The CSA: Update

Around mid-August I blogged about our joining a CSA and our fearful anticipation of cooking the vegetables each week. I want to provide an update, since we have received three weeks of vegetables: they come on a Wednesday.

A quick aside: I was chatting about this in Sunday School today with some friends who heard me bemoaning the CSA at a birthday party yesterday, and my dear friend Heidi said, "but it's great! It's the way we're supposed to live, eating what's in season."

I said, "yes, but it's kicking my ass."

So now, for The Update:

The first week went pretty well -- we had a great deal of squash and zucchini which we sauted with onions once, and I made a squash-rice casserole of the rest. I cooked the field peas according to directions given to me by a colleague; I did however forget to actually wash them first. Well, they were in a baggie and looked ready to go. Oops. They were still eaten, so I guess all's well that end's well. We had some cucumbers, and oh, right: The Peanuts. We gave them to Mary Anne Dewitt to boil, she's a master boiled peanut maker. But our schedules never allowed us to retrieve them, so then came week two: more peanuts. The pattypan squash I affectionately call "UFO Squash" sat in the fridge for another week.

Week two brought a fun bartering session between The Smoaks and The Cannons. This past Sunday (not today) Kate and I worked on the veggies at Great Falls....make another two squash-rice casseroles to keep in the freezer there, and also washed and bagged everything. Kate has become our expert at unloading the green bins, washing the veggies, and bagging items we'll wash later. I mean, she really is proficient at this and I give her complete ownership. As a reward, I let her peel and slice her own cucumber and eat it....and she got to use a real knife! I mean, what's the worst that can go wrong -- cut herself?

Anyway.....peanuts. I emailed Kelley Cannon to see if they wanted some, so on our way home from GF we stop by, and she has all kinds of produce as well, different stuff! So I offload a couple of squash, cucumbers and peanuts, and in return I get a bag of already boiled peanuts!, grapes, and the most amazing mountain apples I have ever had. I think I ate them all that week myself. Had you added a mean girl named Nelly, we were right off of Little House on the Prairie.


Week three has photos to accompany them. Again, Kate unloaded and washed the veggies today. I had already unloaded the biggest zuchinni of my life, washed it, and we made zuchinni bread Saturday. Kate grated the entire zucchini herself! It turned out delightful!


Okay, back to today: after the veggies were washed and corn shucked, I started to work on eggplant parmesean. However, Scott came home and I had to leave for yoga before the meal was finished, so after I dredged the slices in egg/water and dipped into The Panko (which BTW, Panko rocks!) he broiled them on both sides, and then put them into the baking dish with sauce and cheese. I had some when I got home: delicious! Eating leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Scott also made pickled beets, his first real involvement with The CSA veggies on an intimate level. His next job will be the mustard greens and yet the final bag of green peanuts. It still leaves us some peppers, radishes, roma tomatoes and a butternut squash (which I know how to cook!)

What else did I do this weekend? Not much. When you're in a relationship, it takes a great deal of your time and attention and you feel tired for little else. So until the fall is over, I'm committed.