Tuesday, June 22, 2010

beet and carrot latkes

I received a small bunch of beets in my CSA on June 10th. I hadn't paid attention to the farm's website update, so I didn't realize what type of beets they were until I sliced them open. I was pleasantly surprised!





Shredded, they look like confetti:


These lovely candy striped beets were so deliciously sweet - after shredding them it occurred to me that they would have been great in a slaw of some sort. But I had already come across this recipe for beet and carrot latkes, so I stuck with the recipe.


With the carrots:


And the final product!


This recipe is definitely a keeper for me. I will have to give it a try with different types of beets.

Asian kohlrabi slaw


IMG_1265
Originally uploaded by stephykay
I received several kohlrabi in my CSA, as well as a big bunch of cilantro. It just so happened that The Washington Post featured a recipe for Asian kohlrabi slaw that very same week. I simply used cilantro instead of parsley. And of course I used sriracha, which was listed as optional in the recipe. The heat provided a nice contrast to the crunchy cool kohlrabi.

You can read more about kohlrabi in the accompanying article.

Saturday, June 5, 2010

banana coconut macadamia nut muffins


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Originally uploaded by stephykay
When I have overly ripe bananas I usually make banana bread... but I decided to try this banana coconut muffin recipe from epicurious. I added 1/4 c crushed macadamia nuts and I subbed rum for the vanilla. They were quite tasty and I will make them again, but they are no replacement for an actual tropical vacation.

Friday, June 4, 2010

CSA

Last night was my first CSA pickup of the season. I already knew that this summer's CSA would be very different from last year. Not only was I doing my own pickup, but Steve has been extremely diligent about keeping everyone up to date on the Parker Farm's website and on the Parker Farm Facebook page. It definitely has more of a community feel to it than the CSA that I participated in last year. On pickup days, he sends a reminder e-mail and lets us know what we can expect that week.

So I already had a lot of positive feelings about Steve and Parker Farm, and I am happy to say that he did not disappoint. Not only did the CSA get an early start this year (many do not start until later in June), but the first share was quite a windfall:
  • 1 head Bibb lettuce
  • 1 head red leaf lettuce
  • 1 bunch chicory
  • 1 head pak choi
  • 1 bunch mizuna
  • 1 bunch spinach
  • 1 bunch pea tendrils
  • 1 bunch red Russian kale
And that was a small share - the large share had two of everything. And the greens looked great! Vibrant colors and not a single wilted leaf. I can't wait to try the mizuna - even though I see it at all of the farmer's markets, I have yet to sample some.