Radishes, Rhubarb and Introductions: CSA Week 1

Like a kid waiting for Christmas morning, I was eagerly counting down the hours at work today, waiting for 5:00 pm to pick up my first share.  After I left work, I headed over to the house of a local CSA member, who was in charge of the CSA pick-up in my area.  Walking up the steps to her porch I was greeted with a smile and a hearty hello.  I was then handed an approximately 50 page cookbook with recipes and facts of all the veggies my farmer is growing.   After introductions I turned my attention to the tables full of this week's harvest.  Walking through, signs instructed me to pick up one of each item.  At the end, there was a table for exchanging items that someone may not like.  This being my first week, I decided to take my share without exchanging anything.

This week's share included from L to R:
Spinach
Beets and Beet Greens
Radishes
Green Garlic
Rhubarb
Spring Salad Mix
Cilantro


Plans for this week's share include a spinach and radish quiche, beet veggie burgers, green garlic pasta, a spring green salad, pico de gallo for a weekend road trip, and prepping rhubarb to be frozen for a pie later.  The green garlic will be used to replace the garlic in many dishes this week.  Green garlic is basically very young, 4 to 6 week old, garlic.  Green garlic has a very strong garlic flavor that can be mellowed with a simple saute. Since my girlfriend and I have plans to go out of town this weekend, we are trying to use a majority of the share up before Friday afternoon.
 

First Post and Eve of First CSA Pick-Up

This is my first season utilizing a CSA for a majority of our vegetables.  This is also my first attempt at blogging.  My girlfriend and I are vegetarians, so hopefully we will have no problem utilizing our CSA bounty each week.

Before we get started, let me explain what a CSA is for those unfamiliar with the concept.  A CSA, which stands for community-supported agriculture, is a membership-based association.  Members pledge support to a local farmer and in return members receive a weekly share of the farmer's product.  These members accept the risks and rewards of the farmer's season, if the season is good, the member is rewarded with a bountiful harvest of a wide variety of vegetables.  On the other hand if the season is not so good, the member may not have as wide variety of vegetables, or a lesser quality of product.

The CSA I have joined for this season is a 26-week long share, through Henry's Farm here in Central Illinois.  The CSA share was $400.00, which is about $15.00 a week.  $15.00 a week may sound like a lot for vegetables, but pricing organic and out-of season vegetables at the local Kroger came out about the same price.  The fact that these vegetables are in-season and grown locally helps even out any price differences.

This blog will be a place to reflect upon my CSA impressions, as well as a place to share recipes, and results of these recipes, on some of the new veggies I get in the weekly share (what in the world do I do with beet greens?).   Without further ado, let's see what is in the inaugural CSA share. 

Week of May 31, 2011:

Green Garlic

Leaf Lettuce

Radishes

Spinach

Cilantro

Beets with Beet Greens

Rhubarb

Pictures and initial impressions will (hopefully) follow after pick-up tomorrow!