Day 1: Tuscan bean soup, Crusty bread

Day 2: Homemade pizza, Tossed salad w/ salad turnips

Day 3: Grilled ribs, Cabbage and kohlrabi slaw, Shiso tea, Strawberry rhubarb crisp

Day 4: Sausage cauliflower cassoulet

Day 5: Italian lentil salad, Strawberries and cream

Day 6: Egg scramble with leeks and zucchini, Fruit smoothie

Day 7: Beef, snow pea, and salad turnip stir fry with rice

Notes: We are officially in the heart of summer! It’s funny how I mark my calendar by the food we eat. Labor Day with ratatouille, tomato sauce and corn. My daughter’s September birthday with the beginning of apple picking, and nearing the end of the summer harvest. Halloween with delicious squash. Thanksgiving with cranberries. Christmas with leftovers for ham and bean soup. New Year’s with cheese fondue and freshly baked bread. Early spring with ramps. Mother’s day with arugula and mushrooms (usually in a quiche for brunch). Father’s day with strawberry everything. And now the Fourth of July. This is yet another holiday where food takes center stage. We splurge on our meat and my husband grills the best ribs you’ve ever tasted! Combine that with some fresh slaw, a refreshing drink, and a strawberry treat and it is the perfect meal. This is the beauty of seasonal eating. You get to look forward to different food combinations and produce that isn’t always readily available in your area. It is the key to eating for your health, the environment, and keeping the whole family anticipating the next meal! Hope you all have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. Happy eating!!

Strawberry season is so close to finishing. Get them now…

CSA Breakdown: For those of you also using Crossroads Community Farm, here is a breakdown of how I will use each piece of produce this week. See the first CSA post from this season for details on how I structure the plans. 

• Kohlrabi (1.0 bulb) – peeled and grated to mix with cabbage for slaw
• Cabbage, Green (1.0 head) – holy huge cabbage! I’m going to shred the whole thing in the food processor right away. Half will be set aside to use for slaw with kohlrabi. The rest I will add handfuls to other dishes this week until it is gone – the bean soup, tossed salad, egg scramble, and stir fry.
• Zucchini, Green OR Gold (1.0 count) – diced for egg scramble
• Cauliflower (1.0 head) – sausage cauliflower cassoulet
• Shiso (1.0 bunch) – shiso tea
• Garlic Scapes (1.0 bunch) – 1 in Tuscan bean soup, 2 for cauliflower cassoulet, 1 for egg scramble, 1 in stir fry
• Lettuce, Romaine (1.0 head) – tossed salad
• Parsley, Flat Italian (1.0 bunch) – cassoulet
• Salad Turnips (1.0 count) – 1 for tossed salad, 1 for stir fry
• Strawberries (1.0 Unit) – strawberry rhubarb crisp, strawberries in cream (if they last that long!), the hulls can go in the fruit smoothie if you want to sneak in some extra vitamins
• Kale, Lacinato (1.0 bunch) – Tuscan bean soup
• Cucumber (1.0 count) – Italian lentil salad
• Leeks, Bunching Type (1.0 bunch) – 1 for bean soup, 1 for lentil salad, 1 for egg scramble
• Peas, Snow (1.0 bag) – stir fry in place of broccoli