CSA Week 18 (9/27/12)

This picture was taken after dark... so it's not quite as good as those last couple since I had to use artificial light. Still, the overall difference in color from this grouping of vegetables is quite different from those pictures a few weeks ago. I'll post a giant pictures-only post at the end because it's really neat to see the seasons reflected. We had a lot of red, yellow, purple a few weeks ago. Now, there is a LOT of green!

The CSA Haul:

• small bag of arugula (YUM YUM YUM... salad here we come!)
• 1 head lettuce
• bag of mixed greens (turnip, collard, mustard, kale)
• 1 bunch radishes
• more bell peppers! (two green and two long red)
• more hot peppers
• GIANT bag of okra*
• summer squash (2 yellow squash and 1 zucchini)

*I don't know if Caleb has a special "be nice to Betsy" message from the higher up Colvins or not, but when I politely handed him back the eggplant (confessing that I still don't like it so someone else might as well enjoy it and yes, I know it's the end of it's season, but still...), he laughed and said he knew what I wanted in trade. He grabbed a bag and reached into a box full of something I couldn't see... and it was more okra! THANKS, Caleb! I really like okra, but I married a (coughs to cover up the word) Yankee and he does NOT. (Until the okra saute entered his world a few weeks ago). He's not really a Yankee; he's lived in the South since he was 5. But if you don't come from strong Southern or Cajun stock, you're probably not exposed to much okra.

One of the fun things about being part of a CSA is that I get an abundance of something like okra and learn new things to do with it. Instead of buying a small batch once in a while just to make the one dish I already knew, I now have tons! I tried frying it over the weekend (it was awesome, despite the reactions of the fam). I plan to find out how to freeze it and other such un-tapped-okra-factoids-and-recipes.

The Garden:
What garden? Oh, yeah, the tomato garden I DID NOT PLANT BUT WHICH IS STILL PRODUCING... I've let the birds and squirrels have at it unless I suddenly need a few tomatoes for a particular recipe. How many cherry tomatoes can one gal eat?

We are also getting in some bell peppers (I won't have to buy bell peppers all winter because my freezer is well stocked thanks to the Colvins and my own little plot). I made a big batch of pesto this past weekend, but there's probably one more significant basil harvest left. I'll have to keep an eye on those temps; one mere whiff of frost and the basil will be blackened and shriveled.

Possibilities
Mixed Green Saute (from Simply in Season); sounds like a winner with that bag of "mixed greens"
Radish Tea Sandwiches (a recent discovery)
Salad!!
Summer Polenta Casserole with Sweet Peppers and Squash