Arugula?

Speaking of pesto, we had a random "winter" share pickup yesterday. It is the last share pickup until the beginning of June, when we start the summer share. Well, since it is actually spring, this "winter" share was half spring greens and half root veggies. So we got almost 2 pounds -yes pounds- of argula!!! What the heck do you do with all that arugula? One of the volunteers suggested making and freezing arugula pesto...so that is what I will be doing along with eating lots of arugula salads!! While all of this arugula may seem annoying, this is what I like about the share: You are forced to be creative!

If anyone has any ideas for arugula, I would LOVE to know!!!

Basil!

So one of my favorite things about this CSA is basil. I never knew how much I liked it. During the summer share and beginning of the winter share, we sometimes get herbs, one of them being basil. Basil is one of those things that you sort of have to use up right away or it will wilt and start to brown. So, last summer I made some basil pesto with it and put it in the freezer for a rainy, what-should-we-eat-kind-of-day. Well since our winter share ended at the end of February and the summer share doesn't start until June, we've been having those days. So I took it out, and it made a very yummy, quick dinner! Add a little heavy cream and butter and parmesan cheese to the pesto and you have a creamy pesto pasta sauce compliments of The Pioneer Woman....

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/pasta-with-pesto-cream-sauce/

Why not a blog?

So Nick, Logan and I are gearing up for our second year of CSA: Community Shared Agriculture! We're really excited for round two! For those of you who don't know about CSAs, it's basically a food share that we purchase from a local farm. We pay one price each year, and for 9-10 months out of the year, we pick up a LARGE amount of fresh vegetables and fruit each week. And I mean sometimes it's hard to keep up! And you can't go to your local grocery store and pick up two full reusable bags of produce for the same price-no way!

Anyway, after being on a wait list for a couple years (yes, it's popular), we finally we're able to become shareholders just after Logan was born. So last year, we ventured in this CSA thing and ended up loving it. It has changed the way we eat! And I can say with confidence that I have become a cook as a result. Cooking now is my outlet, and I am always looking for new recipes, especially since we have been introduced to vegetables I have never ate before, much less knew existed! We feel better too-it's amazing!

Not only am I excited for another year, but having been "introduced" last year, we now know what to expect, how to store certain things and have a good idea of what to do with all the stuff. Last year, Logan was just beginning to eat baby food when we started, so I did try to use some of the stuff to make him food, but he wasn't fond of my homemade purees! This year he can really eat what we eat, so I am glad we are able to introduce him to a variety of foods so early!

So what's the point to this blog? Well, I want someway to store all of my recipes and ideas and share food ideas with others. We have a couple of friends who have just started the CSA or will be, so I hope this blog with help them with their new adventure as well.