viva verde

we have been getting a great deal of Swiss Chard in our CSA basket and i have to admit, i have never really cooked with it…i’m a kale gal myself. but i must say that chard definitely takes the lead when it comes to looks, have you ever seen it red, yellow or orange (i think they call the whole thing rainbow)? it’s gorgeous…good enough for a vase…which will be an upcoming post, hmmmmm.

point is i never have had the chance to cook with it. fortunately, we have been getting recipes from other members of our CSA and i have to say, i am starting to like it!

from to
this veggie is pretty inexpensive and if you are watching the waist-line, it’s a great side dish or addition to a meal. plus you are getting the benefits of eating a dark leafy green other than spinach.

basic cooked chard

thinking out of the box use of chard recipe

got our CSA basket this week, and the cooler weather has been kind to this week’s produce….they look great!

part of our basket were 2 bunches of small RED carrots….gorgeous and CSA members Kim & Troy offered this tasty yet simple way to prepare them.

ingredients:

1 bag Melissa’s fingerling potato mix

1 bag Melissa’s pearly onions

carrots, rosemary, sage (if you have it),olive oil, pepper, salt (little bit), whole & crushed garlic, (herbes de provence optional)

set oven to 400 degrees. peel the onions (cut into big chunks if you have a large onion), & cut the carrots & potatoes into bite-sized pieces, peel the garlic cloves (note: measurements are based on preference). add the herbs, S, P, & some crushed garlic into a baking dish. pour in enough olive oil to cover the veggies (but not swimming!) & mix the dish (hands preferred). add to the oven to cook for 30 min (or until done), mixing it every 5-10 minutes. set out to cool and add a little more crushed garlic…you’re done!

a great side, but can also be tasty leftovers with eggs the next day. keeps for 3-4 days.

what is a CSA??? 

small basket (great for 2-3 people):  32.50/week

large basket (3-5 people, large families): 42.50/week

drop-offs are usually at 3:30 PM every Wednesday, we keep the store open a little bit longer on those days.  baskets are left in the back patio of the store if we are closed.  a trade in basket is also available for members to trade in items that they do not like/use with ones that they will.

Morning Song Farm, is the name of the farm, they are based in San Clemente.  they are a certified organic farm.

to start your membership, email farmer Donna @

donna@morningsongfarm.com

what was in my basket last week (we have a large basket):

1 basket blackberries (gone in 2 minutes), 10 oranges, 3 limes, 3 lemons, 2 bunches of swiss chard, 2 baskets tomatillos, 1 awesome bunch of red carrots, heirloom cherry tomatoes, bok choy, asian pears, mint, rosemary, cilantro, parsley, red onions, 2 bags of lettuce, 1 bunch of beets, 1 bag green beans….and i might be missing something else….

after the last post, i got thirsty & i couldn’t wait to make my new favorite drink.

i must say, this isn’t my idea…my niece Nicole actually started doing this with our first CSA basket & i became quickly addicted to it as a result of my on-going love affair with Avanti Cafe’s margaritas…which are the closest thing to summer in a glass than you can possibly get.

how to make a CSA margarita:

tools of the trade:

oranges, limes/lemons (about 1 for every 3-4 oranges), knife, squeezer, tequila, pitcher, salt (optional, but works really well with fresh juice!), ice, zester (if you have one).
cut everything in 1/2 & squeeze the juice of about 10-15 fruits (a tall drink = 3 oranges) into a wide bowl (spilling = clean-up)

the batch in the picture made about 6+ good drinks (but we needed more lemons)

pour into a pitcher (good for straight-up oj), if you have a zester, make some lemon/lime zest and mix that into the pitcher. use an old lemon/lime on the rim of a glass and add the salt, pour about a shot of tequila into the glass fill another shot 1/2 with juice & fill will ice. MIX!

* soda water makes it tropical…not too much! enjoy!