If you are going to have a CSA, you need these required kitchen staples

In addition to basics like milk, salt, pepper, flour, and sugar, there are a number of things that will make your food from your even better. I now have these in my house at all times and I use them a bunch. 

Eggs: an omelette or egg scramble is easy and a great way to use up a ton of veggies- check out my recent omelette. It included cabbage, zuchinni, squash, shallots, and tomato. A fine combination but made extraordinary by the addition if the next ingredient. 

Goat cheese: this is so good on anything with eggs or quinoa. In fact, the Eason I tried it was because my CSA recommended a recipe for goat cheese and beet salad. It was awesome. 

Real bacon bits: if you are like me, if you have bacon in the house you will eat it. This is a great way to be able to add bacon to recipe without being tempted to make a whole bunch and eat it. Make sure you get the kind that's made of real bacon. You can even heated up just a bit and it taste like fresh made bacon. If you're really creative, you can make your own- I just don't know how. 

Red Pepper Flakes: after the first few weeks of the CSA, I realized I was getting really bored with vegetables. I got a recipe that required crushed red pepper flakes and added it to the greens. My mind was blown- the food tasted great and you couldn't even taste the crushed red pepper, it just tasted flavorful. I find that it's a milder taste when it's heated up and used when cooking rather than adding it at the end. However anyone who has had pizza and added the flakes to the pizza knows that can also be great. 

Lemon pepper seasoning: I always thought that lemon pepper had to be used as a dry rub for a barbecue. Turns out it's awesome with greens, in omelets, and in almost any soup. It's just an all-around great seasoning. 

Soy sauce & teriyaki: while these two things aren't at all the same thing, they're both key ingredients in a stirfry. A weekly staple in my house is to make stirfry with the leftover vegetables. 

Rice: and since I make so much stirfry, it's really important to always have rice on hand. I strongly recommend that you buy a rice cooker because the rice comes out perfect every time. 

Well, that's my list for now. I'm sure I'll have more later. 

Amazing Oatmeal

Ok, so this isn't related to the CSA but it does fit with my attempt to be healthier. 

I had the best oatmeal this morning. Here's how I made it:

Follow directions on label for cooking the oatmeal (don't use instant).  I cooked them in water with a smidge of salt)

Put 1 tablespoon of butter in bowl

Put 1 tablespoon if brown sugar in bowl

Add 1-2 cups of the cooked oatmeal

Stir together until all incorporated

Add 2 little international delight vanilla coffee creamers

Add some salad toppers. My Kroger sells a dried cranberry and sugared pecans mix that is perfect. 

So very good!

Cleaning your CSA veggies pt. 2

I read another person's blog and found they had a different suggestion for cleaning veggies. So I decided to try it out this week.

http://www.idreamofclean.net/how-to-clean-fruits-vegetables-from-your-csa-box/ 

They recommended filling a sink with lukewarm water and adding either vinegar or baking soda. I decided to try white vinegar this time. I took apart the lettuce heads so that the leaves could soak. I didn't rinse them after and they seem to taste fine. I didn't notice much of a difference except that I didn't get as much water all over my kitchen.

I still used my salad spinner to dry and I totally agree that having a salad spinner is a MUST if you have a CSA. 

Red Pepper Flakes

I bought red pepper flakes for a recipe that I didn't use a few weeks ago. When visiting a great friend in Phoenix, AZ, I decided to try the red pepper flakes on the table with my pizza. It was wonderful and I began to think how I could use the flakes I had purchased at home.

I found that a recipe I like (garlic, lemon, parmesan cheese ANYTHING) can include red pepper flakes. I added it to the olive oil while the garlic was softening. Turns out, it wasn't overpowering and added mostly just an awesome flavor. Not hot at all.

So, I will now become a regular user of red pepper flakes. I found that it made vegetables just so much more interesting.

Week 7: Cucumbers

This week, we got a bunch in the share. It was raining at pick up so we grabbed the share, split it, and headed home. I tried a bunch of cool stuff this week! See other blogs for more info.

Did you know that you can eat pickling cucumbers similar to what you do with regular cucumbers?

In my part of my share:

• lettuce
• raddichio
• kale
• rainbow chard
• green onions
• basil
• cucumbers
• pickling cucumbers
• garlic scapes

In the full share that I gave to my share partner: 

• carrots
• broccoli

Week 6: U Pick Garden

I thought folks might be interested in seeing what a u-pick garden looks like. So, this week, I brought by camera so I can take you on a journey.

The path to the u-pick garden (no driving allowed):

The fruit forest:

How you know you are in the right place:

All the greenhouses are actually part of the full CSA garden. We can harvest from this open area and a small green house. Otherwise, the students and workers of the farm are the ones who work this HUGE farm.

The benefit of a CSA with a u-pick garden

Since our pick up time is Mondays from 4:30-6:30pm, I am always there right after work in my work clothes. This time, we decided to check out the u-pick garden, even though we were on the dressy side of farming decor. It was absolutely worth it and I want every CSA I ever have to have a u-pick option.

Here is how it worked this week:

In our normal share, we got enough for 4 people. However, I really love snap peas and so excited to hear that the sugar snap peas were in the u-pick garden. We asked one of the student farmers to show us the u-pick garden. They required a guide the first time because they don't want novices to harvest things wrong. 

In our u-pick, not everything is ready for harvest at any point. Here is what they have overall:

• chard
• kale
• collard greens
• sugar snap peas
• basil
• dill
• parsley
• sage
• rosemary
• tomatoes
• strawberries
• wildflowers
• a fruit forrest (no clue what is in there)

This is a completely separate garden and there are some rules: 

1. don't harvest things not ready for harvest
2. first come, first served
3. leave enough for others

I absolutely loved it. I could get extras of what I liked and even some things that weren't in this week's share (like more kale and chard). 

So, if a u-pick garden is an option for you- DEFINITELY DO IT!

How to clean your CSA veggies

My cleaning routine has been trial and error.

The first week, I rinsed everything and laid it out on paper towel to dry. It worked but it took forever to dry and I went through tons of paper towel. That wasn't going to work.

The second week, I forgot to clean the lettuce before making my salad. It only takes 1 little bug on the lettuce to remind you to clean your veggies before eating.

This last week, I decided to get a salad spinner. BEST DECISION EVER. There is so much to clean and it is so helpful in drying. I'm sure there are super fancy ones but I got the cheapest on at my local grocery store.

Then I set up my sink differently. I put the uncleaned veggies to the left of the sink. I rinse the big things in the sink like normal but I set up my colander in the second sink. This has been so helpful with salad mix and small things like beans. I then salad spin what I can to the right of the sink and then lay out the veggies on rows of paper towel on a nearby counter. So far, this has worked very well. 

It doesn't hurt that it is also very pretty to see all the veggies cleaned and laid out.

Week 5: and a pickle!

Well, the amount of goodies is growing tremendously. I don't know what everything thing is but I've made up my own names.

Things my share-partner and I split:

• Rainbow chard
• dinosaur chard
• BAC- big-assed chard
• collard greens
• purple bulb things (turnip?)
• garlic snapes
• snap peas
• kale
• green onions
• lettuce mix
• romain lettuce
• and a pickle

Things I didn't take (and let my share partner have): carrots, beets, endive.

Funny note: Endive is pronounced end-dive, not ahn-deeve. :) I thought it was french lettuce. I was saying that wrong all day.

I know it seems like a lot of greens but it is amazing how much the greens cook down to almost nothing. I will eat this without an issue this week as I like almost everything. Also, if I don't get to it, I'll be seeing family on Friday so I can always bring it with me to the 4th of July.

Week 4: Would it be alright by you, if I de-greenify you?

Last week was pretty colorful. This week is mostly green. 

At the last minute, I decided to invite a friend over to help me figure out what to do with the greens (one way to avoid my wilting issue). It was a great idea. We only ended up eating the lettuce but formulated a plan for the future. I am going to host CSA dinner each week! More heads are better than one; maybe someone else can help me use up the veggies.

This week I got:

• salad greens
• escarole (also lettuce)
• kale
• some type of boc choi
• green beans
• green onions
• and maybe chard? 

I honestly still don't know what all the things are.

My favorite this week was the green beans. I cleaned them, trimmed the ends with the full intention of steaming them. I took a bite of a raw green bean and that was it! I used them as an appetizer and my friend and I munched on them like candy. Way better than what I buy in a grocery store. So far, the first thing that surpassed my expectations. 

The other cool thing about my CSA is that, if there is extra produce from the week, they put it off to the side when I pick up my box. If I want more of whatever they have, I can grab it. That worked great for me. I split my share so it is always an issue of is there enough of everything for the other half of the share. So, I decided to grab extra salad mix. I got way too much but, for hosting others for dinner, it will be enough. 

I'll get better at this, I swear!

Week 3: What to do with wilted veggies?

I don't know how it nature works. These veggies are grown outside in the heat and they are fine. I bring them home and they wilt within 2 days.

I've put them in my fridge=wilt.
I left them on the counter=wilt.

I feel like I am throwing away too many veggies as a result. Take a look at the before photo.

BEFORE

AFTER

Yep, those are the same carrots. Granted, this is a little more than 2 days but wilting is a serious concern. I asked around to my farm-fresh friends and they recommended using the crisper drawer in my fridge. I'll give it go the next week. 

Also, I have no idea what to do with boc choi!

Recipe: Garlic Sauteed Spinach

So, spinach reduces a lot. This was a huge bunch of fresh spinach and it became a single serving of cooked spinach. I thought this was a good recipe. I also know I like the lemon, garlic, and parmesan. All in all, something I would gladly make again.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/garlic-sauteed-spinach-recipe.html

Week 2: So Pretty

This is a great week. I'm including a photo of the full share before my co-worker and I divvy up. Here is this weeks haul.

Celery

Carrots

Green Beans

Green Onions

Turnips

Kale

Salad Mix

Spinach

Funny story: I didn't get a picture but at this week's pickup, my dark gray Prius was parked next to two other dark gray Prius's. I guess the car I got for it's awesome gas mileage is popular among the CSA type. :)

Recipe: Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese

Ok, I tried. This one tasted great but it wasn't very pretty to look at.

http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/148889/sauteed-swiss-chard-with-parmesan-cheese

Week 1: Winning Recipe (Warm Beet and Goat Cheese Salad)

Yep, I know. Warm beets? That sounds awful! I thought so too but I also had no other ideas on how to use the beets I got. I decided that if it was terrible, I would throw it out (which is what I was tempted to do anyway with the beets so I would only be out a little time and energy if it failed). This was the best choice I made all week. 

Things to note about the below recipe:

• beets are actually red all on their own. I thought the red was from the liquid they were stored in during the pickling process but I was wrong. You WILL get red hands when you peel and slice! 
  
• You can peel a beet just like you peel a potato. There may be an easier way but I had no clue and tried my potato peeler. It worked.
• I had no idea how to roast sliced beets. I just put them on a baking dish with tin foil and baked at 400 degree F for 30 min. While they shriveled at the edges a bit, they tasted just fine. 
• I dislike balsamic vinegar but wanted to try the recipe as written. It was a great choice. The combo of balsamic vinegar and goat cheese warmed by the warm beets is absolutely amazing!

Warm Beet and Goat Cheese Salad

1 bunch beets (washed, peeled, sliced)
4 oz Spinach (roughly chopped)
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper
2 oz goat cheese

1. Roast beets in oven in a baking dish for 30 minutes or until soft but still firm
2. Toss beets and spinach together in a salad bowl
3. Drizzle with olive and vinegar
4. Add salt and pepper to taste
5. Crumble goat cheese on top and toss one more time to mix ingredients and allow for greens to wilt a bit.
6. Enjoy!

The first day

I am so glad our CSA sends out a newsletter. 2 months before our first pick up, a newsletter went out explaining how it worked. 

Pickup- Mondays between 4:30-6:30pm (if you can't pick it up, someone can pick it up on your behalf or they can put it in a cooler for you to get the next day)

Boxes- there is 1 box per share. you can take the box each week but you have to remember to bring it back because it is the only one you get.

Location- on campus near the wine and beer growing centers. really hard to find- they gave a hand drawn map to confuse you even more (if I didn't drive past this on my commute each day, it would have been very hard to find)

Items- the students pre-pack the veggies in your share into the box. if there is a surplus of an item, you can grab more of it when you pick up your items

U-pick- there is a u-pick garden where you can pick herbs and fruits as they come in season

As the first pick up approached, they sent out another newsletter letting you know that the beginning of the season has less than the end so don't be disappointed in the first week if the box isn't overflowing. The newsletter also asked everyone to attend an orientation during the first pickup. Finally, the newsletter listed the vegetables that would be available that week and some recipes to help you use them. 

At the first pick-up, my coworker, her husband, and I all went to the orientation. We came straight from work to make the 5:30pm orientation and were still in our work clothes. About half of the other people were too so we didn't feel too out of place. However, we all opted out of the walking tour of the actual garden as it was a mile or so down a long dusty road. We said we'd do that another time. 

There is a main table where you pick up your share and they cross your name off the list. My co-worker and I both have our name down on the share so either can pick it up (which is super helpful as there will be weeks where one of us is not able to get there).

There is a side table where you can split your share. It even has a cutting board and knife, extra bags, etc. This was very helpful. We ended up cutting a head of lettuce in half and it meant that we both got a little of everything the first week. Here is what we got:

Salad Mix

Head of lettuce

Joi Choy

Green Onions

Spinach

Radishes

Chard

Rosemary

Beets

Lessons learned:

-During a week where there isn't much, splitting everything half way means neither of you have enough to do a full recipe. I strongly recommend alternating who gets what unless you really want to try it all. We'll see if that is still true as the produce becomes more abundant. 

-Try the recipes they provide. Some were out of this world (I'll share my favorites in a bit). 

-Goat cheese works with everything!

Choosing the right CSA

I googled CSAs in my town. Yep, that's how I found this one. I started by looking at the website of my kooky granola-crunching grocery store and they didn't have any info on CSAs. So I turned to by BFF Google. Turns out there were a few in town. However, most didn't allow you to split a share and I wasn't ready for a full share (for you noobs like me- a full share can feed a family of 4). Others were full year CSAs and required full payment up front (over $1000). Having just moved and spent money on getting a good apartment, I wasn't ready to ante-up that much. 

Then I found that my university (where I work) had a student run organic farm. Here's what I liked about them:

-student run (I'm an educator so that's a big plus)

-can split a share

-multiple types of CSAs (full year, summer, etc)

-optional add ons but not required (milk, eggs, cut flowers, etc)

I contacted them and asked to become a member. Do you know what they told me?

THERE IS A WAITING LIST OF UP TO A YEAR!

Well, that worked for me. I was able to sign up without feeling like I was really committing. I could withdraw my application later if I really didn't want to do it. 

It really did take a year. I applied in April 2013 and in February 2014 I was informed I was on the list for the summer 2014 CSA. I decided that a summer commitment was better than a full year commitment and I was excited that I could share with someone. I found a co-worker willing to split the share and I sent in the money ($750 for a 20 week CSA share- June thru Oct).

I'm not waking up on Saturday to go to a farmer's market!

That's right, you heard me. A huge reason for me getting a CSA is because I don't have to wake up on a Saturday morning to go to a farmer's market. My mom loves them and for years tried to get me to love them too. I don't hate them, I just love sleep more. 

I resisted farmer's markets my whole life. Whenever people ask me to go to one, I politely decline. They never leave it at that- they always want to know why I don't want to go. As if the norm is wanting to go and they cannot fathom why I would not be psyched about getting up early on a Saturday morning to get the best produce. "Sorry, it's just not my thing" is never enough. As the conversation develops, they inevitably want to solve the dilemma of my being undersupplied of locally grown produce and recommend I get a farm share (or a CSA as they are also called). 

I have lived around the US and heard about CSAs/farm shares everywhere I went. I am a very saavy grocery shopper and also someone who doesn't know how to cook. Those two together mean would mean lots of spoiled overpriced produce if I got a CSA. At least, that is what I told myself. More about cost later. 

When I first heard about CSAs, I was working on a college campus in Colorado and had a meal plan. I had so much produce available to me for such a reasonable price, I couldn't justify spending a dime on additional produce. When my mom got one (in Iowa City, IA), I was a little jealous but still couldn't justify the expense (when she went in on a cow-share, I was very entertained). Then I moved to Georgia, where peaches were abundant but CSAs we not available in my town. As always, I was left with the farmer's market option.

3 reasons for getting a CSA

1. I moved to Michigan. I guess I should say I moved back to Michigan. I had done my graduate work at Michigan State University and was thrilled when the perfect position opened up at my alma mater. Coming back as a grown up (graduate school delays adulthood so I would not consider myself an adult even though I was in my early 20s when I was here), I essentially discovered the city for the first time. It is beautiful! MSU (aka "moo-u") also has a strong agricultural program so they have a student run organic farm. As an educator, supporting a student run endeavor was a huge selling point for me (and influenced me more than supporting my random local farmer). 

2. I am learning to cook. After years of living on campus with a meal plan, I moved off campus and realized I had no real cooking skills. So, I started to intentionally challenge myself to learn new cooking techniques for the last 7 years. I tend to go through phases. I mastered ramen in college and pasta in grad school. Since then, I've worked on baking, dried beans, soups, roasts, slow cookers, and mexican food. Turns out, vegetables are part of almost all styles of cooking. I knew I needed to dive in and a CSA would force me out of my broccoli, corn, and kale comfort zone.

3. I want to be healthy. I know, I know- most people say they want to lose weight. I want to do that too but, more importantly, I want to feel good. I find that every time I sign up for weight watchers or get a new wellness app on my smart phone, the first thing I realize is I don't get enough exercise or vegetables. I'm working on fixing both of those things. Getting a CSA is a committment to myself that I will eat my fruits and veggies like a good girl. 

So, when I found that my university had a student run organic farm CSA, I decided to take the plunge.