Yesterday I picked up my 3rd CSA share from Maple Creek Farm. If you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty much obsessed with these weekly vegetables! It just feels so satisfying to support a local farm and really KNOW where my food is coming from. Plus, I used to beg Andy and Ellen for dinner ideas because my creativity was tapped out. Now I get my weekly share and spend time thinking about things to make with what I have. It’s so much more fun this way!
Here’s this week’s batch:
From the top: basil, costata romanesca zucchini, summer squash, cucumber, cantaloupe, jalapenos, purple bell pepper, green bell pepper, corn, red onions, tomatoes, red bell pepper, green beans and wax beans.
I am curious about the costata romanesca zucchini since I’ve never had one before. I’ll be sure to prepare it in a simple way like broiling or grilling it with olive oil and salt/pepper so that I can taste its natural flavor. I’m also curious about the purple bell pepper. I did a little research and it seems that they are primarily a novelty, have a green interior, are the least sweet of the bell peppers and should be eaten raw to appreciate their unique color because they turn khaki when cooked. KHAKI?!?! How weird…
From this week’s share the tomatoes and basil really caught my eye. I’m a huge fan of Caprese Salad, and just happened to have some fresh mozzarella in the fridge, so I whipped up a plate of caprese as an afternoon snack. I add balsamic vinegar to mine even though it isn’t traditionally called for. YUMMO!
I was still a little behind in using up last week’s share, so for dinner last night I finished up the potatoes, green pepper, red onion and corn by making a dinner hash. I boiled the potatoes until they were tender, sauteed the green pepper and onion in olive oil, cubed the cooked potatoes and added them to the peppers and onions. Added a few cloves of garlic, minced. Once everything was combined and heated through, I topped it with shredded cheddar and monterey jack cheese, covered the pan and let it sit on medium low till the cheese was melted. We topped each portion with a fried egg and dug in! With a side of sweet corn on the cob, it was an unconventional but tasty dinner. I ate the cold leftovers for lunch today without egg and topped with salsa and sour cream :)
Now the obligatory baby pictures! She is tightly swaddled before every nap, but she REALLY REALLY likes to have her arms out, so after a lot of struggling she generally manages to free them :)
If you look closely, you can see her arm hair in this picture…I love those hairy little arms!
