Tuesday, July 22, 2008

CSA Weeks 3, 4, 5

Blueberries! Raspberries! Peaches! Yum.
Green Beans, TONS of squash, zukes and cukes....and Tomatoes and Corn!

Look at this beauty:

Doesn't it look like watermelon!?!?!?!?!

I love July with my CSA. Fruit and Veggies in full affect!

I didn't do much on the cape, simply grilled off the zukes and squash.
We have been eating lots of salad (it's good, keeps you regular, if you know what I mean)....
I have been making lots of zucchini/squash bread - spicy, yummy.

From the meat CSA, I had lamb riblets. I really was not familiar with them - I figured they were like baby backs? or spear ribs? or short ribs? I researched a bit and found 2 methods to cook them, so I combined the two and they came out great.

First, I simmered them in water along with some peppercorns, garlic, carrots, onions, coriander and bay leaves. The riblet happens to be a very fatty cut of meat, so after I simmered them, I allowed them to cool, and tried to pull off as much fat as I could before step 2.

I was left with some nice lamb stock, something I have never made before. We are not huge lamb eaters, well, we weren't really lamb eaters at all, until I joined the CSA...
anyways, but I digress. On to step 2....

Step 2 was to wrap them in foil after I doused them with a honey mustard sauce I made with raspberry mustard, raspberry honey, raspberry vinegar and tamari. I then grilled the packet with indirect heat for about an hour.

Step 3, I grilled them on direct heat for just a few minutes.
Very yummy!
So, this weekend I hope to make Ginger Lemongrass beet soup. I made it for a client last week, and it delicious. I also made a tomato risotto today for another client that was so good, I'm going to have to make it for us to eat. It entails using 5 tomatoes, 3 of which you grate on a medium grater to "juice" it. You add the juice to the risotto as it is just finishing. To complete it, you add the remaining 2 tomatoes (chopped), fresh basil and Parmesan.
I'll check in with pics....till then, I'll be knee deep in peaches!

Friday, July 4, 2008

CSA Week 2

Ah, the bounty continues.
This week I got pretty much the same as last week, with the addition of some zucchini, summer squash, English peas (shelling peas) and gorgeous spinach.
I have been eating yummy salads with the peas, arugula, mesclin mix, radishes and red leaf lettuce.
I have been using the strawberries in my smoothies, along with strawberry Kefir and vanilla whey protein. Today I threw in a banana, peach and nectarine. Yum.
Most of the produce I will use over this weekend into next week on the Cape as we are off to visit the beach for a week. My regular Tuesday pickup therefore will actually be moved to next Saturday.....

English peas


English peas shelled

Some of the goodies

Golden beets

I hope to use the beets for a cold ginger borscht. The zukes and squash will most likely end up on the grill. I'll try to take some pics as I use the produce up over the week...