Hi everyone, Jess here to recap the 6th pickup of the Springdell Summer CSA Season. It was a beauty of a week, and we certainly enjoyed this lovely produce! As I reflect on this season-to-date, I feel like my recipes have been more hack-jobs and seat-of-my-pants meals than the usual researched and bookmarked recipes, but I’m hoping there’s still some value in that for my fellow readers. Given the unpredictability of and busy-ness that life has to offer, not every meal plan can be perfectly executed, or even planned. However, when living the CSA lifestyle, we see what we have, quickly brainstorm options, and make it work to the best of our ability. Sometimes we win, and even when we lose, we still win, as we’re supporting a healthy lifestyle for ourselves and our community. Good stuff!
Brought the bouquet to Nan’s new place, these lovelies are really brightening her day!
There are a few no-brainers in this house when it comes to the share, such as blueberries and cucumbers. More than one pint of these beautiful local blues was gone before Day one. The rest quickly followed on day two. You’ll probably recall this zucchini lasagna from the beginning of the week. For a version that you can get to the table in 30 minutes, skip the eggs in the ricotta mixture, and roast up your zucchini ribbons when prepping your CSA ingredients earlier in the week. A quick (and closely monitored) trip under the broiler at the end is always welcome to toast up your cheesy goodness!Something happened to my orange flavored tofu this week, it started falling apart and I’m not quite sure why. I think I pressed it too hard or something… Anyhow, it was crumbly but delicious. Broccoli and Carrots are great with this combo. Bok choy as well as the original recipe indicates, however mine was already gone on pickup day in a small salad that I devoured by my lonesome…Picture these zucchini noodles with a nice fresh piece of pan seared cod on top, drizzled with a basil sauce. I was overruled at the farm stand by the boys, who wanted baked haddock. Fortunately, with a little grated Parmesan, these noodles are awesome on their own. The trick to cooking zoodles is to sauté them (in garlic butter with basil ribbons for the win) juuuuust until they are warm (or enjoy them cold tossed in a dressing of your choice, though I prefer warm). Zucchini are comprised mostly of water and the zoodles don’t hold up as well if you cook the water out. The boys wanted baked haddock over the pan seared cod (because butter and cracker crumbs), so I made a quick slaw (tossed in poppy seed dressing) and summer squash for a side.Turnips make a great slaw, especially when paired with something sweet. Turnip and apple slaw is great when the cooler crop of turnips aligns with the apple harvest. Meanwhile, carrots, a sweet and tangy dressing (it , and a few heirloom scallions tossed on top do the trick. Fahgettabout the beer brats! My kids devoured those in 30 seconds. They were amazing. The kids pooped out before Springdell Family Night began, so I decided to use the time home to play with the Romanesco. A simple roast with a little garlicky olive oil and sea salt is confirmed amazing.This one was the one that won over the kids. Three bowls, one with seasoned flour, one with panko crumbs, one with a cup of cream curdled with a tablespoon of cider vinegar. Dunk the veggie into the cream, then flour, then cream, then roll in the panko, then roast at 400 and you wind up with these. A hearty sauce to dip in brings it home (in this case a simmered citrus BBQ).I dipped mine into the sauce and served it on a quick pickled cabbage slaw. It was amazing but the sauce stuck to these things so well, they were a little too saucy. The slaw helped to counter the overwhelming sauciness. As I said before, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. I left these Romanesco pizzas under the broiler for too long. Still edible but could have been much better. Finally, here’s the steak that feeds my entire family in one sitting – the Springdell NY Sirloin. Herd Nerd SPICE provides a simple and yummy seasoning, and grilled summer squash is always a welcome addition. I had a couple of questions about the Patty Pan Squashes this week. I didn’t get one in my share, but I know some of the different-sized shares did receive them. They tend to have a slightly thicker skin than squash bombs or more traditional summer squashes, which makes them ideal for slicing cross-wise, cooking and topping with things. Here are some Patty Pan pizzas. Grill them or roast them at 400 until they tender up just a little bit. Then, top with whatever you want (pesto is great), and bake on a cookie sheet at 400 degrees until heated to your liking. You can quickly broil at the end to get a browner more “takeout” look to the cheese. You’ll see the thinner you cut them, they tend to be flimsier, but cut too thick and then they can be too “squashy”. Its more of an experiment than an exact recipe, and personal preference (some of my fam like the thinner ones and some like the thicker ones). Here is a grill filled with Patty Pans and Squash Bombs. (I think) the bombs cook much quicker than the pans because of thinner skin and higher water content.
That’s about it on this end! I’m going to finish hooking up the camper and will be heading north for a few days with the little guys (the big guy will stay home and hold down the fort.) Before heading up, I’ll be swinging into the Springdell parking lot to grab pickup #7, and am grateful for the new parking lot so that our lil’ trailer will roll in and out with ease. See you back here with the next “Show” whenever the wifi kicks back in. Meanwhile, thanks for reading and have a great day!
