YES!  We’ve sprung forward into spring here in Northern California, and my weekly CSA deliveries have started up once again.  What is CSA?  Can’t stand apples, children say anything?  Nope.  It’s Community Supported Agriculture!  Basically a partnership between you and a local grower where you agree to buy a weekly share of their produce for a fixed cost.  I’m going on my third year with a local farm called “Mariquita” (which means ladybug in Spanish).  After a four month winter hiatus … I am READY to chop, cook, and EAT!!

Every Tuesday, I get a newsletter from Mariquita with a heads up of what they think my CSA will contain that Thursday.  I don’t know how they do it, but they are pretty darn accurate!  They also provide storage and recipe ideas for the food that is heading my direction so I can make the most of it.  The farmer also writes an incredible article each week about various agricultural topics that whisk me away to another world.  Anyone can sign up for their newsletter or follow them on facebook to join the CSA experience with no commitment – though I expect you’ll get hooked 😉

OK, so on to the food.  This week we received a variety of spring veggies … carrots, greens (lettuce, chard), green onions, soup celery (think thin and leafy), fennel, radishes, etc etc!  I decided yesterday that I would make a sausage, bean (canned), and greens soup.  I have to say, I winged it, but in the back of my mind was one of Rachael Ray’s soups.  I  replaced canned white beans for the lentils which shaved off a bunch of cooking time.  Here’s a photo of the beautiful veggies waiting for their turn in the soup pot.  Soup Celery across the top (from whole to chopped leaves and stems), red chard at bottom right and center, and chantenay carrots in the bottom left.  The soup was a spicy, tasty treat!

Now, another fun thing I am trying for the first time … REGROWING green onions from the leftover root end!  Talk about the ultimate in recycling.  I ran across this tip from my latest online obsession … Pinterest, an online “pin board” that you share with the world.  I’ve honed in on their gardening and food categories.  Lately, there’s been multiple pins about taking the root ends of green onions that you’d normally throw away and sticking them in water … or dirt, and getting new green sprouts!  So, this hairy green onion root got planted in an outdoor pot, and I’ll see if it’s the CSA share that keeps on giving! I also found a book on the topic for even more ideas on regrowing food from ‘leftovers’: Don’t Throw It, Grow It!: 68 windowsill plants from kitchen scraps.

Well, that’s all for a school night!  Hope you enjoyed this ode to spring and CSAs.  For more even more foodie fun, follow me on Pinterest!  I’m at pinterest.com/becominggourmet/