July 1st Market CSA Pick-up #7

The summer is Matt’s busiest time. He can’t take off a week pack it up and take a vacation at the beach because he is in the middle of full grown growing season. I don’t want our son to miss out on this tradition, so I take him to the Chesapeake Bay for a couple of weeks since we can’t vacation when he is in school. This trip has been magnificent. We were witness to this beautiful sunset and we all truly felt touched by the blessings which has been bestowed upon us.

Our son is thankful for crabs! Him and his grandmother have been making crab night lights from the leftover crabs shells. He began selling his creations last week and was so excited that people actually bought them. So while we are at the beach, he has made more to bring to market.

Sage’s crab lights last year.

He is proud of his business venture is thankful to the folks at market for encouraging his thoughtful creativity and his business. We will see how this week goes.

Our garlic has gone from spring garlic to cured garlic. We wait until the garlic bulbs up in the ground and then hang them in our barn to cure.

They quickly change from the green garlic you see on the right to full sized garlic bulbs! We plant our garlic in October and they are in the ground until mid-June. It is important to know that Matt only uses certified organic products on our produce so this garlic is safe and healthy!

Our CSA members will be receiving carrots, turnips, bok choy, kohlrabi, kale, squash, cured garlic, and arugula! Our arugula goes to Mama Zu’s, Edo Squid, and Dinamo, so you know it is awesome!

Here is my meal plan for the week:

Monday: Pan Seared Shrimp with Warm White Bean Arugula Salad

This salad is inspired by a meal I got from Edo Squid. I loved it so much, I worked hard to recreate it. It is so easy! First, I put about a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and get it hot. While the oil is heating I mince a garlic. I then add a can of cannelloni beans (or any white bean) and the minced garlic to the pan and let them get warm. At the very end, I toss on some more olive oil, remove the pan from the heat and toss on about 4 handfuls of arugula and let it wilt down for just a minute and plate them. I then add some more olive oil to the same pan and throw on the shrimp. They cook real fast! Once they are cooked, I toss them on top of the plates and dinner is done in a flash! This is one of my very favorite recipes and tastes so good with Matt’s cured garlic and arugula.

Tuesday: Skirt Steak, Baby Bok Choy and Squash Stir-Fry

Next we need to use some of your carrots, bok choy, and garlic! This recipe is from SkinnyTaste, and she is hands down my favorite recipe blogger. I love it because it is quick and easy for the week night and still healthy!

SkirtSteakZucchiniandBabyBokChoyStir-Fry-550x825

Picture from the SkinnyTaste Recipe site

I serve this over brown rice. Brown rice takes about 40 minutes to cook, so I start it right away. My secret is to put a can of chicken broth in a pot, let it boil and then put in a a cup of the brown rice. The chicken broth gives the rice such nice flavor.

Wednesday: Spiralzied Summer Roll Bowls with Hoisin Peanut Sauce

I like to eat light in the summer, and honestly, when it is hot, you really don’t want to eat heavy! I grabbed this recipe from my favorite blogger SkinnyTaste and adapt it to fit what I have in season.

Picture from the SkinnyTaste Site

I change her recipe a bit and add some spiralized summer squash and turnips along with the cucumber. This recipe is done in 30 minutes. My secret is I buy the pre-cooked frozen shrimp and thaw them in the refrigerator the night before I make this. Our son loves this recipe because he loves to help make it and prefers his vegetables raw. If you have little ones in your home, encourage them to help you prepare the food. They will learn so much from it and will carry on a healthy eating lifestyle when they grow up.

Thursday: Mushroom Kale Lasagna Rolls

I bet you have never thought of using kale in lasagna! This recipe is one of my family favorites! What I love most about it is that it allows me to control my portions, I only eat one roll!

So I cheat on this recipe as well, I use Prego spaghetti sauce. I don’t put the kale in a food processor like the recipe says, I just tear it up small and then sauté it. I also use Ricotta Cheese from Goats-R-Us who is across from us at market. Her cheese is so fresh, you can’t go wrong. This is so healthy and the mushrooms provide you enough protein to help keep you energized. We always get ours from market!

Friday: Pan Seared Center Cut Pork Chops and Apple Kohlrabi Slaw

Kohlrabi is a great vegitable. It is sometimes called a German Turnip as it is predominant in German cooking! Whenever I think of pork chops, I think of apples! So I found this great Apple Kohlrabi Slaw Recipe! It is so good, clean, and healthy and served alongside the pork chop, it is fabulous! If you are wondering how to cut up a kohlrabi, check out this video:

I cut the kohlrabi in to match thin matchsticks to make the slaw. It is so good! Our son loves these served raw. I cut them up and put them in the refrigerator so that it is nice and cold when he eats them.

So what is coming to market? We look forward to seeing you at the South of the James Farmer’s Market from 8-12 this Saturday!