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| Photo of Tucker Farms Lettuce at the Marietta Square Farmers' Market |
{Oops, I meant this Weekend Links post to go up on Sunday morning, but I must not have used the scheduler correctly! So enjoy a little Wednesday Links this week!}
Last year, we joined a CSA for the first time and did as best we could to embrace the challenge of more spontaneous seasonal meal planning. I intended to do a CSA wrap-up post of favorite recipes we discovered at the end of the season, but that ended up falling about the same time as Mouse's arrival, and I never got around to it.
In a way, I think this turns out better, since I am able to share some of my favorite CSA recipes as we gear up for another great season.
Radishes
We had a lot of radishes last year. A lot! As in, every week. Unlike my dad, I don't care much (or at all) for raw radishes, but as it turned out, these quick pickled ones are great (on a salad, a sandwich, etc.)!
Leeks
We also had a lot of leeks and while I ultimately started using them in lieu of onions in other recipes, these recipes for braised leeks with lentils and quiche stood out. The hands-down best were these braised leeks and apples! We put them over a grilled flank steak and it was out of this world!
Zucchini
I love zucchini simply steamed or cut thick, brushed with olive oil and grilled, so there were really no challenges using these lovelies. In addition, we had made lots of zucchini muffins (most of which never made it to the freezer). I also enjoyed these zucchini "noodles" in Thai peanut sauce (although mine were mushy since I used a box grater; this year I'm armed and ready with a mandoline). This cheesy zucchini rice was also a huge hit (we substituted brown rice).
Summer Squash
Our family loved this summer squash mushroom casserole in addition to wonderful steamed squash and raw squash rounds dipped in ranch as an afternoon snack.
Lettuce
It was great to get outside the lettuce "box" with some different varieties. Over the summer, I found this great article on preserving lettuce that virtually eliminated waste from spoilage.
Choi
Early in the season, we had an abundance of joi choi and I discovered this great choi slaw recipe (because one can only have so much stir fry).
Tomatoes
We love tomatoes like we love zucchini, so other than sheer volume, we did not have any problems coming up with ways to enjoy the tomatoes (from heirloom cherry ones, to lovely beefsteak ones). My one attempt at tomato sauce was somewhat uninspired, so I'll need to work on that again this year. But my very always definitely favorite tomatoes are Heidi's oven roasted tomatoes (you can use cherry/grape or chopped larger tomatoes - any variety).
What recipes are you looking forward to making with your CSA basket this spring?
by Kathy Hepinstall - I don't usually "do" Civil
War fiction, so when this came up on the book club list, I was
nonplussed. But the characters and themes of this book transcend the
temporal setting - a wife committed to the asylum for disobeying her
husband, a soldier suffering from PTSD, a young boy looking for love and
affection anywhere he can get it - and drew me in. 
by Charles Finch - The second book in the Charles Lenox series (which I
discovered while vacationing last year), in which one finds the
Victorian Era amateur sleuth trolling the streets of Oxford in search of
the truth behind a student's death. Really, I've loved the whole
series so far (the first is 
; the third is 
, which particularly kept me on the edge of my seat!).
by Marion Crawford - This book,
written by Queen Elizabeth II's childhood nanny is a near and dear
favorite of mine. I re-read it in honor of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee
in 2012, and the glimpses into HM's upbringing (at the same time
revealing and respectful) never fail to endear me to her further.
Sadly, the author was ostricized from the Royal Family for what was seen
as a violation of their trust and invasion of their privacy. I would
venture to guess that HM views its publication much more kindly in light
of all the more negative intrusions the family have sustained during her reign. Also sadly,
the book is out of print, but you can find some serialized snippits
courtesy of the Daily Mail