Thursday, April 02, 2009

Adventures in Community-Supported Agriculture

I've long been curious about community-supported agriculture (CSA). I love the idea of getting regular shipments of fresh produce, whatever's in season, and planning our meals around the ever-changing bounty. After a bit of research, I decided to give Irv and Shelly's Fresh Picks a try. They dropped off my first batch of fruits and veggies this afternoon (along with a pound of coffee beans):



This delightful shipment includes
red potatoes
carrots
bok choy
fennel
kale
lettuce (unidentified variety)
cherry tomatoes
strawberries
tangelos
pears (bartlett and d'anjou)
kiwis
apples (cripps pink and granny smith)
I was most pleased to discover that the quality is excellent. I believe I've complained before about Peapod and their terrible produce. I've become suspicious of delivered produce that I can't choose for myself. But this was all in excellent shape.

Now, friends, I need some recipes for bok choy, fennel, and kale. I have no idea what to do with them. Help!!

7 comments:

Jules said...

Wow--that looks great! I'll be sure to get back to you with my favorite bok choy, fennel, and kale hotdish recipe.

Columbia College Recycling! said...

Hey there! I know that Irv and Shelly's posts Recipes and Fresh Food tips on their website: http://www.freshpicks.com/cms/?pid=1000006#04

Hope that helps! :)

Brandie said...

The quality looks wonderful. Almost as if you grew it yourself.

Jo said...

I was hoping that your adventures in community-supported agriculture would have involved you coming over to weed my garden this summer.

My mother-in-law makes a delicious Portuguese kale soup. It has potatoes and chorizo and is absolutely scrumptious.

Kerri said...

I second the Portuguese kale soup recommendation. There's an awesome recipe on Allrecipes. Very easy, super cheap, and insanely delish!

What Dreams said...

Bok choy is great in any kind of stir-fry.
Kale is good in Keilbasa and Kale soup.
I've never seen fennel here, but it's supposed to be wonderful and sweet roasted, or raw in salads.

Kelly said...

For anyone who's curious, here are some of the recipes I tried with my produce:

Beef & Bok Choy Hot Pot -- Yum
Sausage, Kale & Bean Soup -- Very easy, so-so taste
Pasta Risotto with Fennel -- five stars