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CSA: what’s in the box?

Fresh veggies from Vermont Valley

Our fellow blogging geeks over at My Food Geek are also members of a CSA, in sunny, sublime, San Diego. They have challenged us to a What’s in your box off and I of course agreed to show mine…I’m not shy!

Working the photo clockwise, starting on the left:

  • Salad Mix
  • Spinach
  • Cherokee Head Lettuce
  • Saute Mix
  • Deep Purple and White Spear Scallions
  • Asparagus
  • Escarole (oh goodie…I love this!)
  • Salad turnips (sweet & crunchy) and radishes (crunchy and punchy)
  • Rhubarb and Fennel
  • eggs (I forgot to photograph them)

This week I’m especially excited about the contents because of what I’ve decided to make…a green pizza with the escarole, scallions, and asparagus. Come back later in the week for that one. I love escarole for its delicate texture yet sturdy crunch and its almost bitter, toothsome flavor. It makes a great snack.

These green leafy veggies were grown in a hoop house. It has been warm here and we haven’t had any snow for a month but it is Wisconsin…much farther north than San Diego. The volume of veggies this week was huge because its the end of the spring share. We now have 3 weeks without veggies while the plants in the field grow and mature and the hoop house gets turned into the tomato house with a population of 784 tomato plants growing. Isn’t that awesome?

Wisconsin does grow fruits like strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and cranberries. Also fabulous apples and pears. But you won’t find a citrus tree, avocado, or date tree anywhere in this state (except in a well appointed greenhouse). Our CSA has a fruit share that sources the best seasonal organic fruit from across the nation. I’m looking forward to that big time. What I do miss from California is fresh figs…Knoll Farm grows the best.

I’ll confess that jef at Foodgeeks is my hero because he actually created macarons…oh heavenly food of the gods! I adore macaroons and alas…I’m in a macaroonless environment and I’m currently much too much of a coward to attempt this feat of culinary slight-of-hand. But I digress.

So there you have it. I challenge my readers to show us your produce…CSA is great, farmers’ markets are good too…it’s that local connection to the farm and the grower that count. I showed you mine, now you have to show me yours…right?

May 10, 2007 | Filed Under Local, Wisconsin, ethical eating, food, vegetable, vermont Valley CSA 

comments

10 Responses to “CSA: what’s in the box?”

  1. erin on May 10th, 2007

    Oooh, rhubarb. I’m jealous. For some reason I have a tough time finding that at the farmers’ markets here in LA. My mom would always grow a big patch behind our house (in Wisconsin!) when I was growing up. Hope you enjoy it!

  2. vanessa on May 10th, 2007

    erin, what would your mom make with the rhubarb? I was thinking a rhubarb crumble…but I’d love to hear your ideas.

  3. Lisa (Homesick Texan) on May 11th, 2007

    You, a coward? Come on, I just know you can make macarons!

  4. Elise on May 11th, 2007

    If you don’t feel like making macaroons, you can get some GREAT ones at the Dane County Farmers’ Market from the Sugar River (I think) Bakery stand on Saturdays, near (up the hill from) West Washington corner. Their scones are good, too, but the macaroons ROCK! Don’t go macaroon-less!

  5. vanessa on May 11th, 2007

    Lisa, technically yes, I should be able to make macarons…but emotionally I don’t think I’m up to the 4 or 5 failure batches it would take me to get them right. It is my long-term goal to make them …sometime this year. Thanks for believing in me!

    Elise, thanks for the tip…but are they the french kind? Or are the coconut haystack variety (which are good too but they don’t make me crazy like the french type).

  6. Elise on May 11th, 2007

    Oh..oops..they’re the haystacks (but still, very very tasty!).

  7. vanessa on May 11th, 2007

    Ummm…I love coconut. I shop at Mound’s because of the Mound’s bars they give away. I’ll have to give them a try the next time I go there. Thanks

  8. erin on May 11th, 2007

    She’d often do crumble as well. Last year I made a raspberry-rhubarb grunt (I love the name) and it was quite delicious: http://erinskitchen.blogspot.com/2006/09/rhubarb-raspberry-grunt.html

  9. vanessa on May 11th, 2007

    Erin, that looks delicious…and I like that it’s baked in a cast iron skillet. Good job!

  10. the chocolate lady on May 12th, 2007

    Wow, you’ve already got so much produce, and in Wisconsin? We are barely getting started in New York.

    Those fennels look like little cartoon hands–so cute!

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