Summer fresh, eat all week!

"Please enjoy the following CSA recipe tips from Olinda.

Olinda has been a CSA member for a number of years and has been working at the farm this summer on Wednesday mornings harvesting and packing shares for everyone in an organised and cheerful manner. Thank you Olinda!" - Heron

I have had to rethink my cooking over the years, cooking for a big family while juggling work, after school clubs etc… I have had to reduce cooking time to 15/20 mins, with over half an hour being a enjoyable luxury. Then, there is the continuous increase in food prices! But even cooking on a budget I still put quality, nutritional value and environmental consciousness at top the of my list… this is where CSA has crowned our weekly shop. The ingredients arrive weekly, freshly picked and at a very good price. I enjoy the variety, the colours, the textures, and knowing where it was grown and picked, giving a new perspective to feeding my family with love!

So, here is an example of how I might manage a delivery to maintain the speed cooking in the evenings so there is always something to grab on those rushed school nights. (funny to write this as the holidays start, but I wouldn’t have the time to otherwise!)

Before cooking I take a moment to be grateful. I place the bag with pride on the kitchen counter and take everything out, as some kind of weekly birthday present, so beautiful, gives me the warm feeling of living on a dream homestead.

Beetroot:

The beets are the first to go in, wrapped in foil and baked for an hour, allowed to cool and then peeled, sliced and put in a sealed tub for the week. Once they are cooked and prepared I can arrange them on a plate in less than a minute:

·        Simply with olive oil and salt

·        Parsley, seeds and nuts for a fresh crunch

·        Dressed with cider vinegar, a dollop of yogurt and a handful of mint

·        A drizzle of chilli oil for fiery beets.

French beans:

I top and tail them, with a knife for speed, but I have happy childhood memories of summer evenings: a glut of beans, sitting with my grandma at their allotment, topping and tailing into the compost bucket. I boil them all, length of cooking time is up to personal preference, but I like to keep a crunch to them. Once they are cool, I keep them in the fridge to:

·        Simply eat cold with olive oil and salt (my brother swears by lemon juice!)

·        Fry up with olive oil and garlic or spring onions

·        Yummy cut up with chopped tomatoes, fresh herbs (from the pots at the beginning of spring) and seeds

Lettuce:

I have lettuce with everything, so I just chop it up wash it well as soon as I get it. Once it has been dried with the salad spinner, I put it back into the washed bag it came in. Easy access and enjoy straight out of the fridge.

Calabrese frying pan pizza:

My latest ‘invention’ with this wonderful vegetable was very popular with my 10-year-old.

I cut it up into florets and shallow fried with garlic, splash of white wine (just because I had some…) or a splash veg stock until the florets are soft. I added a tsp of capers (anchovies would have been nice, nuts or fresh onions). I had a spoonful of tomato sauce from the night before, that added a lovely depth to the whole thing. But what made it the best for my daughter was the grilled grated cheese on top, mozzarella, cheddar, and if I’d had some, I am sure parmesan would have worked!

Curly Kale and chickpeas:

This was my favourite this week. Start with a base of crushed garlic into a frying pan of oil, tin of tomatoes and a chilli pepper, salt to taste.  Cook until the oil starts separating from the tomatoes at the sides of the pan, 10 mins or so. I added 2 tins of drained chickpeas and a tsp of saffron, cooked for 5 mins.  With the stems cut off the kale and chopped into largish chunks, I added them to the pan for the last 5 minutes of cooking with a lid. Cooked until the kale was soft.

I had this warm and cold, so good!

Made up tzatziki:

What better way to enjoy the cucumber than chopped up in yogurt with spring onion, olive oil, lemon juice, mint, dill, parsley! Keeps well in the fridge to add to any summery dish on the menu.

Happy CSA seasonal cooking 😊

Olinda