July 27, 2010

CSA Delivery

My skills as a food photographer will never be in demand, but the contents of this week's CSA delivery are still beautiful. We'll be eating a lot of caprese and greek salads, with all those tomatoes, cucumber, and the basil I just realized I forgot to put in the photo.

This week's delivery includes a lot of fancy names I've never heard, like kay pearl white nectarines (reminiscent of Mary Kay cosmetics), and honey royale yellow nectarines and straight eight zucchini, with a definite casino vibe.

Roughly clockwise from the back, we received: sugar queen melon, all blue potatoes, mixed heirloom cherry tomatoes, the aforementioned straight eight zucchini, honey royale yellow nectarines and kay pearl white nectarines, large heirloom tomatoes, peaches, owen t. plums, blue lake green beans, strawberries, baby salad greens, baby spinach, elephant garlic, market moore cucumbers, and purple basil (not shown).

Please leave recipe ideas for anything you see in this photo, especially the elephant garlic, which stumps me. And click here if you want to learn more about CSA delivery and find one in your area.

7 comments:

Bellen said...

I've raised elephant garlic and have just used it as I would garlic. It is milder. Roasted and used as a spread on sandwiches, toast, or stirred into pasta are my favorite ways.

Laura said...

While I love, love, love to eat fresh plums (Santa Rosas are still my favorite), they are also wonderful in an upside down cake. When you flip the cake over, the plums look like jewels.

You can also freeze plums for later use; just cut in half, remove the pit, and freeze on a cookie sheet. After they're frozen, store in a bag for later use. It's a great way to enjoy a taste of summer in the winter.

Amy said...

for the fruit, i'd do some sort of cobbler(s) and the garlic would be wonderful if you roasted it and canned it - a little goes a long way!

as a side note, how long did it take you to be able to partake in the CSA? we've been on a waiting list for almost 2 full years now - and there are 35 CSAs within 20 miles of my house!

Ann said...

i might slice the elephant garlic thin, saute in EVOO and then toss in some of the green beans that have been blanched...then I would toss that mixture over pasta. Yum...

Clandestine Road said...

Do blue potatoes taste different than Yukon Golds and if so, how? I've wanted to try them, but I have a decidedly unadventurous family when it comes to food.

Thanks,
Angela L.-G.

Angela said...

Bellen- I've still got that elephant garlic in the refrigerator, and I think I'm going to try the roasting option.
All of your preps sound delicious.

Laura- Those are great ideas- I love upside-down cakes, and I do love freezing fruit, just never thought of freezing a plum.

Amy- A cobbler is a great idea, but my husband and I managed to eat all the peaches and nectarines fresh, sometimes with yogurt or ice cream. I joined a CSA just by calling, we had a delivery the following monday. I'm sorry it's so difficult for some reason in your area. I wonder why- is there another organization you can try? Good luck! There are some advantages to just shopping at the Farmer's Market on your own if you can't get into a CSA.

Ann- That does sound yum... Green beans are a crapshoot for me, sometimes they're delicious and the perfect consistency, and other times they're kind of rubbery and I hate them.

Angela- I don't remember the blue potatoes tasting radically different, just subtlely different, more rich and buttery, similar to a yukon gold I think. They're pretty to serve!

Thanks for all your comments and suggestions! Happy eating.

Anonymous said...

saute some onions and olive oil and a little salt and pepper, toss in a zucchini (halved and in appx 1/2" chunks )and cook until tender. Server topped with fresh parmesan cheese (you can use the stuff in the can, but fresh or even shredded is MUCH better). Very cheap- the cheese makes it feel fancier than it is!