The Humane Omnivore: Community Supported Agriculture

I never thought I’d get so excited about seeing a bright red Igloo cooler that contains absolutely NO beer.  Much less one that actually contains VEGETABLES.

But now I do.  And I have the added benefit of being not just a customer, but a friend, with a local farmer.  When Jim from Shared Bounty Farm drove up last Saturday, the first delivery week of our brand new CSA membership, he was careful not to disturb the baby robins nesting on my porch door – just as I’d asked him in my email to him.  I heard his knock and went out to say hello – and I liked him immediately.  We exchanged pleasantries for a few minutes and then he headed out on the rest of his deliveries with a friendly wave and a “see you next Saturday!”

This summer, I really wanted to grow  my own vegetables.  But knowing my time limitations, I just couldn’t do it justice.  Yet I still wanted to reduce the fossil fuels used to get fresh vegetables to my plate.  Enter the CSA – Community Supported Agriculture.  For less money than Blonde Bomber and I would spend at Whole Foods for equivalent veggies over an equivalent timeframe, we instead signed up for a weekly half-share of fresh veggies, fruits, and (if we like), eggs, for 24 weeks.  All from a local farmer who picks this produce from his own farm not even 30 miles from our door.  And the best part – we were in his delivery area!  Sweet.

Last week, we enjoyed an abundance of fresh salad greens, amazing green onions, beautiful kale, fresh herbs, and radishes.  This week, we received more of those delicious salad greens, some GORGEOUS mustard greens (more on those later), rosemary, chives, more green onions, bok choy, and … strawberries!

YUM.

BB and I talked a lot about signing up for the CSA before we did it.  He was concerned we wouldn’t eat all the goodies and would end up wasting food.  Secretly, so was I – though I was so jazzed about trying it that I wouldn’t admit it to him.

In the end, we decided this would be our “Iron Chef CSA Experiment”.  Meaning, we would treat every week’s cooler like an Iron Chef would do and get super creative to ensure we never left any of that beautiful produce to spoil.

We’ve done great so far!  It has taken some extra planning, but my new farmer-friend helps immensely – 2 days before the week’s delivery, he sends out a newsletter letting us all know what will likely be in this week’s harvest.  And – bonus! – he sends out some great recipes as well.  Now that’s a farmer who knows his audience, I tell you.  Translation:  Working, time-strapped suburban families who are busy enough that even looking up YET ANOTHER salad recipe is just too much work.

Tonight, I am trying (for the first time ever) to make kale chips.  I’ll let you know how that turns out – I may be the ONLY blogger on the planet who has not tried these. 

Last night, I made an amazing mustard greens dish to go with roasted (humanely raised) chicken.  I actually found this recipe myself because I had a feeling I would need to get REALLY creative for BB to like anything with mustard greens.  He is deeply suspicious of most greens besides, perhaps, lettuce.

I did neglect to get any photos (a side effect of starting on the wine while you are washing, drying, and chopping veggies – you focus more on your quickly-emptying wineglass than you do on documenting your activities for your blog … whoops), but here’s the recipe I followed. 

Mustard Greens with Chipotle & Bacon (From Epicurious)

• 2 3/4 pounds curly mustard greens (2 to 3 bunches), stems and coarse ribs discarded
• 4 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces  [Note – I used Whole Foods’ Black Forest bacon]
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Coarsely chop greens, then cook in 2 batches in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until wilted and tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. Drain greens in a colander, pressing gently to release excess moisture.

Cook bacon in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving fat in skillet. Add oil, chipotle, greens, and salt to fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cooked bacon, stir to combine and serve. 

In the original recipe, they called for sprinkling the cooked bacon on top, but I found that mixing it into the moist greens was the best way – nice warmed bacon among perfectly wilted greens with just the right temperature of spice from the chipotle.

The verdict?  As hoped, BB proclaimed these greens to be “awesome”.  I’m pretty sure it was the bacon.  I figure anything cooked with bacon gets a thumbs-up from a man.

Stay tuned for more “Iron Chef CSA” adventures this summer as BB and I try to meet our self-induced challenge:  No produce left behind!

Want to see what CSA options may be available in your area?  Check out Local Harvest for CSAs, farmers’ markets, and more.