The "Tell" - Springdell Summer CSA Pickup #2

Hi everyone, Jess here reporting from Pennsylvania where I’ve been hanging out with fellow CSA365 blogger Sarah Buck! For those that are unaware of this fabulous former counterpart of mine, she and I began blogging here at CSA365 on January 1, 2015, and posted a CSA recipe daily for 365 consecutive days. We continued on (moving to the weekly format) until her recent move to Pennsylvania.

We’ve been having a grand old time catching up. She is amongst the fields and hay out here, and yes, she still belongs to a CSA. I figured for the “Show” this week I’ll share a little bit about how Sarah’s CSA works, as kind of a CSA exchange program if you will. Stay tuned for the next post (and no worries, my mother will pick up the share this week, so the Springdell Show and Tell will continue on as always!)

Speaking of which, let’s take a look at how the goodies from pickup #2 were enjoyed in the Anderson Household!

Here’s the full share of deliciousness!

strawberries
- enjoyed as-is (The strawberries went not much longer after I posted the “Show” last week. I just left them out and the family ate them as they walked by. )
summer squash
- halved lengthwise, brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt/pepper and grilled
- Summer squash rounds (from Five Heart Home, suggested by Fellow Springdellian Mira G.)
- Have you tried the favorite Summer Squash and Onions with Brown Sugar? (a fave from last year suggested by fellow Springdellian Sharon M?)
broccoli crowns
- steamed and then enjoyed as-is tossed into quesadillas
- stir-fried with bok choy and tofu
- stems were shredded into a broccoli slaw with bleu cheese dressing, last fall’s dried cranberries and walnuts
- Pan-roasting broccoli is simple and great! (Thanks to Fellow Springdellian Dawn D. for the suggestion!)
greenhouse cucumber
- sliced and enjoyed as-is (mostly with kid’s lunches)
snow peas (with edible pods)
- served with radish and ricotta, olive oil. salt and pepper
- ends scantily trimmed, string removed and the pea-pods were snacked upon by the kids
collard greens
- Collard Greens with Carmelized Onions (adapted from Jessica Seinfeld’s recipe)
tuscan (lacinato) kale
- Kale Chips. (Ok, I know it’s predictable, but it is the first deep dark kale of the season and I just couldn’t resist!)
bok choy/pak choi
- Stir Fried with Tofu

strawberries
- Enjoyed as-is, as eating/preserving ASAP is really the best for this kind! (Have you tried Freezer Jam?)

leaf lettuce
- on burgers, in a simple honey mustard tossed salad
swiss chard
- Chard and Ricotta Camper’s Fritatta

eggs
- SpringDell’Monico Steak and Eggs
- Chard and Ricotta Frittata
- Scrambled for those that feared the frittata (mainly the kids)

All other veggie scraps composted unless otherwise noted.

Let’s talk about the week!

As you may recall from the “Show”, Meatless Monday consisted of a simple stir fry with tofu, broccoli and bok choy.

I continue to play with collard greens as if I’m searching for something. This recipe has been the pinnacle for me, but I have always been looking for something that made me enjoy the collards without having to simmer the greens next to a piece of meat for a long time. I tried this recipe from Jessica Seinfeld, and it was as close as I’ve come to that taste, without the time and meat. This recipe will satisfy that craving I get for the ham hock greens on the days when the ham hocks run out at the farm stand.

Not my best pic, but this quick broccoli slaw with bleu cheese dressing, dried cranberries and walnuts was a hit.

I went back to this recipe with some Springdell radishes, served with fresh Mozzarella House ricotta drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and ground pepper. I included some of the trimmed pea pods for a nice contrast to the bite of the radish.

I tried out this suggested recipe for Summer squash Parmesan rounds (from Five Heart Home, suggested by Fellow Springdellian Mira G.) They were pretty good, thanks, Mira!

Grilled summer squash is usually a hit in our house. Thanks to my friend Cyndi for snapping this quick pic for me on our way to the table.

How fun was this Story Time In the ‘Dell with Miss Mandy C? We even enjoyed a fun craft and more fresh strawberries! Looking forward to the next one.

Kale chips. ’nuff said. I took these on the road as we were leaving for camping.

After arriving in Pennsylvania, we unpacked the trailer and I got to cooking. Here is some chard simmering on the camp stove before heading to the ricotta frittata.