Our Share of Goodness

“Ultimately, the most important aspect of nutrition is not what we eat but how our relationship to food can teach us who we are and how we sustain ourselves at the deepest level of being. "
- Marc David

I am so happy to have rejoined our CSA this year! Yesterday was the first pick up of the 2010 season. It looks to be a good one after a winter with—yes!!--enough rain. I enjoy the challenge to incorporate a variety of delicious and wholesome foods into our diet, and the ‘you get what we give you’ aspect of a CSA share means I have to move out of the rut of making the same half dozen veggies over and over… and over…

Cooking, to me, is about novelty and experimentation. I’d happily try a new meal five nights every week, 52 weeks of the year, if only the children would happily eat everything I desire to try to make! I shouldn’t complain, as even my picky Middle has been eating a decent variety of fruit lately. Hey, you take what small victories you can get sometimes. :)

Here is what was included in our ‘family’ share this week:

We received collard "rapini" (in the bag, top left), red russian kale (next bag, working clockwise), sprouts 'salad' mix - sunflower, pea, buckwheat, broccoli and radish (also bagged), red beets (with green tops), yellow chard, leeks, green garlic (looks like small leeks), carrots, cabbage, french breakfast radishes, fuji apples, strawberries, artichokes, and rutabagas (bagged, lower left corner).

The artichokes were steamed to go with last night’s dinner, and we’ve almost nibbled away all the strawberries. Cole polished off one of the apples last night. Having heard over and over that oven roasted beets are far better than boiled beets, I decided to find a recipe and came up with THIS. Rather than wait until the end of the day, I decided the oven would warm up this rainy and chilly day and made it already. I will say this: I like roasted beets with a little olive oil, salt, and pepper! I like them, Sam I Am!

I am a firm believer that, if you don’t like a food one way, that does not mean you won’t like it another way. Also, it can take 10-20 times tasting something for it to taste good if the flavor is strong… in a nutshell, try, try, and try again!

To that end, I am hopeful that we’ll find a way to stomach enjoy the rutabagas. :)