arugula

This Week's CSA: A Boxful of Brassica

Arugala and parmesan

I was talking with someone at a party last week about how to manage the weekly load of vegetables from the CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. His approach is to identify the vegetables he likes the least, and eat them first.

"Otherwise," he intoned, “there's no hope for them."

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Can Food Get You in the Mood? A Guy's Guide to Aphrodisiacs

Hey, you guys… listen up. Valentine’s Day is this weekend. If you're in a significant relationship, this is the one day every year when you’re expected – no, mandated – to express your undying devotion to that person in your life whom you love more than…
(a)  beer
(b)  pizza
(c)  your dog
(d)  your mother
(e)  all of the above

This is also the day, every year, when there is extra pressure to, um, “perform” like the stud-muffin that you are. In other words, Valentine’s Day would be the wrong time to fall asleep early in front of the TV, dressed in your wife-beater undershirt and ketchup-stained boxers.

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What's for Dinner? Soup!

 Kate SommersPhoto credit: Kate SommersThese days, I'm actually kind of grateful that the Minnesota Twins play in a dome. You see, I'm originally from New York, and the members of my family who have not (yet) moved here are going to get another look at our fair city this week during the American League Division Series (go Twins!).

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Harmony Valley Keeps it Fresh and Local

My family is nearly 6 months into our Harmony Valley farmshare, and it's astounding to think about how much has changed for us. We're making soup out of things like celeriac these days, and the other day I ate a fresh lunch consisting only of things I picked from the garden 5 minutes before. My family hardly recognizes me. We don't even keep beef jerky or gummy worms in the cupboard anymore. Crazy.

Here's another confession I'd like to make, just between you and me - when I got this week's farmshare bounty, I took a half dozen of the mini-sweet peppers, washed them off, and ate them raw while I was putting the other stuff away. I know - it sounds crazy, but it's true. Even more shocking? They were fantastic.

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Imperfectly Acceptable: The Lessons of a Wabi-Sabi Garden

 Maven MamaImage Credit: Maven Mama"According to Japanese legend, a young man named Sen no Rikyu sought to learn the elaborate set of customs known as the Way of Tea. He went to tea-master Takeeno Joo, who tested the younger man by asking him to tend the garden. Rikyu cleaned up debris and raked the ground until it was perfect, then scrutinized the immaculate garden. Before presenting his work to the master, he shook a cherry tree, causing a few flowers to spill randomly onto the ground.

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July Simple, Good, and Tasty Dinner Tonight at the Red Stag Supper Club

Here are the details for tonight's dinner:

Where: Red Stag Super Club, Minneapolis (http://www.redstagsupperclub.com/)When: 7/29, 7:00Cost: $35 for 3 course meal, not including tax, tip, or boozeContact the Red Stag: 509 1st Avenue NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413, 612.767.7766Contact me: lee@simplegoodandtasty.com

And here's a sneak peek at the menu, just to get you excited:

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What's in This Week's CSA Box?

By now, many of you know the drill; here's what's coming from my Harmony Valley CSA this week. The following list, hints, and information, and photo is provided by Harmony Valley Farm, but the recipes - oh, the recipes will come from you, I hope!

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This Week’s Farmshare Box

Here are the contents of this week’s box, along with notes, suggestions, and a picture from Harmony Valley Farm. I’m exceedingly happy to be getting sugar snap peas and summer squash this week, and I’m committed to making garlic scape pesto too. Slightly bummed that there’s no fruit share this week, especially since I’ve started squeezing my own orange juice. Oh well, more strawberries!

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What's in the Box? This Week's Farmshare Bounty

csa-boxHas it already been a week? Can you tell from the bigger that the bounty is getting bigger? It's much harder to make our way through an entire box of local, sustainable, organic fresh produce - no matter how wonderful - when we spend part of the week out of town (as we did last week). Lucky for us there's always a line up of family, friends, and neighbors willing to take an extra bag of spinach, green garlic, or bok choy off our hands in a pinch. Why is it so hard to let these treasures go?

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Bring on the Greens: This Week's CSA/Farmshare

csabox22Thanks to Good Life Catering, I no longer fear vast quantities of rhubarb. Now that I can make a rhubarb margarita, I say "bring it on!" Thank goodness, because more rhubarb is on the way. Here's a list of what I'll be getting from my Harmony Valley CSA today, along with descriptions and advice straight from the Harmony Valley newsletter:

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