CSA Week 2: In which Joey gets his greens

We’re seeing a nice bounty thus far, though it’s still early in the season. I can’t remember if it was last summer or the summer before, but one year we started with a really meager share as there was too much rain in the spring and the fields were flooded. It wasn’t until the end of the summer that we really had enough food to sustain us through the week.

This past week we managed to finish up nearly all of our share (except for a few lingering scallions) just as we were picking up the next one, which is always a goal. Adam and I find that between us we can usually eat our entire share in a week, if we’re careful about how we store it (so that nothing goes bad if we don’t get to it until the sixth or seventh day) and if we’re not traveling. Aaron is helping a bit this summer, but arugula and garlic scapes are not yet his thing.

This week’s haul included:
1 bunch red beets
1 bunch Japanese Hakurei turnips
1 bunch rainbow chard
1 bunch garlic scapes
3/4 lb sweet snap peas
1 lettuce head
1/2 lb arugula
1/2 lb spinach
1 basket strawberries (this week’s are tiny and totally wild-tasting, absolutely perfect)

I absolutely LOVE beets, but Adam can’t stand the sight, smell or taste of them, so it’s amazing that he actually picked them up in our share. We do have the option to trade items out for other things if we don’t like or need them, so I’ll sometimes hear after the fact that there were beets, but they never managed to make it to our house. I’ll probably roast these with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of kosher salt – simple and yummy.

We haven’t cooked much yet so no recipe this week. Instead I’ll leave you with pics of the fourth member of our household who is thrilled that CSA season has begun – Joey the cat. Joey loves greens, particularly lettuce and herbs, and when CSA bags sit on the counter, overflowing with leafy greens, he not only comes around to beg but stretches up to try and pull the bags down off the counter (he’s a long cat). Last night he nearly bit my finger off to snatch a piece of arugula. We give him a little leaf or two every day; he’s a very happy cat cat during CSA season.