Tag Archives: CSA

CSA Pick Up Today

Posted on December 5, 2013 by AnnieRie

In short sleeves. Couldn’t believe it was 60 something degrees out there. Didn’t feel like fall, but we got our delivery of fall veggies today. Week Five of the Sandy Spring CSA, with the cooperative farmers’ contributions to our basket of goodies.

This is what we were supposed to get. I did make one swap.

One Bag Desiree Potatoes
One Bag Orange Carrots
One Bag Hamon White Sweet Potatoes
One rutabaga (I swapped to get an acorn squash)
Three Large Leeks
One Bag Curly Kale
Four Enterprise Apples
One Bag Scarlet Turnips
One Package Shiitake Mushrooms
One Package Portobello Mushroom Caps

Also this week, the bread was multigrain. And, my two chickens which come biweekly.

I like the bread option of this CSA. It has been one pound boules. Each week a different variety. So far my favorite has been the rye with caraway. We use these breads for dinner, with soups or stews.

I also am happy to see the mushrooms. I will be trying to duplicate Root’s market vegan mushroom pate with these.

I am glad to see only ten items this week. I can make headway on the backlog of greens in my refrigerator. It must have been a very good year on the farms, as week after week we have gotten very large amounts of each item. Signs of a good harvest, but somewhat daunting when you are not always home to cook. Due to Thanksgiving and dinners out, I have fallen behind a bit.

I think it’s time to slow cook a deep richly flavored veggie broth to tide us over the five week period with no CSA.

This week, by the way, had us getting new items. For us, at least. Enterprise apples are a variety we had never seen. One of them lasted an hour before my husband had it as a snack after yard work.

And, scarlet turnips. I don’t believe I’ve seen these before. They are supposed to be sweeter than the purple topped turnips we get. We shall see how they taste compared to our favorite, which is baby Hakurei white turnips.

Just to show how much I enjoy the diversity of our veggies, here is a picture of tonight’s dinner.

The radishes are from a few weeks back. Roasted with nothing but grapeseed oil on them, then finished with a little butter and garam masala. The greens, a mix of tatsoi and komatsuna, stir fried with scallions, tamari, and sesame seeds. Leftover Maple Lawn turkey. Having exotic veggies around the house makes cooking interesting for me. And, really good tasting for us.

hocofood@@@

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Winter CSA Sign Up

Posted on December 4, 2013 by AnnieRie

An up and down experience. First you see it. Then you don’t.

Will there be a winter CSA? Hopefully, enough people will sign up to guarantee delivery here in Howard County.

What am I talking about? A Winter CSA from Lancaster Farm Fresh Co-op. With delivery at MOM’s Jessup.

I have been hoping we would get a close site for the winter add on of my current CSA (through Sandy Spring). We were told we might get one, but Sandy Spring chose not to host for the winter. Most of our Sandy Spring sites are private homes, not businesses.

Our Columbia pick up point volunteered to host, but Sandy Spring decided not to participate, since Columbia was the only possible site. So, we were first encouraged, then disappointed.

Jessup is five miles further for me to drive, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to drive the extra. Lancaster Farm Fresh is moving possible sites into the MOM’s stores all across MD.

In the end, the great price for fresh organic food made my decision. When you figure the cost, compared to shopping for organic in the stores, the CSA is a bargain.

I really like how they are creating a mix and match package. The basic veggies. Meat, chicken, eggs, butter, milk, yogurt, bread, tofu, seitan, cheese, vegan burger, and pantry items.

Pick what you want. Even if it is only the basic share of 5-8 veggies. I have to give them credit for making it easier for people to customize their food service.

I love the chicken option for the winter. Not just whole birds but different cuts of chicken.

Although I do enjoy roasting these chickens.

I hope the weather cooperates for the winter. At least MOM’s is on a major road right off the interstate.

Looking forward to a winter of eating mostly local, organic food.

hocofood@@@

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Turkey Lurkey

Posted on November 30, 2013 by AnnieRie

My mostly local Thanksgiving meal. Done tonight for just the two of us.

Pretty traditional this year. Roasted turkey. Green bean casserole. Mashed potatoes. Sausage dressing.

Every element of the meal had local ties.

Let’s start with our turkey. An eleven pound Maple Lawn Farm fresh “hen”.

Brined for sixteen hours in advance. I found a basic apple cider, salt, brown sugar, orange peel, bay leave, garlic, rosemary and water brine.

Roasted at 450 degrees for 30 minutes, and 90 minutes at 350 degrees. Trickling Springs butter under the skin. Grapeseed oil rubbed over the top, and a poultry mix sprinkled everywhere.

Really moist turkey this year. The right amount of time in the brine, and it wasn’t overcooked. I have a crock pot full of bones, skin and the innards, with a couple gallons of water, which will cook all night to make stock.

Side dishes this year. My take on classics, but revved up a bit.

Mashed potatoes included goat cheese, butter and milk. These were CSA potatoes, a mix of Yukon Gold and white potatoes.

I made a green bean casserole using Breezy Willow’s beans. Blanched them first, then put them in a casserole with some organic condensed cream of mushroom soup I got at Roots. Half of the container became the base for the gravy. The onion on top the beans was a CSA yellow onion that I roasted yesterday until it was crispy. It added flavor without all that breading and greasiness the canned onions have.

The dressing was simple. Bread cubes mixed with turkey stock (I started the stock early today, using only the innards and water, celery, carrots and scallions. Cooked up about 4 ounces of Boarman’s homemade country sausage and mixed it in. A little sage, salt and pepper. Baked alongside the green beans.

Complementing the meal, a Finger Lakes Pinot Noir. 2007 Konstantin Frank.

Really a soft wine. Glad we opened it. It is just starting to fade a bit.

All in all, just enough food. I didn’t go overboard on anything other than making just a bit too many potatoes.

As for leftovers, I have two cups of shredded turkey to make a soup. One leg to use for a lunch salad next week. One complete breast for a salad or dinner. A couple of thighs for another dinner.

Keeping it local. Supporting small businesses. I may not have shopped today, but I did pretty well.

hocofood@@@

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The Thanksgiving Basket

Posted on November 27, 2013 by AnnieRie

In CSA terms.

We got an email Monday, letting us know what might be there. So we could plan. The final tally wasn’t far off.

We got:
Butternut Squash
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Beauregard Sweet Potatoes
Turnips
Green Cabbage
Red Leaf Lettuce
Arugula
Lacinato Kale Hearts
Celeriac

All of us got those. The boxes also had three items that may have varied from box to box.

In my box:
White Cauliflower
Parsnips
Rutabaga

I swapped the rutabaga and parsnips.

Partially because there was a bag of arugula in the swap box, and I dearly love arugula. And, I wanted more leeks to make a cauliflower leek soup. There were leeks in the swap box too.

The swap box is a wonderful thing. Want to double up on something? Or, not feeling the love for an item. Swap it.

Today, though, I was really enjoying the large amount of greens. We are eating salads with lunch and dinner, so we go through quite a bit of greens. I just finished the last of the Love Dove Farms arugula, and had one head of salanova lettuce from last week left.

I really like the looks of the red leaf lettuce.

Besides these fresh veggies for the holidays, I got my weekly loaf of bread. This week it was a classic French boule.

Before heading over to Columbia and the CSA site, I stopped in Boarman’s to get my Maple Lawn turkey, and my order of sausage and oysters.

This will be a serious cooking weekend.

Making an Oysters Rockefeller Casserole, and sausage dressing with my turkey. Friday night, our personal Thanksgiving dinner. You know, that dinner made with what you want to cook.

Happy Turkey Day!

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Thanksgiving Eve Eve

Posted on November 26, 2013 by AnnieRie

The calm before (and during) the storm. The ice and snow and rain and sleet and whatever storm.

Pretty dismal today, and the same for tomorrow. But, tomorrow, I have lots to do.

Pick up the turkey at Boarman’s. The Maple Lawn turkey, along with sausage for dressing, and oysters for stew.

My menu for our meal (Friday night) is oyster stew, salad, turkey, dressing, green beans and a whipped potato/turnip dish.

After getting the turkey, it is off to pick up the CSA box.

We got an anticipatory email, telling us what we might get, but with all the weird weather, we may have lots of substitutions.

Tonight we enjoyed a hearty crockpot soup.

This is my take on the vegetable soup (With smoked shank) that inspires crab soup.

How did I make it?

1 smoked shank from Boarman’s
1 package frozen green beans from last summer
1 pint stock from the freezer
1 jalapeno
1 baby bok choy shredded
3 large scallions
1 pint frozen tomatoes
1 can Navy beans
salt, pepper to taste
1 pint water

20 hours on low in the crockpot. This was one intensely flavored soup. Served tonight with the last of the rye bread from the CSA.

Soup, on a cold rainy evening, before the frantic Thanksgiving cooking.

hocofood@@@

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Fall CSA In All Its Glory

Posted on November 21, 2013 by AnnieRie

Today’s pick up was fall on a plate (or in the box, when I picked it up).

This is what we got.

1 bag desiree potatoes- Millwood Springs Organics
2 pieces rutabagas- White Swan Acres
1 head white cauliflower- Healthy Harvest
1 bunch daikon radishes- Millwood Springs Organics
1 piece white kohlrabi- Crystal Springs Organics
1 bag sweet onion- White Swan Acres
1 head napa cabbage- Bellview Organics
1 bunch green komatsuna- Peaceful Valley Organics
1 bunch tatsoi- Hillside Organics
1 head baby bok choy- Plum Hill Organics
1 container portabella mushrooms- Mother Earth Organics

OK, I admit, I swapped the daikon, as they were huge and they are not our favorite radish.

I saw a bunch of mustard greens in the swap box.

Mustard greens cooked with bacon, ginger, garlic, onions, vinegar and a splash of oil are downright awesome.

This was a chicken week, and yes, we got bread.

My husband is already inhaling that rye bread. Had some with a roast chicken dinner.

This was our last England Acres chicken. Now, we get chicken in the CSA and I don’t need to run out to England Acres to snag chicken before it is gone.

Chicken over rice with veggies was dinner today.

At the CSA pick up, we were discussing the announcement of a winter CSA, with all sorts of add ons.

More on it later, but this is such a great announcement. Fresh local winter veggies, along with options like eggs, chicken, meat, butter, yogurt, milk, cheese and bread.

What’s not to like? Locally sourced organic foods at a reasonable price!

hocofood@@@

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“Meat” Some Local Farmers

Posted on November 16, 2013 by AnnieRie

Today I did a loop to three local farms that sell meat products produced from animals raised on their farms. I am doing some background work for upcoming Conservancy events, and getting some absolutely lovely products in my travels.

I don’t know which farm I have the longest history for buying their products. A toss up between Maple Lawn and Clark’s.

Turkey from Maple Lawn. Year round, did you know?

The fresh turkeys are available for Thanksgiving, but they also offer frozen items all year. Like these turkey drumsticks. My husband’s favorite part of the turkey, and perfect for soup.

Six in a package for $7. I brought them home, wrestled them apart with a boning knife and put them back in the freezer in two packs. Good for future stock making and soups. And, maybe roasting a couple on the grill on one of our warmer days.

We have already ordered a small (8-10 lb) fresh turkey to grill for our Thanksgiving celebration. We pick that up at Boarmans the day before Thanksgiving.

As for Clark’s, I went to find brisket. They are difficult to find around here. A limited cut when you are looking at small batch production of just a few animals at a time. I did get one.

Copper Penny is a new discovery for us. We have seen them advertised, but this morning I saw their Facebook page said they were going to be open on Saturday mornings since their farmer’s market over in Anne Arundel County has closed for the season.

I went looking for two things. Soup bones and kielbasa. We are on this quest for the best kielbo in Maryland (to rival my husband’s favorite from PA). I also found mini chorizo, and bacon ends.

Bacon ends are perfect to use, when cooking those CSA greens. Collards and bacon, for example.

All winter long, these farms and others in the area offer us an alternative to enjoy pasture raised and grass fed products.

I have some new places to add to my farm lists. My advice, though, go early if you don’t want to be disappointed. Clark’s was packed at 1220, and they were selling everything they had. Amazing following of locals coming there to purchase.

Copper Penny sold out of eggs before I got there, and the last of their chickens went too. Small farms. Nice to see that they have customers who support them all year.

My freezer now has just about all we need to get through the winter, until the markets and CSAs start up again next spring.

hocofood@@@

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Unusual Veggies

Posted on November 14, 2013 by AnnieRie

Week Two of the CSA. We got a new one here.

Salanova Lettuce.

The latest trend? All I know is that it’s expensive if you can find it, and we got two heads of it this week. $8 worth of lettuce. Along with the eleven other items in our CSA box.

We got:

1 bag carrots
1 bunch collards
1 bag purple Viking potatoes
1 bag Yukon Gold potatoes
1 bunch celery
1 bag yellow onions
1 butternut squash
2 heads freckled lettuce
1 head romanescu cauliflower
1 bag purple top turnips
2 heads salanova lettuce
2 pieces rutabaga

I don’t know what is more fun. The cauliflower. The freckled lettuce. The salanova.

Why I love this CSA. Giving me veggies I never heard of. But, that are so good.

The bread this week.

A whole wheat country French boule. We like the small sixe of the boule. Just enough for a couple of soups.

Adventures in food. That’s what a CSA will bring you.

hocofood@@@

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Soup’s On!

Posted on November 13, 2013 by AnnieRie

It is soup weather.

The maple is screaming fall!

I have been making soup left and right. Today a revisit to one from a while back. Apple, turnip, Jerusalem artichoke.

A completely vegan creamy soup. Made with CSA veggies and Larriland apples.

Recipe here.

I did modify it a bit. I used my roasted garlic. And, I added an extra apple. And, some spice. Nutmeg, cinnamon, garam masala. A generous pinch of each.

I had some for lunch today and saved the rest to have for dinner tomorrow. Drizzled with a little lemon infused olive oil.

Soups are one of the best things you can make to use up leftover CSA veggies. And, so are stir fry recipes. I made one of those tonight, and yes, I know it isn’t soup. But, it was really very good.

Shrimp stir fry to use up the Napa cabbage from the CSA.

The ingredients.

Toss it all in a wok or a stir fry pan. Scallions first, and thicker parts of the Napa cabbage. In oil. Add mushrooms and water chestnuts. Add sesame oil and soy sauce. Ginger and garlic powder.

Bean thread that was softened in boiling water goes in last.

Some hot peppers.

I can’t believe how my cooking has changed. All those CSA veggies are influencing me. Soups and stir fry. Warm, comforting foods to chase the chill.

hocofood@@@

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And So It is Fall

Posted on November 7, 2013 by AnnieRie

Fall CSA season, that is. The seven week fall extension of our Sandy Spring CSA began today. And not a squash or a potato in sight.

This is what we got.

White Kohlrabi
Leeks
Napa Cabbage
Bok Choy
White Cauliflower
White Radishes
Purple Top Turnips
Frisee (I swapped for Jerusalem artichokes)
Lacinato Kale
Broccoli Raab
Arugula

The kohlrabi is the largest I have ever seen.

As for the add ons, I chose this fall to get free range heritage chickens, two every other week, for a total of eight over the season.

One will get roasted this weekend. The other will be put in the freezer for later this winter.

We also decided to try the bread from “A Loaf of Bread“. An organic bakery in Lancaster. They have a large number of specialties. Today we got a sourdough boule. Just the right size for us.

There are other add ons. Eggs, cheese. We passed on those. I like my eggs to come from Breezy Willow, and to buy local cheese when I go there or to England Acres.

As for some intended uses of my goodies this week, I have to dig out the recipe for the turnip, Jerusalem artichoke and apple soup I made a few years back. Found the blog entry.

Fall is soup season, and chili season, and stew season. The veggies we get work perfectly to create satisfying warm meals. Glad we got the thirty CSA members, to keep our site going until Christmas week.

hocofood@@@

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