Here in SE Michigan, we’ve just begun the season for local produce. Think that’s late? Where I live, the frost free date is May 29 – so I count myself lucky to get local produce any time in April. Let me show you my CSA 2022 week 1 produce box.
This year we’ve joined a CSA from Beaverland Farms in Detroit, MI. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture: think of it as a subscription to a farm. We are excited to join this new-to-us CSA; it’s only 10 miles from our house, so we’ll be getting super-local produce every week. We’ve signed up for the full 28-week season, so we’ll be getting boxes every week until October 29th. We’re looking forward to some memorable eating.
Our very first box in CSA 2022 week 1 brings us:
- spinach
- a big bag of mixed lettuce
- celery
- red potatoes
- beets
- carrots
- and a jar of local red-cabbage sauerkraut
Clearly there will be a variety of delicious salads in the coming week. The lettuce is so fresh and crisp it almost hurts to put it away in the refrigerator; I have a salad planned for tonight, with cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, and a sumac and za’atar dressing. Those tiny carrots are sweet and crunchy, and they’ll become grab-it snacks in the week to come.
While I was washing and trimming the veggies, here’s what I’ve thought about cooking:
- roasted thinly sliced potatoes (Saratoga chips)
- beet salad with nuts and feta
- possibly homemade cream of celery soup?
- creamed spinach
- pasta with sausage and spinach
Follow the season with me: I’ll show off my CSA box each week, and then spin ideas of how I might use all the good stuff. Feel free to chime in with comments or questions.