foodish friday

This year we are participating in Community Supported Agriculture, or CSA.  The idea is behind a CSA is pretty simple:  at the beginning of the growing season, you can purchased a share of a local farm (ours was $395) and for the duration of the growing season, you get a grocery bag of fresh, local produce grown by a man with a face (and if you're lucky, his wife, too... Hi, Gail!).

There are two CSA options (that I know of, if you are a local and know of something else, please say so!) in my area: Porter Farms, a certified organic farm, and Fenton's Produce (not certified organic).  Fenton's CSA is brand-spanking new this year, and we opted for them because they offer a market experience, where members are able to decide the contents of their bag.  (However, too bad for you if you want in on Fenton's... they're not accepting any new members at this time.  Hop on the waiting list for next year, and tell them I sent you, or call Porters.  And tell them I sent you, too.)

So, each week my children will choose all (or the majority) of our veggies for the week, and then each of them will plan a meal around the vegetable they choose.

Except this week.  I went by myself, because I can't resist taking me out on a hot date to the farm.  

I chose two bags of spinach, and a bundle of asparagus.  Have I ever told you that when I was pregnant with HB I would eat approximately 10 pounds of spinach a week?  No?  Well, I did.  I guess that was a little weird.  But at least I wasn't eating chalk.

Garlic scapes are like green onions, or scallions, but instead of tasting like onions, they taste like... wait for it... garlic.  I know.  This whole Learning New Things About Vegetables Business is superty complicated.  We ate garlic scapes in salad, and last night I made a baked potato with some sharp cheddar cheese and snipped up a garlic scape to top it off.  So. Yummy.

And did you know that POTATO + CHEESE = PROTEIN?  It does.  And you're welcome.

I also picked up a bag of potatoes, two huge heads of lettuce, and some potted herbs.  Thyme, of course, because it is my most favoritest herb of all, and lavendar and rosemary.  

On the menu this week: 

~Grilled pork chops, brown rice, spinach

~Bean burritos with spinach, tomato, cheese, and avocado

~Spinach lasagna with homemade ricotta cheese and roasted red peppers and locally raised beef, green salad

~Eggs, fried potatoes with onions, garlic scapes, roasted poblano peppers (from the freezer), strawberry-rhubarb pie

~French toast with maple syrup, scrambled eggs, asparagus

Where does your food come from?