It has bargaining power!

We're more than half way through the winter CSA and I'm happy to say that we've only let one item go to waste! There is a bundle of kale in the crisper right now - and let's just say it's beyond the saving powers of any crisper. Even the crisper of all crispers. Aside from that, everything else has been put to use in our bellies, which also means whole lot of meals not eaten out. I might have actually stayed within my "restaurant" budget over the past few months.

We recently overcame a challenge that we didn't foresee at the time we signed up for the CSA. After a last minute decision to take a week-long ski vacation to Colorado, we realized that meant having 1 week's produce going to waste. Though Grasshopper makes arrangements to donate all unclaimed shares to those in need, I wondered if we could possibly expose some friends to the program by letting them have a week's worth of goods in exchange to a ride to the airport.

Being that all of my friends are so sweet and generous, the first friend I asked was more than willing to  give us a lift to and from the airport even without the share - that was just an added bonus. At the end of the week she reported back to me that they absolutely loved the experience of working with new ingredients. So much so that they're considering participating next season! How wonderful!

Sorry I don't have specifics about the past few week - but one thing I can say is that there has been PLENTY of sweet potatoes (more on that in a moment). As I had been informed prior to committing to the winter share, we were likely to eventually receive some preserved goods once winter got into full swing. Over the past two weeks, we have accumulated these goodies:

No plans just yet of how or when we will use these, but I will keep you posted once it happens. Or, if you have suggestions for any of these items, I'd LOVE to hear.  BTW - you can't see in this picture, but the tomato relish is HOT (spicy).

So back to the sweet potatoes... I noticed today that they were beginning to pile up (like 6 of 'em!). I knew some were approaching the 2 week mark and needed to be used. Realizing that I wasn't in the mood for the typical sweet potato casserole avec le marshmallows, a few google searches led me to this delicious recipe from Rachael Ray for bacon and sweet potato hash . Definitely going to be keeping this recipe around. It. was. yum. Rob thought so, too! To be honest, i put in much more bacon than the recipe called for (nearly a whole pack) and omitted the scallions... and the allspice (cause i didn't have any). So my version was modified, to say the least. I suggest giving it a whirl if you're looking for a non-trad SP dish.

Thanks for reading. Until next time - happy eating!

Weeks 2-4: Brussel sprouts revisited

The holidays got the best of me and my hopes of keeping a weekly log. Better late than never though, right? Here are some highlights of the past few weeks.

WEEK 2:
I stuck to my guns and planned out the week's menu. Below is a delicious hamburger made from local beef (smothered in cheese - mmmm), and sweet potato fries. The mac and cheese is from a box, but we sauteed swiss chard and added it to the mix, which is what the Grasshoppers newsletter suggested to do. This is a new vegetable to me that I would have never pick up at the store, but would be will to do so in the future (now that I have a clue how to use it).

A second experimental vegetable we received during week 2 is daikon radishes - a root vegetable that looks like an frumpy albino potato. So - I used i like a potato and roasted it in the oven with carrots as well as local red potatoes. It had a distinct flavor and was a bit more crisp than a potato after roasting. Here's the roast in action:

Again, more broccoli this week along with a head of lettuce, cabbage and butternut squash. I found a deeeelicious recipe for butternut squash with orzo pasta on weightwatchers.com. It was so creamy and yummy. Perfect comfort food for a chilly winter evening. This picture does not do it justice, but take my word.

WEEK 3:
This has been my favorite week so far! Here's a group shot:

No, that's not corn on the cob - it's popcorn!!! It was a totally unexpected surprise and tons of fun to cook up on the stove top. One husk filled up a 3 quart pot! Plus, we could season it ourselves - so Rob could have his movie-theatre butter and I could have my salt and pepper. Yum!

Nothing else totally out of the ordinary this week. Pork chops were yummy - I seasoned them with salt, pepper and chili power and cooked in the over for 50 mins. Below is a picture of some beef ribs we made in the slow cooker. Despite my high hopes for these babies, I was a tad disappointed - they were mostly fat! Very little meat.

WEEK 4: Two days prior to Christmas

Rob and I had plans to leave town Thursday morning, so we made arrangements to pick up our share early in the day. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures for this week, but here's a run down:

• Brussel sprouts
• Sweet potatoes
• Cabbage
• Hydroponic bib lettuce
• Butternut squash
• Turnips
• 3 lb. roast 
• Savory Pumpkin soup

After picking up our goods, we hit to road to spend the holiday weekend with family. We were able to incorporate the spouts and turnips into our Christmas eve meal. I really wish i had a picture of these things - they were still on the stalk and were a sight to see! I never imagined they grew in such a fashion. I never quite took to this vegetable as a child (I couldn't possibly be the only one!), but these were quite very enjoyable in our Christmas eve meal. I must have acquired my grown-up taste buds.  

Later in the week, Rob and I made the roast in the crock pot (easy dinner!) We still have the sweet taters and squash to use. I see some more squash with orzo in my future!! There won't be a delivery this Thursday. I keep hearing that the shares are about to turn to mostly preserved goods from the summer harvest since winter is in full swing and not conducive to growing, so I'm eager to see what the next few weeks will bring. 

I'll leave you with this picture of a local bratwurst we received during week 2. The flavor of this brat was the best I have ever tasted (though I haven't had many brats). It was so fresh and flavorful! Pictured also is the daikon radish roast mixture and sweet & sour cabbage.