How I Used My CSA: Weeks 22 & 23

Week 22: red kuri squash, portobello mushrooms, romaine lettuce, red onions, red gold potatoes, and bok choy.

Swapped out escarole (reason later) and Cajun peppers (grow our own peppers) for extra red kuri squash and portobellos.

As the CSA season comes to an end, we've found that eating through a week's share before the next one arrives is impossible. I just can't burn through winter squashes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, radishes, and beets like I can the tomatoes, corn, and cucumbers of summer.

Thankfully, a lot of the produce that comes in during fall stores well. Our refrigerator is ridiculously full after weeks of stashing produce away to eat at a later date. It will be months before we get through all our our CSA haul.

I'm very glad that we waited until the end of the 25 week CSA subscription (this week is our last pickup, but I'm a bit behind on posts) to see if we wanted to extend four extra weeks into December. We are set. No need for more squash or potatoes!This escarole goes back to week 20 of the CSA, but it took a couple weeks and a couple unsuccessful tries of eating the very bitter escarole raw until I just braised in it vegetable stock like I would collards or mustard greens. It was still bitter, but now palatable. Escarole is not one of my favorite greens!
That's not just a perfectly round mound of stir fried rice studded with bok choy; it's a stir fried rice-stuffed portobello. Because why not?
Week 23: crimini mushrooms, broccoli, Flashy Troutsback romaine lettuce, radishes, cilantro, and spaqhetti squash.

Swapped out butternut squash (still have some) for extra mushrooms (we've really enjoyed having mushroom almost every week).
Steamed broccoli with seitan and mushroom stroganoff. I've been using the vegan seitan and portobello stroganoff recipe from Post Punk Kitchen for years now, and it's fabulous. Make it!
We reached back into our produce-stuffed fridge for beets, and sweet potatoes from previous CSA weeks to combine with radishes from week 23 for roasted vegetables to top wheat berries. Collards from a few weeks back were also rescued from near death to become a side.
Butternut squash from a few weeks back was used to make this veggie version of sopa de lima from the Yucatan. The recipe comes from Passionate Vegetarian, a crazy, voluminous, over 1000-page cookbook (some great recipes for sure, but many could have been culled) that the boy brought into the relationship. Cilantro and lime juice really make this soup refreshing, and different than most squash soups you've had.
Back into the fridge for previous weeks' produce to bake sweet potato muffins studded with chocolate chips. I've made these twice already! Maybe a recipe post at some point?

How did you use your CSA or farmers' market haul?

5 comments:

Colleen said...

I've been reading your CSA posts for most of the summer and its funny how much the different pick days vary. I pick up my share on Monday and I think I may have gotten mushrooms once. Would love to have gotten them more often! I went ahead and ordered the fall share and am sort of regretting it. I don't think I can fit one more thing in my fridge.

Taylor said...

Colleen - I'd say that maybe 1/3 of the shares I got (I subscribe to a half share) have mushrooms in them. Many times I'm swapping out some unwanted item for mushrooms in the swap box, which, to my understanding, is a full share. So, it seems that full sharers are getting lots of mushrooms.

I've noticed the difference in shares that are delivered on different days, too. Usually, if there is some item in another person's share that's not in mine, it's only a matter of waiting until the next week, and that item will show up.

Katie said...

Have you tried the "seasonal greens" from golden empress chinese food? They are using bok choy right now and it is so delicious.... just in case you are looking for inspiration later this week and don't feel like cooking! :-)

Taylor said...

Katie - No, I haven't. I've only eaten there once, but need to give it another try.

Amy and Dan said...

Escarole is my number one favorite green, try it in a soup with lots of roasted garlic, white beans, cubed potatoes and vegetable broth with a little thyme and rosemary. Sometimes when I am feeling fancy I fry tempeh or veggie sausage crumbles until they are very crispy and put it in the pot of soup at the end... or saute/braise it with some oil cured black olives.

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