CSA week 17 2020: a big basket this week, and full of great stuff. We have our first chard, little baby leaves. There are more tomatoes (yay) but the rest of the basket is green, green, glorious green.
Some of these vegetables are destined to become snack material for the long weekend ahead: raw green peppers are good plain or with hummus, as are cucumbers and celery. We munch little cherry tomatoes by the handful. But there’ll be no raw lima beans for us, though: those must be cooked, as they’re toxic when raw.
This week in our very full basket:
- celery
- chard
- zucchini
- green peppers
- arugula
- leaf lettuce
- parsley
- basil
- lima beans (also known as butter beans)
- tomatoes
- long suyo cucumbers
- one tiny Japanese eggplant
ideas for the week ahead
As I unpack the basket at home and wash the produce to get it ready to store in the refrigerator, I think about what I might do with it all. Salads are always an option, especially with 2 kinds of fresh greens this week. If I make a pizza, I might very well put some lightly dressed arugula on top. Arugula is also good on sandwiches in place of the ordinary lettuce: it’s crunchy and adds a nice peppery taste. More ideas:
- creamed swiss chard with lemony breadcrumbs
- chard simply sautéed with garlic
- egg, chard, and feta tart: a sort of crust-less spanakopita with chard
- lima beans, simply cooked, then dressed with lemon, garlic, & parsley
- arugula, couscous, & feta salad
- summer vegetable tian with zucchini, potatoes, and tomatoes
- baked Parmesan zucchini rounds
- zucchini stuffed with lamb & rice