pistou basil – rachel leff

Week 8: Purple and white potatoes, orange cherry tomatoes, husk cherries, pistou basil, green and purple bell pepper, garlic, squash, and string beans.

This week is pretty representative of some of the best things about this CSA…. The joy of finding something new; in this case, husk cherries. I love these little guys. I’ve basically been a husk cherry evangelist, singing their praises to may over the last two weeks and getting a couple of converts under my belt. Three colors of string beans. A dark purple bell pepper. Squash with yellow and pale green stripes. Pistou basil. Cherry tomatoes genuinely bursting with sweetness. Garlic bulbs caked in dirt, evidence of how recently they were unearthed. It’s these subtle variations and these signs of small-scale farming with a focus on diverse varietals that make this CSA so rewarding.

Week 6. A bag of arugula, red and purple potatoes, blueberries, pistou basil, napa cabbage, cipollini onions, zucchini, and cucumbers. Lots of possibilities. I was hoping we’d get to some tomatoes this week, so I was rather sad to see that was not the case. Maybe next week? But there was still plenty to be very happy about this week. The zucchini keeps on coming, which is great. There are long months to endure with no zucchini, so I have been happy each time it’s in the CSA share. And those cucumbers are so sweet. My four year old loves them, so my husband and I don’t usually take more than a bite or two. But we sure enjoy those bites! The arugula has a lot of bite this week. I added some finely chopped napa cabbage to the arugula, which worked out pretty well. If the cabbages keep coming, I’ll try to make some kimchi.

Another week of sweet pick-your-own blueberries.

Look at this beautiful pistou basil and its diminutive leaves. Looks like a little bouquet.

Sweet little cipollini onions. I only wish there were more!

Earthy red and purple potatoes, a thin layer of soil still clinging to their colorful peels. My grandmother used to talk sometimes about boiling fresh baby potatoes, adding fresh peas, and topping with butter as a simple pleasure of summer. I’ll probably end up roasting these ones with the onions and some chicken, but her reminiscence about that simple dish has never left me. If we get more potatoes in the coming weeks, I’ll find some fresh peas and make it.

Tag: pistou basil

CSA, Week 8

CSA, Week 6