ECO ACTION: First CSA Share & Tag Sale Finds

I got to pick up my first ever CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share at the Stonington Farmers Market yesterday morning.  Garden Girl and Eco Action Girl (two of my secret super hero identities) have both been extremely happy with anticipation all week, looking forward to the prospect of bringing home an armload of fresh, locally grown, certified organic spring veggies.

In my first spring half-share from Studio Farm I received:

PHOTO ABOVE: (clockwise from top left) spinach, half-dozen eggs, kale, butter crunch lettuce, broccoli rabe, red oakleaf lettuce, and another butter crunch.

PHOTO BELOW: (left to right) tatsoi, garlic scapes, rhubarb

Aren't they gorgeous?!

Thank you, Belinda, for the care you put into growing them.  They will be savored.

As a point of reference for size, for these photos the produce was spread over two regular-size kitchen towels placed side-by-side.

It's certain that in the week ahead I'll be abiding by Michael Pollan's admonition--from his book, "In Defense of Food"--to:

"Eat food.* Not too much.  Mostly plants."

*[as opposed to manufactured foodlike substances]

Though I'm not so sure about the "not too much" part.  That's a lot of greens for two people to consume in one week, especially when  the other in this house would gladly choose frozen peas from the grocery store over all other vegetables.

If next week's share arrives before they've made their way to the table, the spinach and kale will  be blanched and frozen.   That's the plan.  I like the idea that a bit of spring greenery can be saved up in the freezer to combat next winter's doldrums.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not only is this the season for the first fresh locally grown veggies , it's also Tag Sale Season!

Here's this week's haul:
This week's treasures include: (counter clockwise from top left) a cranberry colored pyrex pie plate (for rhubarb crisp?), a 4-quart cast iron and enamel dutch oven, 3 blue stripped cotton dinner napkins, a glass citrus juicer, and a compact cassette player/recorder.

All were in new or nearly new condition.  Total for all: $25, which will go toward the community work of a local church.  

The price of the dutch oven was the majority of this total at $20, though it would have cost $70 or more even in a store like Target or Walmart.  I've been eyeing them for months now, but holding off for a special occasion.  Happy Birthday to me!

The cloth dinner napkins are part of my effort to reduce the use of disposables in our household.  I keep a stack handy near the kitchen table.  I've been air drying them after washing in cold water to minimize the energy consumed for keeping them clean.

The $1 cassette player/recorder is a gift for one of my student's who has no way to play back recordings of her voice lessons for practice at home.  It would have cost about $22 at Walmart, if you can still find them there.

I'm looking forward to next weekend already.  More fresh veggies and eggs, and Memorial Day weekend is always the biggest tag sale weekend of the entire year around here.  You never know what you'll find.

Looking forward to all the good cooking and eating in the week ahead.