CSA week ???????

CSA food basket number five....or is it 6? I lost count.

Once I saw the sunflowers and the spring onions I was done! It didn't really matter what else was in the basket. I mean how gorgeous is this? It's a shame to take it apart. I just want to leave it all assembled like this and stare at it everyday. It brings a smile to my face.


We got more red peppers so I made sausage and peppers by sauteing them with some organic turkey and chicken sausage. Easy, quick and satisfying.

More basil. I have made more pesto in the last two months than I have in the past two years but gotta use it up and now that I know the citric acid secret and know I can freeze it there is no reason not to. Of course I made pasta one night with the pesto and, as always, a salad. I shaved some slices on Parmesan on the pesto pasta for a little added zing.

I used the spring onion tops to make some massive baked potatoes for dinner. Loaded them up with sour cream, the green onion tops, crumbled apple wood smoked bacon and lots of salt and pepper. It turned in to a meal.

Did I tell you about the cucumber soup? It was horrible. I've had cold cucumber soup before and I liked it but this was not good. The recipe I selected was just not right. My husband refused to eat it and I was not thrilled either so I dumped it. Another one hits the dust.

More summer squash called for a quiche. I used a frozen pit crust (shame on me! I have not done that in years!) Cut up the squash into bite sized pieces and saute in some olive oil with salt, pepper and garlic. Beat about 6 eggs with some cream or milk. Cook some apple wood smoked bacon. Chop the spring onions and shred some cheese. I had no recipe. I just layered it all in the pie crust and baked it for about 45 minutes and it came out perfect. Served it with a side green salad made with a pomegranate vinaigrette, with the lettuce from the CSA of course.

One item we got was a kohlrabi. I had never used one and had no clue what it was until I researched it. Then I had to figure out what to do with it and decided to add it to a stir fry. It's similar to the root vegetable that tastes slightly like broccoli but is very mild like a jicama. It was good.

The carrots were beautiful. Small little perfect specimens with dirt still on them. They were so cute. I was excited about making them for dinner one night but did not have enough and so mixed in a few carrots I bought at the supermarket. I cooked them all together in exactly the same way only to discover the flavor difference was unmistakable. I am sad to report that the supermarket carrots were so much better.

All the fruit has been wonderful. Peaches, nectarines, apples, grapes and plums. Really good. Oh yeah and melon too. My fav.

At this point I am more than half way through my CSA subscription. I think I only have a couple more. I have learned some things about myself along the way. One is that I support everything the CSA stands for. I am happy this has been a successful endeavor for South Coast Farms. They have a large following and when I go there on Wednesday to pick up my basket the place is busy with people excited to see what's in them that week. It seems there are lots of other folks who love this as much or more than I do. BUT, and this is a big but. I have missed having the options of what to purchase. I went to the farmers this week for the first time in months and I was in heaven. All that variety, and the beautiful tables filled with seasonal produce and I could pick and choose what I wanted. Wow I have missed that.

That being said I probably will not renew my subscription. I look forward to Saturday mornings at the farmers market. The act of walking around seeing all the foods offered, not just produce. The cheeses, eggs, coffee, baked goods. The quality of these products is high and the cost is well worth the taste and enjoyment that comes from these artisans and their products. One woman I visited makes her own goat cheese. I was given a taste of one with lavender and lemon. It was wonderful.

I am still a huge supporter of the CSA's and what they bring to the community. Perhaps if I did not cook as much or if I was so busy I did not have the time to pick and choose what I wanted it would be different. I see lots of working Moms at the CSA that don't have alot of time and so what they get in the food basket is exactly what their family will eat that week and they are thrilled to have it. I get it. But that is not my situation. Or maybe I am just too spoiled and don't want to give up the options presented here in Southern California.

So the end of my CSA experience in upon me, for now. It was great and I am thankful for having it.

The Simple Pleasures

I am a happy girl today. It is true that some of the simple pleasures in life can bring so much joy.



I am a frequent visitor of my local library. It's big, it's beautiful, and it's full of wonderful books. It's an adult candy store. I could spend hours in there, and sometimes do. It is specifically full of books about food. Cookbooks, books written about the food of other countries, books written by people who raise and grow their own food, food writer opinions, big picture books, historical stories. You can read a book that will teach you something or you can look at the pictures. You can try the recipes or simply enjoy the stories. You can hold the book in your hands, feel the paper, smell the musk. You won't get that on a Kindle.



When I go to the library I usually stand in the cooking aisle and look at each shelf, scanning the books to see what is new or what I have missed. I always find something. I have found books this way that I would never have known existed and would have never read. Some of the best and most enjoyable have been the books I just happened upon using this method. I also have a journal where I write down books I want to check out of the library. When I read a review or reference to something that I think I might enjoy I jot it down in my book journal and take it with me to the library.



Today was one of my library days. I checked out four new books, brought them home and laid them out on the coffee table, made myself some lunch and sat down to peruse and enjoy. I get a funny little excited feeling like I have a secret. It makes me so happy. It might seem like such a small thing but then if this small thing makes me so happy then I think it should be done, and often. To do things for oneself that bring contentment and joy is something we should all practice.



Today I got:

• Mozzarella. The pictures alone are just incredible but along with that there are recipes from some leading chefs that I plan to try. Oh boy!



• An Omelette and a Glass of Wine by Elizabeth David. Elizabeth David was a food writer who reached acclaim the 1950's in Britain. This book was first published in American in 1985. James Beard described her as a purist and perfectionist and intolerant of mediocrity.



• Is there a Nutmeg in the House, again by Elizabeth David. Insisting on authentic recipes and fresh ingredients she taught that food need not be complicated to be delicious.



• A Flummery of Food, Feasts for Epicures. A funny little book of stories collected over the years about never to be forgotten meals, moderation and overindulgence, fine wines, romantic places, grand banquets, proper and improper behavior of hosts and guests, and food for fantasy. Sounds intriguing.

I can't wait to start them all. I only have three weeks so I've got to get busy. Tonight I will continue the enjoyment by reading in bed, possibly with a nice glass of wine. After all, practice makes perfect!