My CSA Challenge – 2013 Edition

For those of my readers that have been with me since last fall, you’ll recall that I I jumped into the world of Community Shared Agriculture (see my CSA Confession to learn more about CSA’s in general) and then embarked on a self-proclaimed “CSA Challenge” when I decided to blog about what I was doing with the bounty I received every two weeks.

So successful was it that Anne and I decided that we wanted to commit to a full-summer CSA this year. I procrastinated longer than I should have to rejoin the one I used last year, but sometimes things work out in spite of our worst efforts and I found an organic CSA on this side of the Ontario border this summer and I’m looking forward to where it takes me.

My provider this summer, and for the next 16 weeks, will be Waratah Downs Organic Farms which is located in Iroquois, Ontario, about an hour south and east of Ottawa along the St Lawrence river.

Each Thursday after work, I will be picking up 38L bin of fresh, local, organic produce picked the day before — this means that come Friday, my challenge will be to develop a menu that incorporates these ingredients into our meals for the coming week. For two busy people, this will prove to be both a lot of a food and good challenge. I remember well what it was like to do a “Month of Ben” in April so I’m going to try and find a bit better life balance with my blog and cooking … and everything else I love and do.

Having said that, my goal for the next 16 weeks: document the weekly prize and produce recipes that utilize what I get … and share these with my readers. I suspect not everything will work out equally, but let’s see how it goes. I promise to be honest in my summary of how the recipes emerge and taste.

I hope you enjoy the fruit (the recipes) of my challenge as much as I enjoy the food itself. Have a great summer in your own kitchens. Below you will find links to the different shares and lists of what came each week.

Week Fifteen

Carrots
Spicy greens mix
Lettuce
Peppers
Honeynut squash
Shallots
Radishes
Cauliflower
Russet potatoes
Aubergine
Leeks
Red onions
Curly kale
Bag of chard
Shishito peppers

Week Fourteen

Confection squash
Kale
Parsley
Potatoes
Garlic
Carrots
Orange cauliflower
Rutabaga
Celery root
Leeks
Sage, Rosemary, Thyme
Onions
.

Week Eleven

Cabbage
Russian Kale
Curly Kale
Basil
Carrots
Garlic
Dumpling Squash
Yellow Onion
Corn
Potatoes
Peppers
…… 
.

Week Ten

Lettuce
Chard
Roma tomatoes
Beets
Spaghetti squash
Red onions
Melon
Eggplant
Peppers
Shishito peppers
Tuscan (Dino) Kale

Week Nine

Flat Kale
Zucchini
Patty pan
Fennel
Peppers
Shishito peppers
Potatoes
White onions
Leaf lettuce
Cherry tomatoes
Fairy Eggplant
Broccoli
Watermelon
…… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Cucumber
…… … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … Chard

Week Eight

Kale
Zucchini
Patty pan
Parsley
Bell peppers
Garlic
Potatoes
Onions
Red leaf lettuce
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Broccoli
Chard
.

Week Seven

Carrots
Zucchini
Cucumbers
Napa
Shishito peppers
Garlic
Basil
Onions
Red leaf lettuce
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes

Week Six

Week Five

Romaine & Red leaf lettuce
Eggplant (two varieties)
Yellow & White cucumbers
Yellow zucchini
Chard
White onion
Celery
Kale
Potatoes
Carrots
Green pepper
Grape and Cherry tomatoes

Week Four

Butter lettuce
Red Leaf lettuce
Eggplant
English cucumber
White cucumber
Yellow zucchini
Chard
Red onion
Parsley
Garlic
Potatoes
Carrots
Tuscan Kale

.

Week Two

Week One

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