also have enough mint in the pots out on the deck to add. Pesto just needs that ratio of greens mixed with the nuts, parmesan, garlic and olive oil. I started experimenting using this post about not wasting food as a starter.
I also picked up a container of blueberry yogurt today, to mix with some of my Butler Orchard blueberries picked last summer and frozen. I am using these berries in all sorts of things.
Spring is definitely here. My cooking will be getting lighter. More salads and less stews. Grilling quite a bit, too. This week’s basket will easily get consumed with little leftover. We already started nibbling those gorgeous radishes as an appetizer tonight.
hocofood@@@
AnnieRie Unplugged 
So, what’s the story with the Florida grapefruit? I started doing the carrot and beet top pestos a while back and I really like them. Plus if I grill the carrots and toss them with pasta and pesto, it’s a complete meal. You linked back to a meal that I’d missed and it’s gorgeous.
This spring CSA used regional items to augment the small amount of locally available veggies and fruit.
It is advertised that way. We get citrus from Florida, from small farmers. The farm also uses small farms south east of us to bring us fresh veggies before our farms start harvesting. The early bird spring season is different than their summer CSA which relies on a circle of farms in the area.
The citrus is amazing, so much better than we get in stores. Oranges and grapefruit in stores are usually sprayed, are mostly dry and tasteless. Since citrus is never local here, these are the closest growers and this time of year prime season for the freshest fruit.
Glad you found the pesto post. I love making unique pesto.
My mom was visiting from MD last month and brought a couple of grapefruit to make candied grapefruit peel with. I used some of the flesh in grapefruit honey bran muffins (using chunks of candied peel in place of nuts or chocolate chips) and the kids ate the rest. Like getting a case of band fruit fundraiser oranges flavor-wise, but not overwhelming me with fruit.
What a lovely idea for an early bird season–and I’m enjoying the photos of your basil. The leaves look so tender. The celery re-growing on my windowsill is hardy, not tender, though it’s still pretty and spring-like.
Thank you.
Yum! I love those rainbow carrots.
Looks like your farmers are a little ahead of Pittsburgh. One of our favorite salads are with grapefruits, radishes and celery. Love seeing your box.
Sounds really good. I may have to try this one.
wow! those beets are ginormous!!! What are your plans for them?
Those beets were dry roasted, to put in a salad today. This week, another three ginormous beets 😉
I will probably do the same with these. I love beets with citrus and fennel. Or, with spinach and cheese.
Oh yes…Roasted beets are the best 🙂