The Great Utah CSA Experiment - Week 13!

Week 13 came with the first tomatoes of the season! I received tomatoes from both CSAs - Romas from the East Farms and slicing tomatoes from the Borski. They were orangey, mottled, and showed slight signs of scuff and/or bug damage. They were definitely not the gems I get from my father's plants, but I know this season has not been a good one for tomatoes so I can be forgiving.

The rest is all produce I've seen before over the last few weeks. Here's the scoop:

CSA SHARE		Price(Organic)				Price ('Normal')	Value
0.12 lb Green Pepper (1)		1.99/lb				1.29/lb	$0.24
0.32 lb Jalapeno Peppers						1.99/lb	$0.64
4.03 lb Green Cabbage		1.49/lb				0.69/lb	$6.00
1.45 lb Onion		1.99/lb				0.99/lb	$2.89
0.68 lb Eggplant		1.99/lb				1.59/lb	$1.35
3.90 lb Cantaloupe		2.99 ea				0.89/lb	$2.99
0.92 lb Roma Tomatoes		1.99/lb				1.99/lb	$1.83

The cabbage is going in potstickers I am making for an upcoming china-themed party for the volunteers I went to China with through International Language Programs. Of course, I had to do a couple test runs to make sure I was doing it right. Below is my recipe for simple vegetarian potstickers.

The peppers and eggplant were stashed in the refrigerator, and the cantaloupe eaten (sooo good). The onion went, like all the other onions, into my pantry. I'm collecting quite a stash of them, which is great. Hopefully they will last until I eat them well into the winter. This particular onion was quite a monster - at 1.45 lb it was just shy of an oz. lighter than the biggest one I received this year during week 10. But since I neglected to record the larger one, here's a picture of the new one on a small plate next to one of my peaches. I hope it conveys just how massive these onions are.

Speaking of peaches, when I stopped by my mother's house this week I thought I'd go check out the forbidden tree. I know my mother has been busy, and I wanted to see if she'd gotten around to her own peaches. What did I behold but a slew of peaches on the ground! This poor tree never had the peach crop culled, so the branches are loaded with heavy fruit and as a result are bent ~ 6" from the ground, which is mulched quite heavily with soft bark. The weight, combined with the ripeness meant that at every gust of wind, a few would fall gently down onto the bed of mulch. Well, I thought. . . I'm forbidden to pick the peaches, but surely she didn't mean I should let good fruit spoil! I hauled home 2.5 dozen perfect peaches, and I didn't pick a one. I did later tell her though that she needed to be sure not to let any drop. She quickly ensured that her spoils were well protected (i.e. she had my father bring the remaining peaches inside in a box) for canning that week, and I suppose that's the end of the peach train for me. At least I can still count on the Borski share to supply a few!

CSA SHARE		Price(Organic)				Price ('Normal')	Value
1.15 lb Tomatoes (Slicing)						1.99/lb	$2.29
1.25 lb Peaches						1.99/lb	$2.49
1.39 lb Zucchini (2)		2.99/lb				1.29/lb	$4.16
0.54 lb Onion		1.99/lb				0.99/lb	$1.07
0.45 lb Red Onions (2)		1.99/lb				0.99/lb	$0.90
1.97 lb Blue Potatoes		1.99/lb (Red)				0.69/lb (Red)	$3.92

This share came with a variety of potatoes I've heard about, but never seen before - blue potatoes! They are actually more purple potatoes than blue, but both names are correct. And yes, the color goes all the way through. It's the same beneficial compound (antioxidant) that colors blueberries as well.

In addition to the blue potatoes, I received a newsletter from the farm with a recipe for a potato casserole. I made it (with golden potatoes - haven't yet decided how to best cook the blue ones), and have included the recipe here. Craig specifically asked if I could send him leftovers the next day for lunch, so I know he liked it!

The newsletter also promised a lot of winter squash coming in, starting next week. Hurray for squash!

Recipes for Week 13:

-----Borski CSA Casserole-----

1 large onion, sliced
2-3 potatoes, cut into 1/4" slices
2 chicken breasts, sliced into strips
2 tomatoes, sliced
2 T. olive oil
1/4 c. italian bread crumbs
salt and pepper
Parmesan cheese (opt.)

In a casserole dish, cover the bottom with the sliced onions. Then layer on potatoes, chicken, and tomatoes in that order. Drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese on top. Cover with foil and bake at 325 F for 1 hour. Remove foil for the last 20 minutes of baking.

-----Simple Vegetarian Potstickers-----

1 1/2 c. shredded cabbage
1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. minced scallions
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. ginger
1 T. soy sauce
1 pkg potsticker rounds
cold water

To make filling, combine in a bowl the cabbage, carrots, scallions, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce, and mix thoroughly. Place ~ 1 Tbsp filling in the middle of a potsticker wrap, then dip your finger into the cold water and spread it around the edges. Fold both sides together to create a half-circle, then press the edges together to seal.*

To cook, heat 2 T. oil in a non-stick skillet, then add just as many potstickers as can cover the bottom of the pan (they will stick together if you layer them on top of one another.) Cook 2-3 minutes until the undersides are lightly brown. Add 1/2 cup water, then cover and let cook until all the water is absorbed. Remove when potstickers are again crispy and golden brown on the bottom.

*To make a more attractive (read: complicated) seal, you can accordion fold one side before you fold them together. Alternatively, for these potstickers I folded the pastry in half, pressed and sealed together the middle, then pushed in the edges to make a triangle and folded them up, making a three-way fold. Then I folded the extra flap down onto the body of the pastry.

The Great Utah CSA Experiment - Week 12!

Week 12 arrived with lots more of everything, and all of it looked fabulous! East Farms brought the following:

CSA SHARE		Price(Organic)				Price ('Normal')	Value
0.85 lb Green Peppers (2)		1.99/lb				1.29/lb	$1.69
1.04 lb Mixed Peppers (5)						1.99/lb	$2.07
3.44 lb Green Cabbage		1.49/lb				0.69/lb	$5.13
0.68 lb Onion		1.99/lb				0.99/lb	$1.36
1.25 lb Eggplant		1.99/lb				1.59/lb	$2.49
3.06 lb Corn (4)						3/1.00	$1.33

This was the second cabbage in 4 days, and that's a lot for us: my household has never eaten one whole cabbage in a month, much less two in one week, so I passed this head on to my mother who was happy to use it in her Asian Salad, pictured at right. (My other cabbage remains parked in the back of my refrigerator, awaiting a reunion with my pot sticker wraps).

I made more Eggplant Parmesan, but the peppers were piling up, so I donated them to a neighbor cause. Also, I am sad to report that all the extra dark greens I stored in the freezer this spring are now gone, and I used the last bit of arugula for an awful pasta salad that also consumed an entire 4 oz. container of crumbled tomato and basil feta. Not all of my culinary experiments work out - I was very disappointed in this one to say the least.

I split the corn with my mother and cooked the rest in my oven in an attempt to semi-recreate the flavor of grilled corn-on-the-cob-in-the-husk that is offered at Lagoon. I just stuck the corn, husk and all, into the oven at 325 F for 10-20 minutes, then checked one by peeling back the husk and checking the consistency of the kernels. The flavor wasn't as good as the grilled kind (surprise surprise) but it was pretty good. In fact, when I asked Craig, he said he preferred this method to my usual (boiling shucked corn) and requested that I make them this way again in the future.

The Borski share arrived a few days later, with again, more of the same. Not a lot of variety in the late summer offerings, I suppose. And curiously, halfway through September and still no tomatoes. It's rather odd - I don't know what to do with peppers without tomatoes. Maybe that's why I keep having to give them away.

CSA SHARE		Price(Organic)				Price ('Normal')	Value
2.5 lb Red Potatoes		1.99/lb				0.69/lb	$4.98
1.06 lb Mixed Peppers						1.99/lb	$2.11
1.63 lb Peaches						1.99/lb	$3.25
0.94 lb Green Beans						5.32/lb	$5.00

You might think I've had enough of peaches after 4 weeks of them. If so, you are wrong! After all, I only ever receive 3-4 peaches each week. Well this week when I visited my mother to weigh in my shares, she offered me my pick of Utah peaches from a box dad purchased at a local food stand (these ones came from Utah, yes - not Oregon). After picking up a good dozen peaches there, I discovered their peach tree in the backyard had ripe fruit on it too, and snitched another dozen. (She has since forbidden me to pick anymore peaches from her tree - something about canning her special peaches).

Elated, I stopped by the local grocer on the way home and purchased a pint of heavy cream. Oh, yes. Peaches and Cream. In the first 24 hours afterward I ate 4 servings of peaches and cream, each using ~ 2 peaches. I caught myself feeling extraordinarily happy that day - I wonder why? Craig also enjoyed the peaches and cream, but I think he was a little confused as to why I behaved as though I grudged him every peach he chose to eat when we had dozens on hand. Well, maybe I did begrudge him for eating my peaches. Just a little.

I've included the recipe for my mother's Asian Salad, which I also made recently (Craig happily ate leftovers for lunch, so it's good!) Stay tuned next week to see if the last week of summer finally gets her tomatoes!

Recipe for week 12:

-----Asian Salad-----

2 T. sugar	1/2 head cabbage
3 T. raspberry balsamic vinaigrette	4 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. vegetable oil	1 pkg ramen noodles, dry
oriental flavor ramen spice packet	2 T. sesame seeds
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded	1/2 c. honey sesame cashews

Mix together the first 5 ingredients (sugar through chicken). If possible, refrigerate for 1 hour (longer is better.) Chop the cabbage coarsely. Toss with the green onions, crushed noodles (uncooked), sesame seeds, and cashews. When ready to serve, combine the dressing with the tossed salad. This recipe is even better the second day! Serves 4.

-----Peaches and Cream-----

2 fresh peaches
2 T. sugar (optional)
1/4 c. cream (not optional - though if cream is impossible then milk may be substituted for a lesser product.)

Rinse peaches thoroughly. Cut each peach into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Sprinkle sugar over the top, then distribute cream evenly over the surface. Eat and enjoy! (Serves 1 - me. It might serve 2 if you feel like sharing.)

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.