CSA Week Thirteen

Here is what I got in my CSA this week:

-Fennel
-Corn
-Potatoes
-Eggplant
-Tomato
-Red peppers
-Jalapenos
-Summer squash
-Red onion
-Peaches
-Plums
-Green beans
-Eggs

This week I made this eggplant, tomato, and caramelized onion pasta.  It makes for really great leftovers.  My friend froze some of the corn for soups this winter.  We made some Mexican rice with the peppers and onion.  I also made a peach upside-down cake too (more on that later).

The plums go great on top of vanilla ice cream.  And the green beans are perfect for Parmigiano Gremolata, but doesn't this green bean salad with fennel and fried almonds look good too?

CSA Week Six

It is officially delicious fruit season!  I got a lot of little jewels this week, but I will be honest - where the heck are my cherries?  I am dying for them!  Here is what I got from CSA this week:

-Corn

-Fennel

-Dill

-Lettuce

-Basil

-Arugula

-Onion

-Cucumbers

-Zucchini

-Summer squash

-Plums

-Peaches

-Blackberries

-Blueberries

-Eggs

-Zinnias and snapdragons

Last night I got right down to business, and made a few things I could keep for later use.  I am going out of town this weekend with Murray's Cheese on their Summer Whey-cation trip to the Vermont Cheesemaker's Festival.  There are only a few spots left, so if you are interested in joining, click here to check it out!

CSA Week Nineteen

I got so much food last week, that I had to cab it home.  Pounds after pounds of tomatoes, potatoes, and greens.  Here is what I got:
-Peppers
-Lettuce
-Arugula
-Baby bok choy
-Dill
-Green beans
-Potatoes
-Tomatoes
-Garlic
-Turnips
-Apples
-Seckel pears
-Bosc pears
-Plums
-Dozen eggs

Last year around this time I made Pear-Caramel Ice Cream.  Click here to check it out.

CSA Week Seventeen & Eighteen

I have had a couple busy weeks filled with visitors and traveling, so I have been a bit lax on posting.  Here is the produce I got from my CSA:

Week Seventeen

-Heirloom tomatoes
-Cherry tomatoes
-Dill
-Hot peppers
-Mesclun greens
-Kale
-Radishes
-Green beans
-Apples
-Plums
-Seckle pears
-Dozen eggs

Week Eighteen

-Tomatoes
-Grape tomatoes
-Bok choy
-Hot peppers
-Lettuce
-Green beans
-Collard greens
-Apples
-Plums
-Seckle pears
-Dozen eggs

Plum Crisp

I have received plenty of ripe plums from my CSA these last couple weeks, and I am planning to get some more tomorrow.  Besides just plain eating them,  I have made a couple of plum crisps.  For my first crisp, I was fairly disappointed in the crispness of the crisp.  But after reading this great post from The Bitten Word on mix-and-match crumbles, I finally got a pretty good combination.  This crisp is easy and you can bake it in ramekins or a casserole dish.

Ingredients for Cinnamon Plum Crisp, adapted from The Bitten Word's advice, makes 8 ramekins:
-3/4 cups almond slivers
-1/2 cup rolled oats, not instant
-1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
-Pinch of salt
-7 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and cut into small cubes, plus more for buttering dishes/dish
-3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus 2 tablespoons for plum mixture
-2 pounds plums. pits removed, and cut into 1-inch pieces
-1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
-1/3 cup granulated sugar, up to a 1/2 cup more if your plums are tart

To begin, preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Butter ramekins or casserole dish.  
Whisk together flour, brown sugar, oats, and salt in a medium bowl.  Add almonds and the butter.  Use your hands to work in the butter until every thing is evenly moistened, and set aside.

Remove plum pits and cut plums into 1-inch pieces.  Toss with granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, and cinnamon.

Fill the ramekins or dish with plum mixture and then squeeze handfuls of crumble on top.  It is important to squeeze the crumble together, because if it is loose, then the crumble sometimes falls into the fruit mixture while baking.  Place ramekins on a lined baking sheet (in case of any overflowing bubbling juices), and bake for about 40 minutes or until the crumble is golden and the juices are bubbling.  Let sit for at least ten minutes before serving.  It is good with a bit of vanilla ice cream or just on its own.  Enjoy!

Click here to read my review on Starbucks VIA from last year.

CSA Week Fifteen

Hi!  Got a lot of great produce from my CSA:
-Broccoli rabe
-Bok choy
-Arugula
-Salad turnips
-Squash
-Green beans
-Hot House tomatoes
-Grape tomatoes
-Dill
-Apples
-Plums
-Seckle Pears
-Dozen eggs

CSA Week Fourteen

Hi!  This week my CSA welcomed in fall with squash, apples, and pears.  Here is what I got:
-Squash
-Lettuce
-Cherry tomatoes
-Tomatoes
-Bell peppers
-String beans
-Salad turnips
-Bok choy
-Mesclun greens
-Apples
-Barlett pears
-Peaches
-Plums
-Dozen eggs

This week I am going to pickle some green beans using this recipe by Bob McClure of McClure's pickles (swapping the cucumbers for the beans).  If you need some tomato inspiration, try this recipe for some Rustic Roasted Tomato Salsa by Rick Bayless.  Instead of buying fire roasted canned tomatoes, just roast your tomatoes under the broiler until the skins have charred black spots on both sides.  Let tomatoes cool, remove skins, and finish the recipe as usual.  And if you need a pear snack, try this recipe from Apples and Butter blog.

Enjoy!

CSA Week Thirteen

Yes, I realize I forgot to post last week's CSA.  My apologies, but I had a flight to catch.  My BFF got married last weekend and I couldn't be happier - like I-couldn't-stop-crying-in-front-of-everyone-at-ho-down-happier.  That said, lets skip to this week's bounty.

Photo by AWD.

Here is what I got:

-Parsley
-Meslcun greens
-Lettuce
-String beans
-Tomatoes
-Red Peppers
-Potatoes
-Zucchini
-Peaches
-Plums
-Eggs


Thinking about making this plum cake (so pretty) over the weekend, and drinking some of these Porch Crawlers (so deadly).