I love waking up on Friday mornings to the shrill buzz of our apartment door. Not because I love flying out of bed at 6am because I think there is a fire, but because it means the CSA box has arrived.
It’s Christmas every two weeks.
The arrival of the CSA box also means that I need to get my thinking cap on. I love fruits and vegetables, but Jonathan and I noshing through a plain head of lettuce every week just isn’t happening.
This week’s box is looking a little green:
Today’s lesson in cropping: it’s ok to zoom in on something that makes you chuckle:
tomato butt
The bounty:
3 plums 1 head of lettuce 2 zucchini 2 green bell peppers 2 tomatoes 1 bunch green beans 1 muskmelon (aka funny cantaloupe) 1 bunch green grapesI pay $25 to get this. It’s all organic and local and sustainable. It’s more than the grocery stores, but I stand by my decision to buy this every other week.
My “filler” items that I get at Trader Joe’s in between CSA weeks are: onions, bananas, berries, avocados, and pre-made salads. Those are things we (we meaning me) eat on a daily basis. Jonathan eats them if I sneak them in.
So, back to my thinking cap… I might have used up my creative juices on the last bounty. This green box has me stumped.
Do you have any recipe ideas for these bad larrys?
What are your repeat offenders for fruits and veggies?
-Mads
La Petite Pancake 
Wow, fruit. Every time I order food I will always end up with lots of fruit and veg, unfortunately this is always the food that goes bad because I’m too busy eating the chocolate and ice cream. Does this make me a bad person? No it makes me a fat person but I’m happy nonetheless. And no badness is involved.. I think.
No badness. Sometimes I look at my veggies and think, “ooo I’m gonna be so healthy and good to my body this week” and other times I think, “Well there’s a pile of food that’s going to rot in my fridge.”
It’s not always a winning situation.
What about a nice pot of minestrone with a warm baguette? Sounds good to me. I’d pop those grapes into the freezer. They’re like sweet little air conditioning bombs after being outside in the heat. For the plums, I’d be thinking about trying this: http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/plum-financiers/
PS – I bought a tomato with a butt today, too! Looks just like yours.
August 26th – Tomato Butt Day
One of my best friends does the grape/freezer business. I still don’t understand the appeal. haha
However, that plum dish looks devine!
I looked at the grapes and then I had an OMG YOU LIVE IN CALIFORNIA moment.
I know I watched Ina do roasted sausages with grapes once so maybe you could try that? Or a compote with the plums? Zucchini could go into falafel or fritters. I would probably just steam or roast the green beans and toss them with some variety of cheese.
Oooo roasted sausage with grapes…sounds intriguing. And you really can’t go wrong with Ina. Thanks!
Being that Kat & I sometimes share the same brain, I also looked at your grapes in awe because they are “local” for you. Did the same thing when you got an avocado. The tomato butt cracked me up. Responsible Me would want to saute the zucchini as a healthy side dish, but the Irresponsible Baker Me would shred it and bake Chocolate Zucchini Bread like it was nobody’s business.