It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been able to post about my CSA box from Farm Fresh. We were so busy getting our Crown Moulding Installed and preparing for Mr. Man’s grandparents visit, that I’m afraid I just got buried and was hardly able to cook, let alone blog. Rest assured though, I’ve been loving all the fresh, local produce I’ve been receiving lately – even if I haven’t been sharing it as much as I would like. Anyhow, before I got so busy, I had been toying with the idea of switching to a new bigger box that Farm Fresh is offering now – it has a few more servings of fruits and veggies in it than the box I had been getting, but I was waiting until things settled down. This last week, I decided to bite the bullet and try it out. Because of the increased size, I unfortunately, had to make the hard decision to not try and arrange everything in the picture. Although, each item I received is represented. Above is my current box.

I received:

• 8 oz White Button Mushrooms
• 3 lbs Valencia Oranges
• 3 lbs Yukon Gold Potatoes
• 3 cartons Strawberries
• 2 lbs Clementines
• 1 head Cauliflower
• 1 bunch Dandelion Greens
• 1 bunch Green Chard
• 1 bunch Red Russian Kale
• 1 lb Baby Lettuces
• 1 bunch Nantes Carrot
• 1/2 lb Spring Onions
• 1/4 lb Green Garlic

I’ve already got a couple of ideas for these – for the Dandelion Greens, I’m going to try braising with smoked ham hock (Pot O’ Greens Style) to try and mitigate the bitter flavor, and either the chard or the kale I’m thinking of using in either a pesto or a cheesy dip. The carrots are just begging to be used in a carrot cake (something I’ve been thinking about doing for a while) and thats as far as I’ve gotten so far – I will of course, let you know how it goes!

Last week, I received my box while we were still entertaining Mr. Man’s grandparents. They were quite impressed with my array – and talked about how much they wished they had a service like Farm Fresh in Minnesota/Montana. (They live 1/2 the year in each). We had a lovely visit with them, and they left shortly after this box was received, but because we were in recovery mode for the next several days, I just didn’t end up getting this one posted. I also know that I failed to even get a picture taken of the week before that – we were so busy painting and caulking and goodness knows what else, that it’s a wonder we didn’t starve all week. However, I did manage to get a few things made.

Here’s what we received and what I made (where applicable):

• Tangelos (Used in the Beet Salad)
• Fuji Apples
• Shallots (Used in the Beet Salad)
• Kiwi
• Artichokes (Steamed and served with Homemade Mayo)
• Rosemary (Used in the Beet Salad)
• Red Chard (Used in the Beet Salad)
• Collards (Used in the Beet Salad)
• Beets (Used in the Beet Salad)
• Asparagus (Used in Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus with Hollandaise )
• Green Leaf Lettuce (used in salads)

We had the beet salad a couple of days, since it made such a large amount, and we had the regular mixed lettuce salad twice. I still have some shallots and Rosemary left, but everything else was devoured. So far, even with the distractions of home improvements and family visits, I’m still managing to finish each box every week – bully for us!