Week of August 5th

What a weekend! Trying to collect all the vegetables and fruit that are unsuitable for sale is a big job. Those chickens are living the summer life. Their coops are filled with roma tomatoes, spaghetti and acorn squash, melons of all varieties and any greens I can find (which are in short supply during the summer). My little VW Rabbit is filled with dust, dirt, veggie juices and seeds! We are also grinding our own corn from last year for these ladies.
I wanted to raise some awareness, although this might be old news, never hurts repeating. Organic chicken feed costs a lot of money, at least 2x that of conventional grain. To keep a chicken happy it really needs to be outdoors with sufficient space (not just called “free-range” in a building with an access to an outdoor lot which is typical of any big store brand). After helping butcher a few chickens this weekend for food for ourselves and friends it re-grounded me to the process. It’s SO easy to walk into the store and just pick up the cheapest deal available. But consider who is absorbing the costs? The earth, the farmers and our future. Shop local meat when available and cut down on animal protein in general. Better for the environment and your pocket book. Ok – off the soap box and back to work. Enjoy the summer goodies this week! Don’t cook the canary melon;) it’s not a spaghetti squash.

CSA for the first week of August includes:
CARROTS
CUCUMBERS
HEIRLOOM TOMATOES, mixed varieties
RED ITALIAN SWEET PEPPERS
CANARY MELON
ITALIAN PARSLEY
RED LEAF LETTUCE
YUKON GOLD POTATOES, freshly dug
DELICATA SQUASH
GREEN BEANS
BIG BOX ADD: YELLOW ONIONS, ROMAINE LETTUCE, RED CHERRY TOMATOES, STRAWBERRIES or A melon

What you might have found in your fruit expansion this week: STRAWBERRIES, YELLOW PEACHES from Fairhill Farms, BLACKBERRIES, RASPBERRIES

Nourishing Quinoa Bowl with Delicata Squash

Ingredients: Serves 4
1 medium delicata squash
1 cup quinoa seeds (I used red quinoa)
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1/3 field cucumber, halved and sliced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Creamy Almond Dressing:
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon liquid honey
1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon each, salt, black and cayenne pepper
(For full recipe and directions please visit LeeLaLicious)

Delicata Squash Salad with Roasted Potatoes and Pomegranate Seeds

Ingredients: Serves 4-6 servings
1.5 pounds small to medium potatoes
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium delicata squash
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (i tend to sub apple cider, although
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
10 packed cups baby arugula (about 8 ounces) or try red leaf lettuce
seeds from one pomegranate (about 1 cup)
1 cup crumbled Feta or Parmesan
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
(For full recipe and directions please visit The Year in Food)

Garlic and Lemon Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

(Cook this for dinner and have it again for lunch! Here’s paying respects to all the animals that are killed for our consumption. )
Ingredients: Serves 8
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
3⁄4 lb fresh green beans
8 small red potatoes, quartered
4 chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin) or 3 1⁄4 lbs chicken breasts (bones left in, with skin)
(Full recipe here at Food.com)

Shrimp and Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing

(I would add some freshly steamed green beans into this salad too. Take note: I adjusted a few ingredients that I feel would work to match our CSA box contents.)
Ingredients:
For the salad:
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 pound raw shrimp, tails removed
1/2 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1&1/2 cups sliced avocados (2 small)
1 cucumber
4 cups chopped spinach, lettuce or baby kale
fresh chopped parsley for topping
peanuts for topping
For the dressing:
1 1-inch piece of fresh peeled ginger
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons lime juice (more to taste)
2 tablespoons agave nectar
1&1/2 tablespoons white miso (it’s like a paste – you can buy it at many regular grocery stores)
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
(For full recipe and directions please visit A Pinch of Yum)

JUICE FEAST INCLUDES:
CARROTSX2
CUCUMBERS
ITALIAN SWEET PEPPERS
CANARY MELON
ITALIAN PARSLEY
ROMAINE LETTUCE
STRAWBERRIES
LACINATO KALE
BABY SPINACH
FUJI APPLES from HAAS FARMS

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