I've been a CSA member for a whole entire week now. Here's what I've learned:
- Pussy willows can grow very tall (mine are nearly 6 feet!). They do not taste good. They are decorative.
- Ramps are the greatest fresh food I'd never tasted. This pasta and ramps recipe is phenomenal, but can be improved with the addition of bacon, and the subtraction of a few red pepper flakes.
- Black radishes are extremely bitter when eaten raw in thick slices. Next time, I will grate them and eat them with quinoa.
- Overwintered spinach is as tasty and delicious as the "normal" kind. And I very much appreciate when it comes washed, packaged, and ready to eat.
- Sorrel is kind of exciting to bite into, especially raw.
- Chives are hard to displace as the kids' favorite fresh, local food.
- Sunchokes and parsnips taste great on the grill with nothing more than olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. In fact, there's nothing I got from Harmony Valley Farm last week that didn't taste good with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Burdock is a root that gets mushy when you leave it on the counter for one, two, even three days. It's still okay to eat. I sauteed it with um, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper. I loved it. My wife said it tasted like salty twigs.
- It's super fun to compare notes with the neighbors when the box arrives - especially if one of the neighbors has a cousin who's also a chef in town.
- Having a "#csasmackdown" on Twitter with my new e-friends @irishgirl and @mattwilson is kind of childish, but good geeky fun.
Please share what you've learned too! Week 2 promises even more simple, good, and tasty excitement, I'm sure.
Comments
I'm so, so, so jealous! Our CSA doesn't kick in until June, apparently. We'll have to go through Harmony next year, I'm thinking.
We did the CSA thing for the first time last Summer, and every week was so exciting!! Vegetables I had never even tried before, let alone cooked, made every week fun and interesting. And, I found that by the end of the Summer, nearly everything (and, I mean everything) tasted wonderful with just olive oil, salt and pepper. Really lets the flavor of the individual vegetable come out in its truest form.
Looking forward to reading more about what you do with your stuff, and I'll definitely share as we go along as well.
Beth
Thanks for sharing, Beth! I'm looking forward to hearing more. There are loads of terrific CSAs serving the Twin Cities, Harmony Valley just seems to be a great one with some of the longest seasons.
I keep hoping for local olive oil, but so far, nothing. :-)
What's a ramp? Looks like broccoli rabe.
Amy (your sis-in-law)
Hey Sis! Ramps look more like green onions - you can see them better in the picture on this post: http://www.simplegoodandtasty.com/2009/05/08/my-little-bundle-of-joy/. Thanks for the note!
While we sit patiently waiting our first CSA bounty, I was thoroughly entertained by your "first box" experience. I especially enjoyed the "salty twig" comment from your wife when tasting burdock. We have more burdock than I care to discuss, so if she grows a taste for them just let me know and you will have a lifetime supply!
Cheers,
Rob
Thanks Rob. Poor, unloved burdock! I actually liked it, but I can't say I was unhappy that a second batch didn't arrive last night. Got more black radishes, though. That stresses me out just a little bit. :-) What foods will you struggle with in your first box?
Thanks,
Lee
We're into Week 2 and still have not used burdock from the first week's box. I think tonight will be the night, though; gotta make myself try these new things! I think I've been spooked by others' comments about it. I'm sure it will be excellent, or at least interesting to try...
When I talked with the Loon Organics farmer at Mill City Market this week, I mentioned the black radishes and she said if you can eat those, then the fresh red ones will be a snap!
My 4-year-old liked the chives too; at least she licked them which is more than can be said for the other box items. :)
Hi Amy,
Don't fear the burdock. Poor, poor burdock. I'm going to go ahead and champion it, if only because it really does taste good fried up with salt and olive oil.
We ate our black radishes in a quinoa salad this weekend. Just a little bit at a time does the trick. The folks at Loon are right! Thanks for sharing, Amy!
-Lee
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