what I did with my CSA share

As you all recall, it was two weeks ago that I picked up the first CSA share of the season, which meant a fridge full of veggies to consume. And what did I do will all that jolly green goodness? Well, I had dinner downtown after I picked up the food on Thursday night, but I kicked off Friday morning with a nice green salad accompanied with a poached egg and goat cheese, both of which I had gotten the previous weekend at the market. I also sliced up some garlic scapes very thinly, as though they were scallions, and added that to the mix. With something so green and cheerful for breakfast, you can't help but feel like it is going to be a good day.


salad for breakfast

I had off from work that day, and was thus able to spend the afternoon cooking and planning recipes to use up my vegetable stockpile. I sliced up all the ingredients for a red cabbage and carrot coleslaw with cilantro, garlic scapes and a lime mayonnaise. This I brought to my friend Flood's barbecue the next day. I pickled a jar of sugar snap peas and stored them in the fridge. Then I turned my attentions to that night's dinner, which I made for Nathan and his mom and grandma. A meatball risotto featured garlic scapes, parsley and fresh spinach from the csa, and was served alongside a leafy green salad of boston lettuce, scapes, and Union Square radishes. On Sunday, my parents and I made a delicious dinner that included co-op zucchini and summer squash with tomato sauce and grated cheese, as well as dry rubbed ribs and potato salad with homemade mayo. Later in the week I had more salad, this time with fried goat cheese, which I served alongside bacon and onion loaded five cheese macaroni and cheese. The next night my pasta leftovers got paired with a gingery tatsoi stir-fry tossed with the extra zucchini and squash we didn't cook over the weekend. By the following Thursday, all I had left in the fridge was my arch nemesis kale, a bag of turnips, and some cilantro and parsley.

This week, I've been less successful. Thursday I went straight from picking up the food in Harlem to a bar down by West 4th St, and ended up eating leftovers once I got home. I cooked some delicious pasta with peas and broccoli rabe on Friday night, but Saturday afternoon I went to brunch with Nathan and in the evening Laura, Lauren, Paul and I scored tickets at Shakespeare in the Park to see A Winter's Tale. Sunday I used food co-op basil to make pesto, which accompanied a food co-op salad and coffee pork chops. But Monday I went straight from work to a barbecue hosted by Grace and Marianne, Tuesday I saw Toy Story, and Wednesday I went to a talk about Clementine Paddleford at the New School followed by a bar trivia night, so there was not been much opportunity to use up all this food. I don't even want to think about how much produce awaits me when I go home to cook tonight. Dauntingly, there is another pick up tonight, so it's not going to get any easier!

Even though I fell a bit short in week number 2, I've still built up a substantial back-log of recipes, all of which you can expect to see here in full detail soon.