CSA Farm Share Experiment Week Two

This week we picked up our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Vegan Farm Share from Fresh Fork Market at a different location, and we found an extraordinary outdoor farmer’s market with booths from several farms in the area, including some certified organic. Loved it! For those in the Akron, Ohio, or the surrounding area, it’s located in Highland Square managed by Countryside Conservancy and is open from 4-7pm from May until the end of October. Highland Square is becoming quite the happening place so put it on your list of summer places to visit. More about this market in weeks to come because I’m sure I can’t resist going back each week. I was lucky to get out of there alive with Mr. Carnivore along because they had pierogies! Since we already have some of those in the freezer, I drug him out of there before he ordered several dozen! I don’t think I’ll make it through the summer without a few of those yummy smelling treats.

This week our small Vegan Farm Share included (above photo)…

Broccoli – 1 head
Spinach – 1 bunch
Garlic Scapes – 3
Lettuce – 8 oz
Strawberries – 1 qt
Kohlrabi – 1 bulb
Radishes – 1 bunch
Collard Greens – 1 bunch
Luna Burgers – 1 pkg of 2
Zucchini – 2
Asparagus – 1 bunch
Oats – 1.5 lb
Grape Cider – 1 Jar

My half of the Vegan small share this week and what’s left since Thursday…

Broccoli – 1/2 of a very large head
Spinach – 1/2 of 1 bunch, already cleaned and packaged for the photo because I was rolling along.
Garlic Scapes – 2 small of the 3
Lettuce – 1 of the larger 3 heads – 4 oz – so crisp!
Strawberries – 1/2 qt – are in our tummies already and we had to buy more.
(Kohlrabi – 1 bulb) my dad LOVES Kohlrabi so he got the whole bulb this time.
Radishes – 1/2 bunch (not sure how many radishes we can consume – wonder how long they’ll last?)
Collard Greens – 1/2 of 1 bunch – picture me clueless and learning what to do with these.
Luna Burgers – 1 pkg of 2 – we bought a second package so we could both try 2 Luna (Veggie) burgers.
Zucchini – 1 – gave this to my mom since I already had 4 in the fridge — love my zucchini!
Asparagus – 1/2 bunch
Oats – .75 lb waiting for me to make hot oatmeal in the morning or cookies. I vote for cookies!
Grape Cider – 1/2 Jar in our bellies — yummy, it was delicious! (missing from the photo because I think we were already drinking it! HA)

What I’ve used so far from last week’s Vegan Farm Share, what’s leftover, and what I plan to do with it…

Spelt Flour – 3/4 lb – this is in the freezer so it’s good to keep for awhile. I want to use it for Zucchini bread in a recipe I’ll share in the future.
Kidney Beans – small bag, dried – these are in the pantry to be used later. I’m thinking a soup sounds good.
Red Russian Kale – 1/2 bunch – 1/3 of my 1/2 bunch is left – it’s looking a bit worn so it won’t last much longer. We used it in salads and a recipe coming soon with Rhubarb.
Radishes – 1/2 bunch – 1/2 of my 1/2 bunch are leftover – they’re going into salads and hubby’s tummy raw. So far we’ve shaved them thin for salad. Need to find some other way to use them up.
Spinach – 1/2 bunch – 1/4 of my 1/2 bunch is leftover – we used some of the spinach in salads and some in with the kale with the Rhubarb (recipe coming soon) – the balance will go into salads.
Mesclun Mix of Lettuce – 1 bag – eaten in salads like in the Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette.
Asparagus – 1/2 lb – blanched and roasted – recipe coming soon along with what else it inspired!
Rhubarb – 1 lb – I got the full pound since my parents already had rhubarb so this went into a recipe that I’ll share later this week.
Broccoli – 1/2 head – used in the second roasted veggies inspiration (recipe coming soon).
Bunching Onions – 1 bunch of 3 – used in the Rhubarb recipe coming soon (really! and some peppers too!).
Caraflex Cabbage – 1/2 of 1 very large head leftover – I got the large leaves for my half, which wasn’t the smartest way to split it but we’re learning! Cabbage and noodles maybe?
Strawberries – 1/2 quart – eaten in the Strawberry Salad with Honey Vinaigrette.

What I couldn’t resist at the farmers’ market in Highland Square…

Swiss Chard – 1 bunch – these were so gorgeous and from a local organic farm, I had to have them.
Butter Crunch lettuce – 1 small bunch – another wonder from an organic farm, just a little one too cute to pass up.
Mesclun mix of spring lettuce – 1 bag – as you can tell, I’m addicted to Mesclun!

All the produce was beautiful when we got it, any drooping that happened was due to the mad rush to photograph and sort my parents’ half from mine. I am getting smarter by putting the fresh items in bags, along with a small bag of ice cubes, then put them both into large refrigerator/freezer bags (you can get these at the grocery to transport frozen foods in summer) as I sort. I also took a lot of pictures so I can share how we clean and sort each time in another post in the future.

Cleaning and sorting seems like a lot of work, but in truth, it’s how we get the produce to last the longest, so it’s an important step that shouldn’t be skipped. We also have to think of it like this — a farm share is like bringing produce in from your garden. It has dirt, a stray weed or two, etc…, so putting these items into the refrigerator before sorting and cleaning isn’t smart. And actually, I’m realizing now that my habit of just shoving produce I’ve bought at the grocery, or farm market, in the bags I brought it home in, into my fridge, without thinking how it will fare in there without some care on my end to protect it from the elements, has been the wrong move for the value of my dollar. I always thoroughly clean them before I use fresh veggies but taking some care in advance is really making a difference in longevity. Good lessons to learn!

Whew! We made it through week one and have a running start into week two! Yay!

What’s your fork been up to?

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