This week's CSA share included one bunch of curly kale, a bunch of rainbow chard, a head of amazing looking butter lettuce, one fennel bulb complete with fronds, a beautiful bunch of onions, a bunch of beets (egads), two cucumbers and two yellow squash. Oh! And lovely golden peaches.
This is the height of the season and so we are having some trouble using everything in a week's time. But we are getting through most of it because I am beginning to store some items. I have two batches of super green pesto in the freezer and I am starting to freeze some of the braising greens like the kale. Hearty greens like kale and spinach freeze very well but they do lose their crunchiness. So I will use them in the fall in homemade soup like a sausage and kale soup. The pesto will also make a nice addition to a fall pasta dish.
If you have too much corn this year you can cut it off the cobs and blanch it halfway and freeze the kernels. These homemade 'nibblets' are perfect for corn pudding and just reheating with butter as a side dish. Tomatoes also freeze well, but jeez, I never have any leftover.
I am opting to focus my attention on the fresh items that won't last forever and can't be frozen like cucumbers, lettuce and chard. I bet you could freeze chard but it is so good fresh with eggs. Maybe, just maybe, I will actually eat our CSA share in the winter months. And maybe, just maybe I won't waste anything else.
Enjoy!!
In addition to my freezer, I've put a dehydrator in the mix. I've found that dried okra, leeks, squash were really fun to have on hand.
ReplyDeleteOoooooh. So Jealous. Actually, a dehydrator is definitely on my list. I never though of dehydrating leeks and okra and squash!
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