So much for that craving for hearty fall food! The sun reappeared this week, and with it came an urgeto enjoy the last bits of summer.  I was looking into my crisper drawer this morning wondering where last weeks harvest had run off to. I haven’t made much in the way of “recipes” this week, albeit my one amazingly cheesy Chard recipe.  So, what in the world did I do with the rest of it??

I wish I could say I was adventurous this week, but I’ve gone back to basics and I learned a few things in the process:

1. Kohlrabi is FANTASTIC peeled and diced up into a salad. If you’ve never tried kohlrabi, it resembles broccoli stalks not only in appearance but also in taste.

2.  Beets are great in a chocolate cake! Remember my Secret Chocolate Cake recipe?? I substituted beets for the zucchini and I think I prefer this cake over the one with zucchini.  So moist and delicious!

3.  Peppers can be frozen WHOLE.  Who knew?? (well, you probably did, but I didn’t!) I always de-seeded, chopped and stored them in my freezer, but now I can save all of those steps. I used a frozen whole pepper in my Power Chicken this week, and I really think it helps preserve the crispness of the pepper vs. chopping/freezing does.

4. Celery leaves need not be thrown away! I asked Anja (the farmer) if she had any suggestions for what to do with those lovely celery greens.  I threw most away last week, and I felt awful doing it! She suggested that I dry them on newspaper and then store them in Ziplocs in the freezer. She said they make a great addition to soups during the winter.  Genius!

5. Sorrel is great with fish.  And in pesto. And in quiches.  Yup, I took that small bunch from last weeks pickup and incorporated it into three different dishes.  I’m still getting used to the flavor and I think I prefer it mostly with fish.  It has a sharp taste…something that I can’t really describe, and that’s why I think it pairs so well with fish.

So, while it may not seem like I’m doing much with my harvest each week, I can assure you that I am!! We’ve been so busy enjoying the weather that the kitchen has taken a back seat, but that doesn’t mean I don’t use up all of the veggies. In fact, there have only been 2 weeks where I haven’t used up what I’ve received.  That’s an accomplishment for 2 1/2 people!

Tomorrow is pickup day again. It looks like I’ll be spending some time in the fields doing my U-pick. I haven’t had much time the last few weeks to do it, but I’m looking at 2 quarts of beans, and a few quarts of cherry and roma tomatoes. I’m taking advantage of it this week! Maybe I’ll even take some pictures from the field to share with all of you.

Thanks for sticking with me in the dog days of summer! I promise to have a few healthy recipes to share in the coming week

Last week was a whirlwind week. We were out of town from Thursday night-Monday night and in all honesty, I didn’t use much of what I had leftover (after giving much of it away).

I am rested from our vacation and ready to tackle another week with all of these delicious vegetables!

As we head into the cooler months, I am anticipating the onions, leeks and celery along with the winter squash and other fall vegetables.  This is the time of the year that I most enjoy in Michigan and I look forward to the last 10 weeks with the CSA!

1 bunch Swiss chard

1 bunch beets

1 bunch kohlrabi

2 zucchini

2 squash

1/2 watermelon

1 bunch of herbs (I think sorrel?? Not sure on this one! Anyone know from the picture??)

1 bunch of organic Honeycrisp apples (I purchased these in the farm store via Artisan Foods)

1 bunch celery

(in the front)

1/2 pound broccoli

1 pound onions

Peppers and Tomatoes

***********************************************************************************************************

I steamed the broccoli and ate it for lunch.  Delicious! My toddler helped me finish the melon as well.  We love to sit next to each other at the table and let that melon juice roll off of our chins

I’ve been hitting up my favorite cookbooks from some fall comfort food. I’m in the mood for it with the cooler temperatures.  Hopefully I’ll be able to share a good recipe (or two) with you this week.

Enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

I’m currently posting from my iPhone! We are on the road and headed North. Vacation awaits us, as does a lot of Michigan wine and cheese, but anyway….

I wanted to show you all what I picked up today. Pardon the photo and any formatting issues. This is the first time I’ve used my phone for a post—from the photo to publishing!

In no particular order:

3/4 pound mixed greens

1 bunch Bok Choy

1/2 pound shallots

1 bunch Swiss chard

2 green peppers

1/2 pound carrots

6 tomatoes

1 bunch of basil (I’m obsessed! I had the choice between chives, sorrel, parsley and basil.)

4 squash and 2 zucchini

1 beautiful melon!

I gave some greens, squash and tomatoes to my mother-in-law, along with the Bok Choy. She is so graciously watching the little one this weekend.

Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy the last days of summer!

This is a family recipe that I have enjoyed many times over from childhood until now.  I can’t get enough of these tart and tangy cucumbers!

I like to make a batch while I’m doing my other weekly food prep.  They stay good all week long and get sweeter as the week progresses.  This is also a fabulous recipe to take to a get-together or summer BBQ.  I’m a bit late in sharing this one, unfortunately. I apologize for that since the local cucumber harvest is starting to dwindle.

Sweet and Sour Cucumbers

8 cups cucumbers, peeled and sliced (I made a 1/2 batch pictured below)
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt

(let the above sit in fridge overnight. If you are crunched for time, you can skip this step, but I don’t recommend skipping it)

Drain the next morning.

2-3 cups vinegar
1 cup sugar (you can use more or less depending on how sweet you want them)
1 hefty tsp. dill weed

Mix together and add to cucumber mixture.  Keeps in fridge for up to a week.

***************************************************************************************************

Cucumbers, onion and salt prior to refrigeration

The finished product!