How did I not know of this until now?

My state as a grain CSA?

http://www.localgrain.org/about/

Crop examples are:

• “Red Lammas” hard red winter wheat (heirloom)
• “Redeemer” winter wheat
• Oats
• Spelt
• Rye
• Emmer (Known as Farro in Italy)
• Barley
• “Nothstine Dent” Corn
• “Plymouth Flint” Corn
• Black Turtle Beans
• Pinto Beans
• Winter Rye
• “Tom Thumb”Popcorn
• Triticale

WHAT?  I read thekitchn all the time and only noticed this eight months later?  Could I do this?  I’d need a way to get to Natick, seeing as I don’t have a car of my own right now.  Granted, pick up is once a year (or so it seems), but this sounds so amazing.  Spelt?  Emmer?  I want this!

Other reference link:

http://www.thekitchn.com/what-you-should-know-if-youre-thinking-of-getting-a-grain-share-kitchen-tour-205428

Meat CSA, month 2

I didn’t order any extras this month, but they were:

red Potatoes $10 per 5 pound bag
Yukon Gold potatoes $12 per 5 pound bag
cured Garlic $7 per half pound bag
Beef burger $4.50 per pound
Beef short ribs $4.50 per pound
Beef crosscut shanks $4.50 per pound
Veal stew meat $4.50 per pound
Veal shanks $5 per pound (cut into 3 pieces with one piece per package)**for Osso Bucco** ***On sale $4 per pound***
Ground veal $4.50 per pound
Fresh pork belly ends (2.4 to 3.7#) $3 per pound-(can be for salt pork)**price reduced**
Fresh belly Skin-on (10.9 & 6.1#) $5 per pound
Hot Italian bulk $5 per pound
Sweet Italian bulk $5 per pound
breakfast sausage $5 per pound
ground pork (no seasons) $4.50 per pound
Pork spare ribs (2 to 3 #) $3 per pound
Fresh jowls $2 per pound
Pigs feet $1 per pound
Pig ears $1 per pound
back fat (5 to 6 lbs) $1 per pound
beef and veal heart $2 per pound
beef liver $2 per pound
pork hearts, livers, and tongues $2 per pound
soup bones (no meat) $1.50 per pound**** beef, pork only****
Beef and veal tongue–$5 per pound
Pork sirloin end chops–$6.50 per pound
Bacon ends and peices (regular cure only) $6 per pound
Nitrate free bacon ends and pieces $6.50 per pound

Linked sausages:priced at $6.50 per package (approx 1# pkgs)
Fresh Kielbasa rope (not cured)
Chorizo
Hot Italian
American breakfast ingredients: pork, salt, white pepper, sugar, and sage
Veal Hot Italian
Veal Garlic and Parmesan
Veal fresh Kielbasa
Veal sweet Italian

ROASTS
Pork boneless sirloin end roasts (1 to 1.7#) $6.50 per pound
Pork loin roast (2.6 to 6.9 lbs) $7.50 per pound *** sale $6 per pound***
Pork sirloin end roast (4.1 to 5.8#) $6.50 per pound***sale $5.50 per pound***
Cured ham end roasts (4# to 5.6 #) $7 per pound ***sale $5 per pound***
Boneless half ham roasts (6.2 to 6.8#) $7.50 per pound***sale $6 per pound***
bone-in picnic roasts (4.1 to 5.6#) $6 per pound***sale $4 per pound***
Half pork butt roasts (3 to 5.5 lbs) $6.50 per pound****sale $5.50 per pound***
fresh boneless picnic roasts (3.7 to 5.1 lbs) $6.50 per pound ***Sale $5.50 per pound***
Beef bottom round roasts (1.6 to 2.8#) $6.00 per pound
Beef brisket (2.9 to 3.9#) $6.50 per pound
Beef eye of the round roast (1 to 1.5#) $6 per pound

LAMB
Lamb liver, kidneys, and tongues—$1 per pound

WHOLE CHICKEN
2 to 4.7 lbs $4.50 per pound***Sale***This is the last month for this price.

Pure Vermont Maple Syrup:
$12 per pint
$22 per quart
$32 per half gallon
$54 per gallon

Natural Vermont wildflower honey from local West Meadow Farm
8 oz $4.75
12 oz squeeze bear $6.75
16 oz $8.75
32 oz $16.50

Claires Country Garden Jellies and Jams (all 9 oz jars) $8 each more information at http://www.Clairescountrygarden.com.
Strawberry
Jalapeno Jam
Raspberry Jam

Pickles are 16oz each at $8 each
Sweet pickle relish
Dill spears
Hot Damn Dill
Dilly beans –cut
Bread and Butter

YeeYee’s Pickles 12 oz each at $6 each
Pickled beets

As for the CSA itself, we got mostly ground beef, steaks, pork country style ribs, and pork chops this time.  I picked out a pork shoulder, a porterhouse steak, and a T-bone steak for myself.  I was excited to have the pork shoulder – the ones in the markets tend to be huge.  The one in the CSA box was about 3.5 lbs.  I was also hoping to find a brisket this month but it was not meant to be.

On the bright side, I think pulled pork will be on the menu this weekend.  (^_^)

veggie CSA, no. 2, 2012

I haven’t been getting very interesting items with the veggie CSA, which explains why I haven’t posted much about it. I did get a lot of napa cabbage, more than I had room for. So, most of it went toward making kimchi.

There’s no recipe – I made it without measuring anything.  I should have used more ginger, but I was out.  I made nearly 2.5 quarts.  Now, it’s just sitting in my fridge.  I might make pasta with kimchi tonight for dinner.

meat CSA, 2012, month 1 of 4

Holy cow! (no pun intended) 20 pounds of meat is much more than either I or my neighbor realized. Only about a quarter of the share is for me. Most of it is for the neighbor as I believe he’s transitioned to a paleo diet.

I kept 1lb ground pork, 1lb ground beef, 1 lb bacon, a flank steak, a couple of pork chops, and a porterhouse steak.

M* also got the ground meats and a porterhouse, but he also got pork ribs, (beef?) top round, (beef?) bottom round, butt flaps (I think), pork breakfast sausage (not in casing)… and a whole bunch of other things I’m forgetting.

I need a larger cooler for the drop offs. The box of meats was the same size as the cooler. The delivery person put the box of meats on its side into the cooler, precariously leaned the ice packs on the side and loosely put the cover on.

It wasn’t a problem though. Everything was still perfectly cold and frozen by the time we both came home. But for my own sanity, I think I should invest in a larger cooler (which I’ve been meaning to regardless).

I bought extras for my siblings. One asked for chicken and one bulb of uncured garlic. Another asked for a pint of Vermont maple syrup (grade B – I’m envious, I prefer grade B!) which I’ll drop off tomorrow.

I’m very excited. I’m plotting things to do as I write this. The only problem is what should I decide on. (^_^)

I have a meat CSA!

I got my confirmation email. I’m so excited. I thought I was totally out of options because most meat CSAs around here are a 6 month subscription starting in June. I’ll be sharing it with one of my neighbors.

And there’s the option to buy extras. Lots of extras. (^_^)

 
Your delivery is July 3rd 
.Here is this months extras list:
Uncured new Potatoes $4 per pound

Uncured Garlic $2 per bulb 
Beef burger $4.50 per pound
Beef short ribs $4.50 per pound

Beef crosscut shanks $4.50 per pound
Veal stew meat $4.50 per pound

Veal shanks $5 per pound (cut into 3 pieces with one piece per package)**for Osso Bucco** ***On sale $4 per pound***
Ground veal $4.50 per pound
Fresh pork belly ends (2.4 to 3.7#) $3 per pound-(can be for salt pork)**price reduced**
Fresh belly Skin-on (10.9 & 6.1#) $5 per pound

Hot Italian bulk $5 per pound

Sweet Italian bulk $5 per pound
breakfast sausage  $5 per pound
ground pork (no seasons) $4.50 per pound
Pork spare ribs (2 to 3 #) $3 per pound

Fresh jowls  $2 per pound
Pigs feet $1 per pound
Pig ears $1 per pound
back fat (5 to 6 lbs) $1 per pound
beef and veal heart $2 per pound
beef liver $2 per pound
pork hearts, livers, and tongues  $2 per pound
soup bones (no meat) $1.50 per pound**** beef, pork and veal only****
Beef and veal tongue–$5 per pound
Pork sirloin end chops–$6.50 per pound
Bacon ends and peices (regular cure only) $6 per pound
 Nitrate free bacon ends and pieces $6.50 per pound

Linked sausages:priced at $6.50 per package (approx 1# pkgs)
Fresh Kielbasa rope (not cured)
Chorizo
Vermont Maple links (breakfast size)
Hot Italian
American breakfast ingredients: pork, salt, white pepper, sugar, and sage
Smoked Andouille **only 5 left** 
Veal Hot Italian
Veal Garlic and Parmesan
Veal fresh Kielbasa
Veal sweet Italian
 
ROASTS

Pork boneless sirloin end roasts (1 to 1.7#) $6.50 per pound
Pork loin roast (2.6 to 6.9 lbs) $7.50 per pound *** sale $6 per pound*** 
Pork sirloin end roast (4.1 to 5.8#) $6.50 per pound***sale $5.50 per pound***
Cured ham end roasts (4# to 5.6 #) $7 per pound ***sale $5 per pound***
Boneless half ham roasts (6.2 to 6.8#) $7.50 per pound***sale $6 per pound*** 
bone-in pinic roasts (4.1 to 5.6#) $6 per pound***sale $4 per pound*** 
Half pork butt roasts (3 to 5.5 lbs) $6.50 per pound****sale $5.50 per pound***
fresh boneless picnic roasts (3.7 to 5.1 lbs) $6.50 per pound ***Sale $5.50 per pound***
Beef bottom round roasts (1.6 to 2.8#) $6.00 per pound
Beef brisket (3.6 to 5.2#) $6.50 per pound
Beef eye of the round roast (1.7 to 3.6#) $6 per pound
Veal eye of the round (1.6 to 2.1#) $11 per pound
 
LAMB
Lamb liver, kidneys, and tongues—$1 per pound
 
WHOLE CHICKEN
2 to 4.7 lbs  $4.50 per pound***Sale***
 
Pure  Vermont Maple Syrup:
$12 per pint
$22 per quart
$32 per half gallon
$54 per gallon
 
Natural Vermont wildflower honey from local West Meadow Farm
8 oz  $4.75
12 oz squeeze bear $6.75
16 oz $8.75 
32 oz $16.50
 
 
Claires Country Garden Jellies and Jams  (all 9 oz jars) $8 each  more information at www.Clairescountrygarden.com.

Strawberry 
Jalapeno Jam 
Raspberry Jam
 
Pickles are 16oz each at $8 each
Sweet pickle relish
Dill spears
Hot Damn Dill
Dilly beans –cut
Bread and Butter 
 
YeeYee’s Pickles 12 oz each at $6 each
Pickled beets

 

chickpeas and mixed greens

So…

I decided to go “Super Natural Every Day” on the braising mix greens I got from my CSA.  Heidi Swanson’s second book was one of those books that I love looking at, tell myself to cook from it, and then never get around to cooking from it.  Well, it was time to change my bad habits!

Adapting one of her recipes to fit what I had on hand, here’s what happened:

I soaked 1/2 cup of chickpeas overnight (probably about 16 hours?) and then simmered them in fresh water for about 35 minutes.  (Although the soaking liquid has a lot of flavor, that’s the same liquid that’s going to make you fart.  I’m not going to lie to you.)  I usually add a large pinch of salt halfway through the cooking time.

In a different pan, I heated some olive oil (3T) and softened some finely chopped onions over medium heat (I used one small onion).  I added some garlic powder, a pinch of salt, and maybe 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes.  When the onion looked soft enough, I added in my mixed greens.  Once the greens had wilted, I mixed in the chickpeas.  When everything was incorporated, I threw in some lime zest (I’m zany that way), and killed the heat.

Overall?  This is simple and tasty.  It’s a good way to use up some CSA greens.  I really liked the lime zest to be honest.  It was supposed to be lemon zest but my lemon zest was in the freezer and I had limes that wanted some attention.  I think, next time, I’ll try it with some preserved Meyer lemons (which I almost used this time around, but then the limes were staring at me down).

veggie CSA, no. 1, 2012

This year, my sister and I are trying a full-sized share with Brookfield Farm. My sister’s roommate is also splitting the share with us.

Our first pick up was tonight. According to Brookfield Farm, what we got was:

Lettuce: Our spring harvest of head lettuce has begun. We aim for fresh lettuce from now until November.

Braising Mix: A mix of delicious greens which are perfect for quick cooking. This mix may include the following: red kale, mizuna (mild spiky leaf), and red mustard (purple and spicy).

Komatsuna: Every week we plan on having a big cooking green available for your share. This week, we’ll start out with this large-leaf bok-choy type which is great for stir-frys.

Arugula: We keep this peppery green separate so that you can decide what to do with it! It’s great either raw (chopped into the salad) or cooked (loses some of it’s tang). The first crop is beautiful with many more (9) to come!

“French Breakfast” Radish: Red radishes with delicate white tips. Try them for breakfast (like the French), cut up in a salad, or get creative.

Spinach: What? Really? Spinach? Yes!! This crop always has a tough time at our farm, but this year we have one great bed which should make for nice salads this week! Fresh cut and delicious!

I took the spinach, one head of green lettuce, and 1/3 of the mix.  My sister took the komatsuna, 1/3 of the mix, and I think the arugula.  M* took the radishes, 1/3 of the mix, and I think the red lettuce.

I think I’ll probably stir-fry the mixed greens.  Half of my spinach has already been wilted and then cooked with eggs and scallions.  My green lettuce might get stir-fried as well.  I haven’t decided yet.

roasted eggplant puree for pasta

Early in the summer, I had experimented with a batch of garlic scape pesto only to find myself terribly disappointed.

Today’s pasta sauce was the antithesis of that.

I was home from work by 6pm, and I’m away from the office for the rest of the week. I went to visit the plants in the garden before heading inside, and saw that some of the eggplant my mother planted was ready to be picked. I had three pretty eggplants in my greedy hands, and didn’t know what to do with them. I knew I wanted to roast them in some manner, but not much more than that.

Then, I remembered seeing an eggplant puree recipe in one of my library books. On page 130 of Giada’s Kitchen by Giada De Laurentiis was a recipe for “penne with eggplant puree.” I used the method but didn’t follow the ingredients  exactly, and still I was very pleased with the end results.

Roasted Eggplant Puree for Pasta
inspired by Giada De Laurentiis

3 small eggplants, unpeeled, cut into one inch pieces
a large handful of sweet grape tomatoes (from the market… I wish I hadn’t eaten all my tomatoes. I pop ’em like candy if they’re sweet)
2 small onions, quartered (from my CSA)
1 small bell pepper, cut into medium slices (I had a purple one from the CSA)
garlic powder (I’m out of fresh garlic cloves)
salt
red pepper flakes
olive oil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn

Heat your oven to 400F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a separate baking dish or sheet, spread out the pine nuts and set aside.

A (mostly) white vegetable soup recipe

What do you do when you’ve got a small cabbage head and a bunch of small carrots from your CSA? Not to mention that your mother bought you half a nagaimo (Japanese mountain yam) and a couple of chayote squash for no reason?

Soup!

And I must be absolutely mad to be making soup on a hot summer Sunday evening (a little humid and 90F!). It was only made possible by the lone air conditioner in my apartment which was strategically placed in the kitchen.

I was inspired by two driving forces: by the memory of the shiso-white wine-chicken recipe in “Ancient Kitchen, Modern Wisdom,” and by my belief that chayote squash doesn’t pair well with traditional herbs. (I roasted chayote squash once with dried basil, and discovered it was one of the worse pairings I could have done.  It generally tastes good with spices.)

Here’s how the (mostly) white vegetable soup went:

veggie CSA, no. 5, 2011

Last week’s share:
Salad Mix 0.5lb (split between me and my sister)
Cabbage 1 (me)
Basil 1 bunch (me)
Chard 1 bunch (my sister)
Snap peas (pint) 1 (me)

This week’s share:
Lettuce (head) 1 (my sister)
Carrots (bunch)  1 (me, only because my sister had just purchased carrots)
Basil (bunch) 1 (me)
Cukes (lb) 1 (4 small cucumbers, I took 3)
snap peas (me)
new potatoes (my sister)

I’ve learned that my sister doesn’t like snap peas.  As for the basil, I’ve been getting them because my sister doesn’t think she’ll use it fast enough and she has no place to store it.  Basil cuttings prefer being kept in a container of water, instead of being stored in the fridge.  Our CSA cuttings are really short because they are prunings really, which makes it hard to put in water.  Basil leaves don’t like sitting in water.  They will wither or get blotchy.  Right now, I have some with a longer stem in a used soda bottle.  For my short ones, I’m trying out using an ice cube tray as a plant container.  I have water in every other cube so that the basil leaves can fan out without getting wet (hopefully).  So long as I don’t kill them, my sister can grab some whenever she wants.  Or if too many of them grow roots, out into some dirt in the yard they will go. 

Meal-wise, I haven’t done anything interesting with my CSA so far.  I’ve been enjoying it prepared as simple as possible.  (My only failure so far is letting arugula go to waste.  At least, I think that’s my only CSA “d’oh! moment” so far.)  I boiled my beets from a couple of weeks ago.  From last week, I ate the salad mix straight up.  The cabbage is still in the fridge and looking ok, while the snap peas were boiled for a few minutes and then eaten along side some pasta.

I’m trying to decide what to do with my carrots (I must cook them as I am allergic to raw carrots).  Some recipes under consideration are:
http://fullmeasureofhappiness.com/2011/07/06/carrot-cake-green-monster/(will need to cook carrots before blending)
http://www.cookiemadness.net/2008/03/carrot-cake-breakfast-cookies/ 
http://www.bhg.com/recipe/bars/carrot-and-zucchini-bars/
http://www.ledelicieux.com/2011/05/02/roasted-carrot-soup/  
or pickled carrots?

But now I’m thinking about making a soup with the carrots and the cabbage.  Maybe with thyme and white wine?  I do have some old white wine in my fridge.  Hmmm…