Big Sigh!  Yesterday marked the end of my 2010 CSA shares and the end of my self-imposed “food challenge 2010”.  In homage to the fun I had, I decided to write a blog post about my experience.

If you’ve never heard of CSA, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  Basically it is a relationship where customers get in a little partnership with a local farm(s) paying up front for multiple weeks of produce.  In return for their $$, the customers get a weekly box of  fresh, local produce that they pick up from one of the farm’s drop off sites (hopefully) nearby their house.  The CSA that I chose is called Two Small Farms which is a partnership of High Ground Organics in Watsonville, CA and Marquita Farm in Hollister, CA.

I was very pleased with my CSA experience.  First, I felt like I got an enormous amount of produce for my money.  Even if I didn’t end up using the whole box each week, I always felt that I used ‘my money’s worth’.  Having a fridge full of beautiful, local produce also saved me from going overboard on purchases at the farmer’s market because my shares conveniently came a couple days before my jaunt to the farmers’ market.  Second, I also enjoyed the weekly newsletters that included an update from the farm along with recipe ideas on how to use up my shares.  (A couple of my suggestions from their facebook fan page even made the newsletter).  Most importantly, I enjoyed the weekly fun and challenge of finding creative uses for ingredients, especially for the one or two items each week I may not have picked up if left to my own devices.

Today was one of those days to exercise my creativity with my last CSA share for 2010.  While enjoying an early start to my Thanksgiving holiday week, I decided to make a little lunch for me and my mom.  First, we started with a red leaf lettuce salad.  The lettuce I had leftover from the prior week’s shares that was still looking good, so there was my base.  Next I shaved in thin slices of zucchini that came with this week’s share along with some carrots.  I topped it off with a favorite simple dressing (that I may have mentioned before …).  Sherry Vinegar + Olive Oil + Maldon Salt + Toss.  Without my CSA produce, this just would have been lettuce + cheese + dressing so I’m adding some ompf to my nutrients here too.   For the main attraction, I thawed some frozen homemade marinara sauce and took a big riff on a baked ziti recipe.  Instead of the meat and the noted spinach, I took a maiden voyage with collard greens and sauteed them sliced in ribbons with a little oil, salt and pepper … and shredded carrots.  I mixed it in with the pasta, cheese, and sauce before popping it in the oven.  Delicious!  My mom agreed so it must be true.  Here it is along with the flowers I get each week from the CSA and a parsley bunch that is so big I’m using it for decoration until I’m ready to use it up.

In closing, here’s a sampling of some of my other discoveries and adventures during the 2010 CSA Season:

• Eggplant.  I’d never really tried eggplant anything before, but recently I had tried some eggplant parmigiana at a local italian restaurant.  I loved it, so when I got eggplant in one of my shares, I gave a recipe from Mario Batali a try.  Yum!
• Cauliflower.  I’m not a huge fan of raw cauliflower so you typically won’t find it around my kitchen.  When a big head ended up in my box one week though, I dug back to a cooking class I’d been in and conjured up this Cauliflower Torte (Secret decoder ring on that recipe is:  1, 1/4, 2, 3, 4, 1/2).    When cauliflower showed up again in subsequent weeks, I busted out some more cauliflower … frittata style.  Booyah!
• Fennel.  While I’m not a huge fan of black licorice, this little anise flavored veggie is delicious when caramelized like an onion.  I swapped out onion for fennel in this salad and used some of the leftovers over a homemade pizza.  It’s also yummy in soups like Manhattan Crab Chowder.

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my CSA experience.  I encourage you to join a CSA near you for 2011 and give it a try.  If you aren’t quite ready to make the commitment, then head to the farmers’ market and pick one new veggie each week to create your own foodie challenge!