Our Second Month of CSA Boxes

 We tried something new this summer, a Community Supported Agriculture program (called CSA) through one of our local farms. We pay up front and then get 17 boxes of fresh produce throughout the summer and into fall.

Box #6-- Lots more zucchini, some summer squash, a cantaloupe, some green and yellow beans, more tomatoes and some peppers. 

I made chocolate zucchini bread, some squash side dishes (just sauteing squash/ zucchini with mushrooms and onions), and I shredded some zucchini to freeze for winter too. We made salad with the lettuce, used the cantaloupe in our fruit/yogurt bowls. The green peppers were used for fajitas one night paired with another red pepper I bought at the store and some onions. We used the green and yellow beans for side dishes at dinner and the tomatoes for sandwiches & sides. 

Box #7-- MORE zucchini and squash, some cucumbers, beets, lettuce, cantaloupe, tomatoes and banana peppers.

I made summer squash lasagna with some of the squash and zucchini and sauteed up others with some onions and garlic and Italian dressing seasoning. I ate the cucumbers and tomatoes with my lunches and used the lettuce to make a salad. The turnips we cut up with some potatoes and garlic and herbs and roasted them. The cantaloupe was eaten for snack by my sons with some fruit dip and the banana peppers we diced up one by one to use in place of peppers in various recipes throughout the week. 

Our summer squash lasagna recipe here

Box #8-- 1/2 a dozen zucchini, 1/2 a dozen yellow squash, a cantaloupe, a watermelon, some large and small tomatoes, 2 bell pepper, several other larger peppers, some lettuce, cucumbers, and pickling cucumbers (a good 1/2 dozen of each). 

We ate the fruit, used the tomatoes for salads and caprese chicken/salmon dinner one night. I used the lettuce in our salad and the squash/zucchini to make 2 more casseroles that I popped in the freezer for fall/winter. But I struggled to use all those cucumbers and peppers before they went bad. 

squash casseroles

I finally tried making my own pickles and sweet relish. I was terrified of doing it "wrong" and making anyone sick but warned everyone if they felt or tasted weird not to eat them. They turned out great and the pickles were gone in no time (but we're not really a relish family so those jars are just sitting in the fridge).

Box #9-- Ian and Evan picked up this box for me while we were getting Alec settled in his dorm. We got a dozen ears of corn, some green peppers, some yellow squash, more cucumbers and a couple banana peppers and lots more tomatoes. 

We ate a few ears of corn one night but I cooked them all up with the intent of making corn fritters with the leftovers. We LOVE them and they freeze beautifully! I cut up and cooked the squash with broccoli and mushrooms. We used the peppers for fajitas and I made some more sauce with ALL the tomatoes I had from this week, last week, and my mother in law's garden. I made up a cucumber salad & some cucumber dressing with the cucumbers. 

Our corn fritter recipe

I made enough marinara for 2 meals this time and popped some into the freezer

cucumber dressing

Box #10-- Corn, large and small tomatoes, yellow beans, celery, green peppers, onions, & cucumber

We ate the corn and beans as side dishes with dinner. We used the tomatoes, celery, and cucumbers in our salads and as side dishes. I sauteed the onions and peppers into various dishes and with some zucchini and mushrooms as a side dish.

Grilled chicken with zucchini, onions, mushrooms, and pepper

Box #11- Corn on the cob, some more peppers, some yellow tomatoes, small tomatoes, green beans, an acorn squash, some radishes, some yellow beats, and Swiss chard. 

We ate the corn on the cob with some BLT sandwiches (using some of those tomatoes too). We had green beans and squash as a side dish one night with our pot roast. I used the radishes in our salad and ate the small tomatoes with my lunches.

I really splurged one night and had BLT on an Asiago bagel; I can't remember the last time I ate a real bagel! 

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