Zero Waste CSA Week 4

Zero Waste CSA Week 4

I feel like I am starting to get into a meal-planning rhythm with our CSA. I pick it up on Thursdays after work and bring it home. I spread it all out on my table (& take a photo) and with it all out in front of me, I brainstorm what sort of recipes I can make that week. I usually start with some recipes that our farmers send and then spend some time looking through pinterest inspiration. We put a lot of work and thought and planning into our CSA meals each week in order to save money and limit our food waste.

You may be asking why I do this, when going to Whole Foods or Aldi is easier. Here are my top 5 reasons to get your produce from local farmers:

  1. Freshly picked, in season produce is at its peak in flavor and nutrition
  2. Support your local farmers and economy
  3. Fresh fruit and vegetables are full of antioxidants and phytonutrients
  4. Farmers often have recommendations for preparing their products
    • This is SO true. I never even considered trying to use all parts of the veggie before the farmer at my CSA last summer gave me recipes to inspire me!
  5. You can try a new fruit or vegetable!
    • I know that I speak about vegetables so flippantly and pretend like I know what I am saying, but in reality I am learning right along with you. I had never even heard of kohlrabi before my first CSA.
  6. Your veggies aren’t transported as far, thus better for the environment
  7. It’s a good value!

[adapted from nutrition.gov]

This week our CSA included: yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, kale, cucumber, broccoli, onions, radishes, arugula, parsley, fennel, and cabbage. This picture is deceiving because it’s before I split it in half (we share our full weekly share with a friend). I ended up sending her home with the cabbage and fennel because I didn’t think we would use them quick enough since we were gone last weekend. Here’s what we made:

  • Broccoli cheddar soup — This is an awesome recipe, and so I made a huge batch of it and froze it. I chose a recipe that uses all parts of the broccoli, not just the florets. This is a great soup to freeze because it just needs to be thawed and then heated up when you’re ready to eat it. I had a small bowl of it tonight though because I just couldn’t resist.
  • Ratatouille — I remember first watching that movie (but come on, a rat cooking?) and wanting to try this recipe. Then one day my mother-in-law made it and I loved it. My husband claims that he never liked zucchini or squash until he tried that ratatouille. I made this ratatouille with one yellow squash, one zucchini, the eggplant, and a tomato. I also used tomato paste and onions for the base. Then I like to sprinkle feta cheese and drizzle balsamic vinegar on the ratatouille when it’s warm. It’s such a great summer dish. … I came up with something like this recipe. 

  • A big bowl of salad– we had some leftover beet greens and lettuce from last week, so we combined it all with the arugula this week for a big salad to bring to a party.
  • Smoothies! I bought some frozen strawberries, chia seeds, and bananas to make some smoothies with all of our kale and beet greens, and they are fabulous. With this heat wave we have been experiencing lately, they are perfect. I have definitely made a smoothie everyday this week.
  • Vegetable stock— I finally have collected enough veggie scraps to make a broth with it all. I have been collecting clean scraps (eggplant and zucchini ends, onion peels, kohlrabi peels and greens, radish greens, leftover basil leaves, etc.) in a gallon-sized bag in my freezer for the last month, and I finally have a good mix of different types of scraps for stock. (This is a helpful recipe that I found on the internet.) It turned out beautifully and it is now in mason jars in my freezer.
  • I used some of the homemade vegetable stock, onions, and last week’s garlic scrapes to make goat cheese risotto and it was HEAVENLY. I have referenced this recipe before because we love it. We made a double batch and ate the leftovers for a few days after.
  • We just ate the radishes and cucumber with some homemade beet hummus, which used up all of our beets too. I made a double batch because we had a lot of beets. It’s delicious, but hilariously fuchsia-colored (click on the link for a photo). I don’t like beets, and yet I love this recipe. It is officially the best way to eat beets.

Woohoo! Another week down, and with this variety of veggies and recipes, it has been one of my favorites. If you haven’t checked out my other posts, here is week 1, week 2, and week 3.

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