Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Greens^2: CSA box 2


Just picked up my second CSA box! In Maryland, we have seasons, so I expect I'll be having a little less variety than my sister in sunny Northern California. This week, we got:
Kale
Spinach
Red Leaf Lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
Cabbage
Green Leaf Lettuce
Red Chard
Garlic Tail
Yes, it's almost all greens! And three different types of lettuce do count as three different veggies. Still, leafy greens are very good for me and are versatile ingredients, so I feel good about the haul.
When I got home today, I washed and tore/chopped (where appropriate) all the veggies. They need some pretty heavy duty washing/soaking unless you want a protein boost from some insect friends. The red and green leaf lettuces will be salads. As for the rest, we'll have to see where the week takes us! Last week I made the chickpea stew I keep raving about with kale and a lasagna with the red chard (sautee the chopt stems with onions, let simmer until the stems are soft, add garlic and tomatoes, simmer a few more min, then wilt in the green part of the chard for your veggie layer). I feel a little bad about having cabbage in the fridge, as Michael is returning from Russia, where cabbage has been one of the only fresh veggies reliably available all winter. The garlic tail is the big x-factor of this week's box: "What in the Sam Hill is garlic tail?" you may be thinking to yourself. Indeed, that is exactly (well, almost) what I asked the guy handing out the veggies today. He works at the school of public health and coordinates the pickup there. He has no clue, but will be letting us know when he figures something out.
This article explains it pretty well.
I will also note here that my CSA pickup occurs in a parking lot in East Baltimore. It's just about the least pastoral scene you can think up. It's so sweet, though, to see everyone scurrying over there with their matching, reusable bags to get their food. They donate some shares to local shelters,
as described in this Baltimore Sun article.

3 comments:

Robin said...

Thanks so much for the photo - the kitchen sink of your new apartment!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the links for garlic tail. I picked it up at the same CSA as you and went searching for what the heck it was.

Jody said...

Seasons are overrated, says the californian.
PS - it looks like someone else read the blog and found it helpful! Go us!