The “Tell” – Springdell Summer CSA Pickup #4


Hi everyone, Jess here with the 4th pickup of the Springdell Summer Season! We had some fun with this one!

I was a little intimidated and wondering if my eyes were bigger than my stomach when I picked up the extra squash and zucchini from the swap box. Fortunately, I conquered them all!  

  • head lettuce (be sure to click the lettuce link for storage tips)

  • blueberries (there are some missing in the photo, I couldn’t keep the boys away)
    • Blueberry Zucchini Muffins (adapted from this recipe)

  • purslane, (from the PYO flower/edible weed share)
    • In morning power smoothies (along with frozen strawberries, blueberries, and kale)

All fruit and veggie scraps composted unless otherwise noted.

It’s been a fun week of cooking! To recap, I started with catching up on some of my egg share with a simple egg salad, perfect to enjoy in the sweet lettuce leaves. The Herd Nerd SPICE from the farm stand provided an awesome flavor to this simple dish.  

Remember, if you don’t eat your lettuce right away, wash it, dry it, separate the leaves from the core and store the leaves in the plastic bags they originally came in. This will help them to stay fresher longer, as this is not your typical supermarket lettuce.

I did stir fry two nights in a row, first with the teriyaki glazed tofu you saw in the “Show”, and then with a tofu Bibimbap. Chard, peas and summer squash made for a tasty variation on this Anderson family favorite.

One of my favorite smells in the kitchen this week was cooking up these golden zucchini slices with lemon juice in preparation for Farmer Jamie’s Sweet Zucchini Crumble. This moment smelled so incredibly and indescribably good!

The final product was quite yummy.  My other half thought they were eating peach cobbler for most of the course (and didn’t stop eating it once realizing it was zucchini).  Thanks for sharing this one, Farmer Jamie!

Oh, the Blueberry Zucchini Muffins (adapted from this recipe)!  These go quick (but not as quick as the cake would have- at least I can hide some muffins in the chest freezer before they get devoured all at once!)

After a couple of days of meatless dishes, the boys were craving steak. I grilled up a Springdell Porterhouse (again with Herd Nerd SPICE) and served it up with collard greens.

Here’s my five year-old’s dinner plate, he devoured it!

The Buffalo Cauliflower was a hit! I’m sorry to say that I’ll be making it again if another batch of cauliflower comes through the CSA box, as the cauliflower grilled cheese and cauliflower pizza crust was more work than it was worth. To date, this recipe is the absolute pinnacle (though I’m certainly open to other ideas!)

The squash bomb is not especially pretty, but when stuffed with Springdell’s cheese and garlic sausage and fresh mozzarella, aesthetics suddenly become irrelevant.

Finally, the last of this week’s summer squash went into this trusty recipe (originally brought to my attention by fellow Springdellian Sharon M.) My 8 year-old prefers steamed and plain summer squash to this dish, but I find this a tasty way to play with the summer squash flavor, especially as the squash and zucchini season kicks into high gear.

I want to share my gratitude for Jonathan, Samuel, Clancie, and the rest of the Springdell Crew for working the fields, especially during the recent heatwaves and other unforgiving weather, all to ensure that our families are well-fed. Your efforts mean the world to us all!

I think that’s about it on this end!  I look forward to seeing you back here shortly for this week’s “Show” of the Springdell Show and Tell. Meanwhile, please feel free to share your best tips and tastiest recipes, and we’ll keep seeding this recipe resource for us all! 

 


About Jess

Jess Anderson is the creator of CSA|365 and is passionate about the local food movement. A long time member of Springdell and a busy mother of two, Jess loves keeping her family fed by honest local food.

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