A Chronicle of Culinary Contemplation

After last year's bountiful harvest, Kelsey and I rejoined our local CSA this summer. The first weeks were a bit lean (perhaps all of our late rain?), but it certainly picked up.

Following is a litany of my summer labors:



With multitudes of gorgeous eggplants and countless garlic bulbs, we made buckets of baba ghanoush. I don't have tahini, but I keep sesame oil and toasted sesame seeds on hand. With a bit of fiddling, it works well.

We received bunches of basil, cilantro, chard, and arugula. I discovered that all of those greens can be turned into delicious pesto! Whatever I couldn't finish in a week was processed with oil, salt, nuts, and sometimes Parmesan or pecorino cheese. I froze a ton of it for the dark winter times.

In contrast to light summer times:


Also stuffed in my freezer is several bags of homemade tomato sauce. Some weeks, Kelsey and I each got 10lbs of tomatoes. Oh yes. I've found that tomatoes can be incorporated into almost everything I eat and STILL I cannot finish that much in a week! This recipe is tasty AND used up farm basil, onions, and garlic!

Salsa uses up tomatoes, onions, garlic, and beautiful peppers.



Two weeks in a row, we got a few pounds of potatoes. I experimented with making gnocchi. My gnocchi is unbelievably ugly, but pretty good! Especially with homemade tomato sauce or pesto!

Faraday approves:


Now, one method I use to eat my veggies before they spoil is blending them into smoothies. Kale is particularly delicious, but lettuce, chard, collards, baked squash, and even roasted beets will do. Oh yes.



With enough milk, bananas, frozen berries, and maybe some chocolate sauce, you'd never know the difference.

Two weeks ago, I had THREE watermelons in my fridge! Besides snacking on it and adding it to my breakfast smoothie, I've made it a bit more adult. I added farm mint and not-farm vodka.




Mmmmm. Kelsey and I drank those two lovelies while she helped me clean out my closet. It was much more relaxing than the time we introduced Faraday to Atticus:

My poor boy doesn't play nicely with others.


I knew the seasons were changing when one week we received summer squash and watermelon, and the next we got winter squash and pumpkin! Fall food and clothes are the BEST, and I'm so happy it's here. :)



Faraday is perplexed by my attempts to photograph vegetables in a dark apartment after sunset with a phone camera (because real camera was left in California, driven up to Washington state, and may be mailed to New Jersey tomorrow). Faraday better remember who feeds him.

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On a note unrelated to CSAs, marathon sessions of Cupcake Wars inspired me to buy a huge frosting piping tip:


The boys at lab obliged and ate my creations.


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On a second, completely-unrelated-to-food note, I knitted a Dalek this summer. The pattern is called EXTERMIKNIT! and was SUPER fun, though I winged the eye stalk and indicator lights.



He exterminated three of my tiny wooden DPNs. Broke'm clean in half. I put them to good use: their bits support his plunger arm, gun, and eye stalk.

He brings me such nerdy joy.


Tschüss!