CSA 5.19.11: spring mixed with a little summer

We missed two weeks of our CSA produce deliveries since we were in Italy, but we came back to yummy goodness that was delivered on our anniversary. Here is a recap of the summer preview we enjoyed.

Blackberries
I had no idea that blackberries could taste this good! There is definitely something to be said for eating blackberries right away when they are picked at their peak ripeness. I’m still kicking myself for not actually making anything with these blackberries,we just snacked on them. But I guess they could be counted as an easy weeknight dessert because they did satisfy my sweet tooth after dinner a few nights.

Squash & Zucchini
I can’t get enough squash and zucchini during the summer, usually by the time August rolls around I’ve had enough. Most of the time I just slice it and throw it in the baking dish with salt, pepper, EVOO, and some truffle oil alongside a pork tenderloin or chicken. This time we had so much that we enjoyed it a variety of ways.

1. Grilled: We sliced and cooked some squash on our grill pan with some steaks and made a foil boat and cooked some on our outdoor gas grill as well.

2. Pasta: I subscribe to Health magazine and saw a recipe for farfalle with zucchini and white beans earlier this spring. I’ve been saving it to enjoy with fresh zucchini. The recipe was okay, if I were to make it again I’d maybe some sort of light sauce with lemon juice, lemon zest, and EVOO.


3. Pizza: I found this recipe for zucchini and basil pizza several years ago in a Williams-Sonoma catalog and its one of my favorites tasting so light and fresh. It’s easy to make and I took a shortcut with some fresh pizza dough from Central Market.


Cabbage
I used the cabbage for one of my favorite Bon Appétit fast easy fresh recipes, black bean tacos. I substituted the cabbage for the cole slaw mix, added two small diced mangos, and also substituted peppered goat cheese for feta since I already had some for the pizza. I also purchased the southwest flour tortillas from Central Market because their tortillas are just so yummy!

Collard Greens
I haven’t branched out on the collard green recipes like I should; instead I went with a “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” philiopshy since Ellie Kreiger’s short cut collard greens recipe has been a success every time, especially when made with applewood smoked bacon.

Onions
I use these as an ingredient as needed. The best part is that the delivery is now dry onions so I don’t have to worry about using them so quickly.