Another fun CSA box:
Greens! — Help me identify them (the middle is chard)
A bag of lettuce and radishes
Onion, tomatoes, kohlrabi, broccoli
Two acorn squash, a cabbage, and a carrot
I made fried green tomatoes for the first time — thanks to a commenter I don’t remember who gave me the idea! They were great — all I did was slice them, dip them in egg, batter them (plain gf bread crumbs), and fry them in a pan with a little olive oil. For dinner I paired them as a side with bean chili and tortilla chips. My husband was a big fan. I fried up some red tomatoes as well, but green really is the best. Not sure why…
Oh yeah — the CSA box comes to about $17 per week/$35 per box. It takes us the full two weeks to get through the whole box.
And I almost forgot —
All that and a sack of potatoes!
I’m not sure what the back one is (it’s kind of hard to tell since it’s still in the bag), but the front one looks like it might be chard as well; there are several different types/colors.
I agree, the first looks like chard too.
YAY for fresh fruits and veggies.
You have inspired me to eat healthier!
The front one is definitely rainbow chard. The back one is too hard to see. Sort of looks like loose baby spinach but it’s hard to say.
I’ve never had fried green tomatos but it sounds interesting. I’ll have to see if I can get any at the farmers market since this is the time for them.
I just love fall in terms of produce. Squash and root vegetables are some of my favorites and I just love making a hearty stew. Can’t wait to see what the new season brings you.
I agree that the front two are both chard. Taste the back one and if the flavor is too strong to eat raw, just cook it as you would chard. Otherwise, toss it in your salad. My CSA always comes with “Mixed field greens” or “braising mix” which strike me as “anything green left growing on the farm that looks leaf like.” We gamely eat it all!
Do the fried green tomatoes taste like ripe red tomatoes? Or do they have their own unique taste?
Fried green tomatoes are completely different from red tomatoes. They are much more tart and harder. I can’t imagine red would hold up to the frying – they’d turn to mush.
I made some last night. Traditionally they’re made with cornmeal. I think I’ll try it with bread crumbs next. I still have a ton from our CSA box.
Love fried green tomatoes. There’s a local restaurant that does a blt with fried green tomatoes intstead of ripe ones, and it’s fantastic.
If you ever have a lot of green tomatoes sitting around (like at first frost), there’s green tomato pie. Peel them, then pretend they are apples. Yummy.
I think the bottom one is chard. I can’t really see the top one through the bag but just taste it. If it tastes mild but not good raw, treat it like spinach/chard/bok choy. If it tastes mustardy or spicy, look up mustard green recipes (there’s a good one using Indian spices in Joy of Cooking). If it’s tougher than chard, treat it like kale or collard greens.
I think the back bag is spinach. Mustard greens often have wavy edges like kale, and bok choy usually has a lighter portion where it stems (also the stems are thick, not thin like those leaves). The front two are definitely chard.
Have you ever tried a Fried Green Tomato BLT??????????? HELLO! Its out of this world.
We LOVE acorn squash. In Canada, they call it Pepper Squash. I had never eaten it until I married my Canadian husband. He splits it down the middle going along the natural ridges, rather than against them. Then scoop out the seeds, pop some butter or margarine (I use butter because it is natural and we don’t have the dairy-tolerance issues) and fresh ground pepper in there to taste, wrap each half up in foil, and put them scooped-side up on a baking sheet (I prefer to line the baking sheet with foil because it sometimes bubbles over; lining with foil makes cleanup easier), and roast at 350 for 45 mins – 1 hour, until the squash is fork-tender. We then let it cool a bit, and scoop out the “meat” of the squash, and eat. The consistency is something like a mash, and it is SO yummy! It is a staple at our holiday dinners (both Canadian & U.S. Thanksgivings, Christmas, etc), and makes for great leftovers!
I think the middle is beet greens. Was the back on spicy? maybe it was arugula or mizuna? So cool that you’re getting a CSA. I can TOTALLY help you recipes!
So excited to learn about CSAs! Thank you. I live in Germany now and I have been spoiled by wonderful organic produce delivered weekly. I look forward to checking out CSA boxes when I return to the U.S.