CSA (Farm Share): Early Summer

Alright. What the actual fk is going on, you guys.

Is it just me or does it feel like we are suspended in some sort of weird twilight zone lately?! Every day is simultaneously the longest and shortest day of my life, and everything is either going splendidly or is on the verge of catastrophe.

For example, I made REALLY delicious fish tacos and a bomb summer berry trifle over the weekend (#comingtoablognearyou). But then yesterday I got shat on by a pigeon who was clearly suffering from explosive diarrhea. and nearly sliced my leg off while trying to close my car door. I’m clearly a danger to myself and others… but also, like, a really good cook lately too?

WELCOME TO MERCURY RETROGRADE, my friends!! and a full moon. Oh, AND a partial lunar eclipse.

I feel like that basically explains all the weirdnesss, right? The cosmos are playing games with us. GAMES, I tell you! and they can just go ahead and stop it, right now. DO YOU HEAR ME, COSMOS?! QUIT PLAYING GAMES [with my heart… with my heart…. I should have known from the start]!

Backstreet Boys songs aside, I’m for real. This retrograde has everyone all sorts of screwed up, don’t you agree?

For those of you who have no flippin’ clue what the heck I’m talking about, it’s really quite simple: when people say that a planet is in retrograde, it means that said planet appears to be moving backwards in its orbit. Don’t worry, it’s not actually doing that; it’s just an optical illusion. However, the astrological world feels very strongly that the movement and positioning of the planets has a LOT of influence over our lives, so retrogrades are known for not-so-quietly wreaking all sorts of havoc on the universe.

Now most people file this under “those crazy hippie dippie, woo woo astrology things my neighbor talks about. You know, the one who puts her crystals outside during the full moon and hasn’t brushed her hair in a week”. And I mean, I can’t say I completely disagree with that assessment. But I also can’t say that I agree either… because I’m also kinda that person they are describing. Actually, I guess I fall somewhere in the middle. I don’t know what the heck it means to know your astrological ‘rising’ sign, but also fully support the idea that retrogrades throw a serious wrench in our everyday lives.

Anyways, everyone always seems to be up in arms specifically when Mercury is in retrograde. I’m sure you guys have heard this before, right?

(and if not, please just say yes, so that I don’t feel like a complete wacko)

Mercury it is considered the astrological ruler of the mind — thoughts, perceptions, decisions, communication, etc. When it is in retrograde, conversations are harder than normal. Your relationships can feel strained, misunderstandings occur more frequently and everyone’s communication skills are riding the struggle bus. The general advice is to BE CAREFUL with your words. Think things over more than normal; read your emails and text messages TWICE before responding. We are a solid ten days into this twenty-five day retrograde, and I am definitely feeling its effects!

So I urge you — until Mercury is out of retrograde, do not get that new haircut! Do not sign that contract! Do not plan that big trip out of the country!

Do not pass go, do not collect $200. And whatever you do, DO NOT make that big life decision you’ve been sitting on for the past six months.

(okay, maybe I don’t fall into that grey area… maybe I AM your hippie dippie neighbor who sages her house to cleanse the energy)

Okay, so this retrograde / astrological weirdness has nothing to do with what I wanted to talk to you about today. No smooth segue here… just taking a hard left into the wonderful world of Community Supported Agriculture — affectionately acronym-ed CSA.

Instead of confusing you all with some long-winded explanation of what a CSA is, I’m just going to share the definition as stated on Farmer Dave’s website:

“Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between a farm and a community of responsible consumers. It puts you, “the consumer” in direct relationship with the production of your food. There are no unknown middlemen. By paying for your produce upfront in the winter and springtime, you become the “shareholder” of the farm’s yearly harvest. And each week during the growing season, you receive a portion of your share.

We, “the farmer”, also benefit by receiving payments at the beginning of the season, when we need them most, to buy seeds and supplies to produce the food. This reduces the interest costs of loans to begin the season. The CSA partnership is good for you, good for the farm, and good for the earth.”

Does that make sense? You pay up front for a ‘share’, which varies in cost and duration, depending on the season. In return, you receive a weekly bin of veggies (or fruit!), while your dollars directly support the farm & farmer(s).

I learned about CSA’s many years ago while living in Somerville / working in Cambridge (enough said there), and fell in love with the concept. I’ve wanted to join one since we first moved to East Boston nearly four years ago, but didn’t pull the trigger for quite some time. I couldn’t justify the (considerable) up-front cost, but was continually disappointed each year when the fresh summer produce started rolling out to all the farmer’s markets, and my in-laws gushed about their overflowing shares from their local farm in NY.

But alas! We finally joined forces with some friends last year to split the small share through Farmer Dave’s… ‘small’ being a relative term. Each week, we received enough veggies to fill two (reusable) grocery bags. We took only half the bounty, which was still felt like so. much. food. At first, I struggled to use everything up before it wilted or started to grow mold. Some of the veggies were completely foreign to me. For example, garlic scapes? Google that one, my friends. And have you ever seen fennel, complete with bulb, stalk and frond?! Wowzer. I’m not gonna lie, it was really freakin’ a little daunting to pull these mystery veggies out of the CSA bin and frantically try to find recipes to use them up before they went bad.

However, in true Talia fashion, it became a fun game (because I’m a sicko)! Early each week we’d receive our email from Farmer Dave himself. It included a quick note about the farm/produce happenings that week, a sampling of what we might receive in our CSA and some recipe ideas from the farm’s recipe blog (their Vegisodes are pure gold). Pinterest was my savior, and I started compiling boatloads of recipes for these new-to-me veggies.

So of course, I wanted to share all these findings with YOU! Below I’ve listed some of the veggies we typically receive in these early summer shares, along with a collection of recipes I’ve found and fallen in love with.

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This garlic scape and swiss chard pesto is heavenly mixed with pasta or spread on toast.

These honey-glazed turnips literally melt in your mouth.

Pretty sure I made this zucchini carrot quiche every week for like two months last year.

I dream about this baked salmon with leeks and fennel; the flavors are unexpectedly wonderful.

I’m still trying to convince myself that I like cucumbers… this cucumber salad sure helps that cause.

This summer squash and basil pasta is a great use for the ten pounds of various squash I receive each week.

When I’m up to my eyeballs in spinach, I love to turn this chicken piccata with artichokes and spinach into a one-pot meal.

Don’t let the color scare you off — try this yummy beet hummus!

This orecchiette with kale and breadcrumbs is one of my long-time favorite meals — easily made gluten-free with Trader Joe’s brown rice & quinoa pasta and GF breadcrumbs.

Call it a shameless plug, but I often crave my pesto pasta salad in the warmer summer months — the perfect way to use up that fresh arugula!

Ditto to the above comment, but I strongly urge you make some homemade pesto in large batches while you have all those gorgeous greens available to you! Pro tip: freeze it in silicone ice cube trays so that you have fresh pesto readily available to you during hibernation in the colder winter months. Just pop ’em out and defrost!

Nothing better than some fresh mint in your ice cold coconut gin & tonic, amiright? #shamelessplug #cantstopwontstop

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Even if you don’t participate in a CSA, I am a firm believer of eating with the seasons. Find these veggies at your local grocery store or farmer’s market, and enjoy! I’ll check back later in the summer with another batch of recipes that allow the best summer produce to really shine, along with more about my love for Farmer Dave and the benefits of joining a CSA. I know you’ll be anxiously awaiting that post ;)