The Great Utah CSA Experiment - Week 10!

This was the last week of August and I was SURE I'd get some tomatoes - but alas, it was not to be. I can't blame the CSAs - my father has some 15 tomato plants he gave an indoor head start to and he still didn't have any ripe ones - though he's still got a great crop of green tomatoes. The very cool spring and cooler-than-usual summer we've had has meant the tomato harvest is much later than usual. At least I received some peppers!

The East Farms share included the following:

	CSA SHARE		Price(Organic)				Price ('Normal')	Value
	0.99 lb Green Peppers (2)						1.29/lb	$1.28
	1.53 lb Onion						1.99/lb	$3.05
	0.80 lb Beets						2.45/lb	$3.06
	0.74 lb Summer Squash						1.99/lb	$1.47
	0.51 lb Eggplant (Oriental)						1.59/lb (Globe)	$0.81
	0.49 lb Green Beans						5.32/lb	$2.61
	2.98 lb Corn (4 ears)						3/1.00	$1.33

Only the peppers here are new, and I quickly made plans to cook stuffed peppers at the earliest convenience. My recipe changes every time (okay all my recipes do - but cooking is more fun when I get to experiment!) but generally the stuffing is very forgiving of on-the-fly changes. This time I decided to experiment with shredded zucchini in my stuffed peppers. Killing two vegetables with one dish sounded like a great idea to me, and sure enough, it was delicious.

This is also the second week of eggplant, which I was happy for: below is my recipe for Eggplant Parmesan. I was very happy for most of the produce - we've eaten very well the past few weeks with the same veggies in our shares. The beets, however, looked at me as if to say "well NOW what are you going to do? You can't ignore us forever!" I stuck them in the back of the refrigerator with the beets from last week and promptly forgot about them.

Also, you might have noticed that this share included an onion. That weighed 1.53 lbs. It was massive - I'm sure I have nieces and nephews with smaller heads than this onion, but I am afraid I didn't get pictures before it was summarily chopped into toppings for Navajo Tacos at a family party. Hopefully I'll remember to take pictures next time!

Monday rolled around quickly, as it tends to do, with another double share of delicious fruits and veggies from Borski Farms:

	CSA SHARE-A	CSA SHARE-B					Price ('Normal')	Value
	1.19 lb Eggplant (1, Globe)	1.00 lb Eggplant (1, Globe)					1.59/lb (Globe)	$3.48
	4.25 lb Cantaloupe (1)	3.11 lb Cantaloupe (1)					0.89/lb	$6.55
	1.5 lb Mixed Peppers	1.25 lb Mixed Peppers					1.99/lb	$5.47
	1.50 lb Peaches	1.44 lb Peaches					1.99/lb	$5.85
	0.25 lb Garlic	0.25 lb Garlic					1.99/lb	$1.00

By this time I must admit I was overwhelmed with produce. The two globe eggplants were perfect, the cantaloupe was wonderfully ripe, and I was excited for the first peppers of the season in my CSA - but I couldn't possibly eat it all. I made a few phone calls and then loaded up two small boxes with produce for my neighbors. Upon reflection, I added one of the edamame shares from last week as well as one of the bunches of beets. I had to keep the rest - it's part of the project! But I hoped it would buy me time to contemplate what to do with them.

I was lucky - when I delivered my boxes of produce to my neighbors, one of them stopped to talk to me about the edamame and the beets. She showed me how to pop them open and eat them fresh, and they were pretty good! Then she suggested I treat the beets the same way I had done with the potatoes - coat them with melted butter, salt, and rosemary, and roast them in the oven. This I did the very same day, mostly because I didn't want them to go bad. I cut them into uniform size pieces (some didn't need cutting, others did) and roasted two bunches, so there would be sufficient for both Craig and I for a snack before we went camping over the weekend. I am sorry to say that he never got any, but I don't feel the least bit guilty about eating them all myself. I'd do it all over again! (Yes, oven roasted beets are THAT good.)

Recipes for Week 10:

-----Eggplant Parmesan-----

This dish, at its simplest, need not be anything more complicated than drizzling marinera sauce over breaded and baked eggplant slices. My version of it is basically eggplant lasagna, having replaced the noodles with the aforementioned slices.

1-2 eggplant
3 eggs
1.5 c. breadcrumbs
2 T. parsley, chopped
1 c. mozzarella cheese
1 c. cottage cheese
Italian seasoning
1 jar (26 oz.) marinara sauce
1/2 lb ground beef or sausage, cooked (optional)

Beat 1 egg with 1 T. water in a shallow dish with a fork until uniform. Combine the parsley and breadcrumbs in a separate dish. Peel the eggplant, then cut into slices 1/4" thick. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture, coating both sides, then into the breadcrumbs. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, then remove the sheet, turn the slices, and bake again until light brown around the edges. Meanwhile, prepare the marinara sauce by adding italian seasoning (to taste) and the meat to a small saucepan. Heat through. In a separate bowl, combine the other 2 eggs, and cheeses. Set aside.

When each set of ingredients has been prepared, layer them in a 8"x8" pan, starting with sauce, then eggplant, then cheese, then sauce again. Repeat (finish with sauce). Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes at 350 F. Then remove foil and bake another 20 minutes. Serves 4-6.

-----Zucchini-Stuffed Peppers-----

4 large green peppers
2 c. shredded zucchini
2 c. red beans
4 large tomatoes, chopped
1 small onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T. cumin
1 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. black pepper
1 t. salt
1/2 c. shredded Colby jack cheese

First, cut the green peppers in half lengthwise to create 8 1/2 pepper shells - these will be stuffed. Blanch each of them in salted water - this will help them retain their color. In the meantime, mix together the zucchini, beans, tomatoes, onions, garlic, cumin, cayenne, pepper, and salt in a saucepan, and heat through. Once the peppers have been blanched and cooled, fill each half with stuffing, and sprinkle shredded cheese on top. Bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and brown. Serves 6.


-----Rosemary Oven Roasted Beets-----

2 Bunches young beets
3 T. butter
1 t. salt
2 T. Rosemary

Scrub the beets well, remove beet greens (stems) and tails, and discard. Cut beets into uniform size pieces, approximately 1/2" in diameter. In a 4 quart bowl, melt the butter with the salt and rosemary in the microwave. Toss the beets with the butter mixture until thoroughly coated. Spread out on a cookie sheet and bake uncovered at 350 F for ~20 minutes. Remove, turn the beets, and return to bake until the beets are uniformly soft (~10-20 minutes). Serves 4.

The Great Utah CSA Experiment - Week 9!

Week 9 was the long-anticipated week of double shares - twice the produce this week from both CSAs to make up for my missed vacation week in July, for a total of $40 worth of produce. I was especially excited to see how uniform shares really are: sometimes I'm tempted to peek in the boxes and bags and take what looks best! And I was sure that by mid-August, I'd have a great crop of tomatoes waiting for me. As you'll see, both shares were very similar, but I was totally wrong about the tomatoes. Instead I got a vegetable I wasn't expecting, but it made me happy anyways: eggplant! Here's the full scoop for East Farms:

	CSA SHARE-A	CSA SHARE-B					Price ('Normal')	Value
	1.04 lb Eggplant (1, Oriental)	1.16 lb Eggplant (2, Oriental)					1.59/lb (Globe)	$3.50
	1.23 lb Cucumbers	1.84 lb Cucumbers					3.53/lb	$10.86
	0.63 lb Green Beans	0.76 lb Green Beans					5.32/lb	$7.39
	0.68 lb Beets	1.0 lb Beets					2.45/lb	$4.12
	0.98 lb Onion	0.98 lb Onion					1.99/lb	$3.90
	0.57 lb Zucchini	0.63 lb Zucchini					1.49/lb	$1.79
	2.82 lb Corn (4 ears)	2.81 lb Corn (4 ears)					3/1.00	$2.67

This is clearly more than twice the produce I can eat, particularly with the slight backlog I've had in my refrigerator. I traded a few of the corn for a large zucchini from my mother (I know, I know - I'm going to regret it!), and I loaded up a small box with corn, eggplant, beans, cucumbers, and 1 bunch of beets for my brother. But I needed to own up to the fact that I keep giving away the beets I get, which doesn't technically meet the requirements of this project. At some point I have to work with them so I kept one of the bunches. I looked at them, with their wee reddish globes and limp green stalks. They looked at me. I looked at them - They looked at me. I looked at them - They looked at me. I stuck them in the back of the refrigerator.

So no tomatoes. But! I personally love eggplant - especially in Eggplant Parmesan, though Craig's not a big fan. Well, it was the week of my birthday, not his: so I got to make what I wanted to eat! Eggplant Parmesan, Glazed Green Beans with Tomatoes, and Summer Squash Stir-Fry with Onions. This week's recipe is Eggplant Chips, the first step to making Eggplant Parmesan.

You might ask me where I keep getting the tomatoes for the Glazed Green Beans recipe. I am ashamed to admit I'm still buying at the grocery store - I had really hoped to have some in my shares but it's just too early. Even my parents, who have at least 10 tomato plants every year, do not have enough to share - though they've got a great crop of green tomatoes. So I've been anxious to find a good local source.

A few days after I received this share, a friend of mine called up and suggested we hang out together for lunch, so I invited her over and brainstormed on tomatoes. There's actually a small produce stand very close to my apartment, closer even than the very close grocery store. So I decided to start by heading that direction, and see if I could get my tomatoes locally from the stand. If not, there was always the store. Sure enough, the stand had corn and tomatoes (though rather orange tomatoes) available, as well as strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries. Berries are a favorite treat of mine so I purchased a few cups. Then I asked the woman at the stand where the berries were from. Her reply? Oregon.

So much for assuming that any local produce stand offers only locally grown produce! For all I know she is purchasing them at Sam's Club and selling them at a markup to clueless consumers in Holladay. I passed on the tomatoes and got some from the store. At least the blueberries were tasty, but the blackberries were a disappointment. Hopefully, next time I stop at a roadside produce stand it will offer real locally grown produce. At least now I know to ask!

A few days later, I was surprised with the first peaches of the season, more summer squash, potatoes, corn, and some funny furry-looking beans. Total haul for Borski shares:

CSA SHARE-A	CSA SHARE-B					Price ('Normal')	Value
0.85 lb Peaches	.98 lb Peaches					1.99/lb	$3.64
0.95 lb Soybeans	1.02 lb Soybeans					4.78/lb (frozen, ORGANIC)	$9.42
0.82 lb Zucchini	0.94 lb Zucchini					1.49/lb	$2.62
0.84 lb Summer Squash	0.41 lb Summer Squash					1.99/lb	$2.49
2.08 lb Golden Potatoes	1.61 lb Golden Potatoes					1.49/lb	$5.50
2.13 lb Corn (3 ears)	1.71 lb Corn (3 ears)					3/1.00	$2.00

I had a suspicion about the beans. There's a bean that Ms. Kingsolver refers to a few times in her book as Edamame - and it's a fancy name for soybeans (or sometimes it's a specific reference to a way of cooking soybeans). Sure enough, a quick Google search confirmed it. It seemed a little gross to me to think of eating these hairy pods, no matter how they are cooked. I was relieved to find that you actually only eat the beans inside the pod. Glad I didn't start any culinary experiments on them before I did my research! Even so, soybeans are another vegetable I have never approached on purpose. I looked at them, with their soft slender furry pale green pods. They looked at me. I stuck them in the back of the refrigerator.

The peaches I was very excited for. The truth is I LOVE peaches but I never ever purchase them from the grocery store anymore. When I did, what I found was that they are very hard and flavorless, and if you leave them for a few days to soften, the outer 1/2" of the peach will become soft but the inside will still be hard as a rock. If you leave them a few more days to ripen, the outer 1/2" of the peach will begin to turn brown and rot, while the inside remains rock hard. It's gross. But then a few years ago when I purchased a small bunch from the local farmer's market. They were soft when I bought them, and I fell in love all over again.

So I was excited about the six peaches in little brown sacks, but my surprise turned to shock when I noticed these pale creamy pink orbs were hard! I felt betrayed! How could they?! I could only hope that these peaches were picked 3 days out from being ripe and they would soften in time, as opposed to the grocery store variety. Luckily my hope was not in vain, and the peaches softened very nicely and were deliciously sweet. In retrospect, soft peaches would probably be all squished from the delivery in grocery store sacks jostling alongside potatoes, corn, and zucchini. So that's okay.

There was a specific reason I was looking forward to peaches, though. Craig and I have this great "Peachy Rico" shake recipe, invented after we tried its namesake at Los Hermanos in Provo. Our Peachy Ricos require only four ingredients and whip up in minutes. But of course - unless peaches are in season, it's out of the question. So every summer I look forward to fresh peaches all season. I had never thought another fruit could rival my favorite strawberries but the truth is, in season: peaches win hands-down.

Recipes for Week 9:

-----Eggplant Chips-----


1 eggplant
1 egg
1 c. breadcrumbs
2 T. parsley, chopped

Beat the egg with 1 T. water in a shallow dish with a fork until uniform. Combine the parsley and breadcrumbs in a separate dish. Peel the eggplant, then cut into slices 1/8" thick. Dip the eggplant slices into the egg mixture, coating both sides, then into the breadcrumbs. Arrange on a cookie sheet and bake at 350 F for 10 minutes, then remove the sheet, turn the slices, and bake again until light brown around the edges. Serve with warm marinara dipping sauce. Serves 2-3.

-----Peachy Ricos-----

4 fresh peaches
3/4 c. milk
2 T. frozen cranberry juice concentrate
6 ice cubes
vanilla ice cream

Slice fresh peaches into a 4 quart blender, discard pits. Add milk and blend until smooth. Add juice concentrate, then add ice cubes 1-2 at a time until all are blended in. Top off with ~4 scoops vanilla ice cream to reach desired consistency. (I like mine as thick shakes, your blender's efficiency may be the limiting factor here). Serves 4-6.

The Great Utah CSA Experiment - Week 8!

Coming into week 8 I was anxious for my next CSA share, as I'd missed out on the regular vegetable ritual for the past two weeks. Included in the East Farms share was a healthy supply of midsummer vegetables:

	CSA SHARE		Price(Organic)				Price ('Normal')	Value
	0.98 lb Radishes (1 bunch)						1.10/lb	$1.08
	1.09 lb Onions (3 large)						1.99/lb	$2.17
	0.99 lb Green Beans						5.32/lb	$5.27
	0.98 lb Zucchini (2 small)						1.49/lb	$1.46
	3.76 lb Corn (6 ears)						3/1.00	$2.00

As you can see, my local grocer doesn't carry any of these in 'organic' varieties - I'd have to make an extra trip to a more exclusive grocer to find those. Even so, the value still holds when compared to local supermarket fare.

I was happy to find more onions as I've been low and I use them a lot in my cooking. They tend to store well in my pantry so even if I get more I can be happy about using them for the next few months. Corn is a wonderful midsummer treat for us, grilled with the husks on or peeled and boiled before being served on the cobb with plenty of butter, salt, and pepper. Radishes again became my personal refrigerator snack, and the green beans succumbed to the glazed green beans recipe featured in week 5 (more on that below). And that covers everything but the zucchini.

Ah, zucchini. Craig spied it and immediately said "zucchini bread?!" with such excitement that I almost had to shush him. Where I'm from you can't get excited about zucchini. It's delicious, it's nutritious: it's ubiquitous. Even if you show no desire for zucchini, during this season you're liable to be handed a box that contains more than you'll ever be able to prepare or eat. But if you get excited about it. . . I'm afraid to see the results. So far the season is early, the zucchini is small and tender, and Craig is excited about this vegetable. We'll see how he feels in a month!

This particular zucchini was young enough to make great vegetable stir-fry with the onions and garlic also received from CSA offerings, which is what I did. See: vegetable hash recipe from week 4, but substitute zucchini for the potatoes and add a little of your own favorite seasoning instead of using the packet. Our two small zucchini were enough to fill our whole frying pan, sliced. That's another thing about it - I swear the vegetable multiplies when you chop or grate it because the cut amount is always larger in volume than the pre-cut amount. You Have Been Warned.

Borski's share for the week gave me more onions, which store well, and beans, which can be frozen if necessary, as well as a few more new vegetables for the season:

	CSA SHARE		Price(Organic)				Price ('Normal')	Value
	0.44 lb Apricots						1.99/lb	$0.88
	0.47 lb Lemon Cucumbers						1.88/lb (green)	$0.88
	1.06 lb Wax Beans						5.32/lb (green)	$5.64
	3.34 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes						1.49/lb	$4.97
	1.5 lb Yellow Onions (2)						1.99/lb	$2.98

Wax beans are just like green beans, only they are whitish or yellowish in color. My sister has a variety that are purple, but they turn green when cooking (She calls them 'Magic Beans' and this is a great way to get the kids excited about them). Lots of varieites of beans can be grown in Utah! Craig very nearly offered to cook these beans himself so long as we used the Glazed Green Beans with Tomatoes recipe (see picture at right for Glazed 'White' Beans with Tomatoes). Clearly, this recipe is a keeper!

I almost didn't know what the cukes were, I'd never seen a lemon cucumber, despite having once sold lemon cucumber plants at a garden center some years ago. For those of you who haven't seen one either, here you are:


I soaked them in raspberry balsamic vinegar for an hour then ate them. They taste just like normal cucumbers to me!

There weren't many apricots, those were gone in one 'snacking', but I was surprised by the number of potatoes: it's a good thing they will last for weeks in the refrigerator! In the meantime I dug around for potato recipes. My own experience has been either to mash them, bake them, or put them in stew; but looking at these golden orbs all those methods seem too mundane, reserved for grocery-store russet clones. (Let's not even approach the layered-with-cheese option here). In fact, a quick Google search tells me that those grocery store russets I've been using all my life aren't even good for all those cooking methods. What can I say, I'm a potato newb.

Finally I settled on a simple recipe that I hoped would let me get a taste for the potato flavor: Oven roasted potatoes. I tried it twice, once with paprika and the second time with rosemary. They tasted a little sweeter than the russets I'm used to cooking with, but they also had a great texture that was a little less mealy too. I thought they were great, both times I made them Craig cleaned his plate and asked me for more, so that's clearly a thumbs up. Add the fact that the recipe was a good deal simpler than mashing baking or stewing them, and I think we have a new family favorite!

Recipe for Week 8:

-----Oven-Roasted Potatoes-----

3 Yukon Gold potatoes
2 T. butter or oil
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. seasoning (optional)

Wash the potatoes and cut them into chunks. Mix the butter, salt, pepper, and seasoning, and melt together in the microwave. Toss the potatoes with the butter mixture until thoroughly coated. Bake uncovered @ 350 F for 25 minutes, then remove, turn the potatoes, and return to bake for another 20-40 minutes as necessary. (Larger potato chunks will take longer to bake).

I've done this recipe with 1 T. paprika and again with 1 T. dry rosemary, both were delicious. Be creative!

The Great Utah CSA Experiment - Weeks 6-7!

During this period of time I had a 1 week conference to attend in Indiana, so I postponed a week's worth of produce for the 3rd week of August, when I will get a double share. But two days before I was scheduled to leave I picked up the East Farms share and was surprised to find a very interesting vegetable:

After consulting several books, internet sources, and family members, my mother took the vegetable down the street to some older ladies who correctly identified it as kohl rabi. The name is German for 'cabbage turnip' and you can kind of see a resemblance to the two. But at first I thought it was some sort of alien beholder vegetable. The skin is thick and colored like purple cabbage (Once you rub off the whitish looking dusty surface, as you can see) and the shape is very turnipy - but it grows above ground. It appears as a contradiction, but the word on the internet is that this vegetable is addictingly delicious - with a mild, sweet, fresh flavor. The leaves can also be eaten if they are young (which is not the case with this particular specimen). It's a good thing it apparently stores very well because I had to leave it for vacation!

	CSA SHARE		Price (Organic)				Price ('Normal')	Value
	4 Summer Squash						1.49/lb	$3.00
	1 Bunch Radishes						0.50/bunch	$0.50
	4 Young White Onions						1.99/lb (large yellow)	$1.99
	1 Kohl Rabi							$ ??

Prices for this week are slightly rough - experimenting on counting by number instead of pounds; that and I really have no idea what the kohl rabi is worth, since I can't find it for sale! I gave the squash and radishes to my brother but kept the onions, as I was out, and the kohl rabi - for experimental purposes.

To get a taste for the kohl rabi, I ripped off the leaves, peeled the skin, and sliced it thinly before eating a few raw pieces - the flavor is very mild, sweet, with a slight peppery aftertaste. It has a flavor close to broccoli stems with the texture and color of a white potato. After eating a few slices raw, I steamed them and ate with butter and nutmeg. Craig was not impressed with the texture, but I thought they were delicious! Next time I'll peel the kohl rabi more thoroughly - I think I may have left a little too much of the rough outer layer on it.

The Borski share for this set came two days after I returned from my vacation, and I missed it! When I went to go pick it up (a little later in the day but still with time to spare), I was informed that a miscount had been made and there hadn't been enough for pickup at my normal location. As each CSA services anywhere from several hundred to several thousand people, I can understand a slipup every once in a while. I left my name and number next to those of 5 other people, then later e-mailed the CSA coordinator and asked if I could pick up a double share in the 4th week of August. (Woo tomatoes!) She was very apologetic and said that would be just fine.

The conference in Indiana was great, but just because I was away for professional reasons doesn't mean I didn't try my best to get into the local scene there! Bloomington is full of great little local eateries - and certainly the environment contributes to a glut of great local food. The place was unbelievably green compared to Utah - not that it's any surprise.

My favorite local eatery was the FARMBloomington Restaurant, a local place that serves breakfast through supper, features an in-store 'market' shop where local goods are sold, and contains a 'root cellar' bar and grill. The entire store operates from local food sources and the menu changes with the seasons. In addition, the website boasts a list of local farms and suppliers they get things from - so if you want to know where to buy your own pasture raised beef or local goat cheese (in and around Bloomington, IN), you can do that too. Where can I find a place like this in Utah?

Oh, and the restaurant food was wonderful. I had the 'Wild Bianca' pie (herb pesto, ricotta, mushrooms and truffle oil all on a thin crust pastry), my roomie had the 'Big Red' pie which more closely resembles an actual pizza. I can also vouch for the Parmesan, Garlic, and Chili fries (with tarragon!) and the dessert with Blueberry ice and fresh fruit. Just, you know - if you're ever in the area.

In Indianapolis we were treated to breakfast at a delicious local pancake house, then noticed this sign while driving out of town:

Hurray for local restaurants!

P.S.: A group of locally-minded people here in Utah have issued an EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE for Salt Lake, beginning August 16! Take the opportunity and try to eat only local foods, or increase your local-food intake for a week, two weeks, or a month. Check out their website for a lot of great resources on eating locally!