2016 CSA Week 18

Good evening fellow CSA members,

I thought about all of you this past week. Because I really enjoyed my share and I was hoping you did too!

I had many of my share ingredients throughout one day when I made a friend's delicious avocado spinach salad for lunch. (Cut up a tomato, mix with spinach, black olives, squeeze/mix avocado into the salad with your hands working it into the greens until it is like a dressing, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and just a little Italian dressing.) Then I boiled the corn and sautéed the squash for dinner.

The food was beautiful and delicious. And thankfulness just bubbled up inside of me that I am so privileged to have access to such a wonderful food source. That we have the ability to choose where our food comes from is a blessing. That Sustainable Harvest Farm (and our grocery stores and other farmers) are choices for us is humbling. I hope we never take that for granted.

The thankfulness continued throughout the evening when I sat down to dinner with my little family. My husband and I ate a lot of meals in front of the TV when it was just the two of us. But with the arrival of our son, we wanted to make it our habit to share meals together at the table. So far, they've been mostly miserable. Either the baby will scream the whole time, or one of us will have to wait while we feed him or hold him or juggle him or finally concede and walk around the house with him until we can finally switch and eat a cold meal. But Matthias has been getting better at grasping finger foods and feeding himself. And I've learned to keep food in front of him when he's hungry (to stave off the screaming). This night he fed himself small pieces of squash, corn kernels, avocado and watermelon. (Wasn't the watermelon delicious?!?!) And Johnie and I ate at the table with him at the same time, sharing lighthearted conversation. No screaming, no cold food. It was glorious and I feel like I got a glimpse into how pleasant meal time can be for us as Matthias continues to grow and learn (and entertain us). I was especially touched that my friends grew the food we enjoyed as our most pleasant meal experience as a family so far. I even snapped a few pictures for you all to see.

That's more than enough about me and my week though. You're here because you want to know what's in store for YOU this week:

Produce	Storage	Longevity
winter squash (either delicata, acorn or spaghetti)	Room temperature	weeks
eggplant*	unwashed, in fridge, wrapped in a paper towel in crisper	5-7 days
pepper*	unwashed, in fridge	1-2 weeks
tomatoes	room temperature	about a week
sweet corn	shucked or with husks on in coldest part of fridge	enjoy as soon as possible
cucumber	washed or unwashed in fridge	1-2 weeks
basil	store in an unclosed container in fridge or snip off bottom of stems and immerse in water	1-2 weeks

*This week your share will have either eggplant or bell peppers, as well as one of a variety of winter squash.

Here's where I confess I had never really heard of delicata squash. I have heard the name but when Ford told me about it, I wasn't sure if it was a variety of acorn squash or if it was a different type of squash in its own rite. Turns out its a type of squash all its own. And I found this article (and recipe) that makes me VERY excited to try it.

Here are a couple acorn squash recipes from a past season.

I'd love to hear from you about how you are using, or plan to use, you squash! I'm sure many of you are much more experienced than I am. Email me with any recipes, tips or suggestions. amyrosekarr@gmail.com