Community Supported Agriculture - Week 1

Ryan and I had discussed for many years the idea of getting a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box for the summer. In the last few years, we've grown fond of Gathering Together Farm, an organic farm just outside Philomath, on the road to the coast. We discovered it after a few of our friends invited us to one of the farm's wine dinners. At these dinners, local wines are paired with a multi-course, rustic-gourmet meal. If you're lucky, you are seated outside on the open air porch, surrounded by mismatched, rough hewn tables and chairs (and heaters if it's chilly!). Every bit of the evening was delectable and enchanting. I've been back to the restaurant a few times since, and its magic hasn't waned.

We decided this year we'd get a CSA box from Gathering Together. Each week from mid-June to Early November, we receive a box filled with fresh vegetables (and a few fruits). I am going to chronicle the contents we receive each week and what I do with them. So, let's get to it!

Our boxes are scheduled for a Tuesday pick up. However, I thought our day was Thursday. Thusly, I didn't actually get our box until Thursday, when I had to go to the farm to get it. Lucky for us, the stand sells delicious fresh cinnamon donuts, and I needed to buy some onions regardless. A trip out to the farm is never for naught. While the kids munched on their goodies, I transferred the produce from the farm's tote to my canvas bags, and we headed for home with big culinary ideas simmering.

Box #1:

Colorado Rose Potatoes

Carrots

Baby Walla Onions

Red Mustard Greens

Red Kale

Fresh Garlic

Lettuce (two huge heads)

Cucumbers

Thyme

Along with the produce, a newsletter is included to offer ideas as to how to eat your bounty, which is a fantastic and helpful addendum. Here's what I did with my goodies:

Potatoes - These are still in my fridge, waiting...

Carrots - Gone.  Honestly, they tasted so good raw, that that's just how we ate most of them. They were crunchy and sweet. 

Baby Walla Onions - Gone. Half were used in the Sauteéd Mustard Greens. The other half were caramelized along with the onions in the  Quinoa and Kale Crustless Quiche.

Red Mustard Greens - Gone. See Sauteéd Mustard Greens.

Red Kale - Gone. Added to Quinoa and Kale Crustless Quiche.

Fresh Garlic - Gone. Sauteéd and added to Quinoa and Kale Crustless Quiche.

Lettuce - Gone. A few leaves were hamburger fixings, but the rest were munched on as salad. I ate mine with the Carrot-Ginger Dressing. We ate a lot of salad this week. Which was fine. I had the last of it yesterday as a surprisingly spot-hitting late night snack.

Cucumbers - Gone immediately. Devoured by my daughter. Raw and salted.

Thyme - Dried and stored for future seasoning opportunities.

RECIPES:

Carrot-Ginger Dressing (from GOOP newsletter)

1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

1 large shallot, peeled and roughly chopped (I used a small one)

2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh ginger (I peeled it too)

1 tablespoon sweet white miso

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

1 tablespoon roasted sesame seed oil

1/4 cup grapeseed oil

2 tablespoons water

Pulse the carrot, shallot and ginger in a blender until finely chopped. Scrape down the sides, add the miso, vinegar and sesame seed oil and whiz together. While the blender is going, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil and the water.

Sautéed Mustard Greens

1/2 c. thinly sliced onions (1/2 bunch baby wallas)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 bunch mustard greens

2-3 Tbsp. chicken or vegetable broth 

salt/pepper to taste

Dash of sesame oil

In a large sauté pan, cook the onions in olive oil over medium heat until they start to caramelize, or about 5-10 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more. Add the mustard greens and broth and cook until the greens are just barely wilted. Toss with sesame and season to taste with salt and pepper. You can top this with toasted sesame seed, or try adding tamari.

I even got my four-year-old to eat some of this - and she liked it!

Quinoa and Kale Crustless Quiche from Food52
1/2 cup Quinoa
1 cup water
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1 bunch Kale, stems removed and cut into ribbons
1 Vidalia Onion, thinly sliced (I used 3 large sweet yellows, because I flippin' love caramelized onions)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup white cheddar cheese (I used regular Tillamook cheddar)
3 ounces cream cheese, cubed (I used goat cheese)
4 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 and prepare a 9" pie dish (either butter the dish thoroughly or spray with baking spray). Rinse the quinoa. Combine the quinoa and water in a pan. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat and then reduce to a simmer. This will take about twenty minutes. Set aside.


Meanwhile, start to caramelize the onions. Heat the olive oil in a large saute on medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions. Slowly cook until the onions are soft and browned.
Remove the onions from the pan, and place them in a large mixing bowl. Add the kale into the hot onion pan. On medium heat, cook until the kale is wilted and bright green, about two minutes.
Allow the greens to cool. Squeeze out any extra liquid using a sieve or a clean dish towel.



Add the kale, quinoa, garlic, cream cheese and cheddar to the mixing bowl. Stir the ingredients so that they are evenly distributed.


In a small bowl, whisk the eggs so that they are well combined. Pour over the quinoa/kale mixture. Stir until the egg clings to the greens. Add salt and pepper.

Pour the mixture in the prepared pie dish. Bake for about 45 minutes, until the top is golden and the pie has started to pull away from the edge of the baking dish. This dish is delightful hot, but even better at room temperature.

*************************

Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of the produce in the box, and the amount we received. It was just enough. Anymore and I couldn't keep up with meal assembly line. As it stands, we are eating fresh, local vegetables at almost every meal. Having the limitations of vegetable selection, and knowing we need to eat everything up makes it very easy to know what to eat for dinner. And having the recipe inspiration is so helpful. I'll try and add some photos next week of what I make. We pick up our second box today and I'm looking forward to finding out what were are eating tonight!