Day 1: Zucchini and eggplant bruschetta, Creamy cucumber salad
Day 2: Tuscan kale and bean soup
Day 3: Homemade pizza with pesto, Tossed salad
Day 4: Slow cooker pulled pork, Grilled sweet corn, Buttered green beans
Day 5: Tomato soup (I found one more in my freezer from last season!), Grilled cheese
Day 6: Black bean, carrot, pepper, and onion burritos
Day 7: Coconut crusted cod, Asian slaw with ginger peanut dressing
Notes: Sweet Corn Season
You know we are in July when the sweet corn arrives! For the first few weeks of corn season we pretty much eat it boiled or grilled right off the cob. In a good year, it is so sweet that you don’t even need butter or salt for flavoring. I can polish off 3 or 4 cobs in one sitting myself! Usually in August I will buy a bushel and cut the corn off the cob to freeze for winter. After all that shucking, the kids and I have had enough of this vegetable and are ready for fall. By the time winter rolls around we are so grateful to have this sweet corn for soups, chili, and cornbread when the temps are freezing.
Plastic Free July Part 4: One of the easiest ways I’ve been able to reduce my plastic is to use “naked produce”. From bananas in a plastic bag and clam shells of lettuce, to plastic mesh potato bags and berry cartons; there is no doubt about it, plastic is everywhere in the produce department. “Naked produce” is when you get your fruits and veggies entirely package free.
The biggest change I made is to get my food directly from farms using a CSA (community supported agriculture) or a farmer’s market. The occasional plastic bags that we do get are saved to store veggies so that they will last longer. A garden is another great source that is totally plastic free.
When I do use the grocery store, I now seek out unpackaged foods. Not everyone has this option, but “naked produce” at the grocery store is becoming more common. You can buy heads of lettuce instead of pre-chopped. Or try looking for loose apples, carrots, potatoes, citrus, and onions instead of in a pre-packaged bag. Then, make sure you shun the roll of plastic bags and instead bring your own cloth produce bags. Some stores are still not allowing this due to covid. If that is the case where you live, then just put the produce right into your cart and wash well when you get home.
Find out how to choose a CSA here and where else you can get local, unpackaged foods here.
Just one more week in Plastic Free July. Now is the perfect time to take a plastic free challenge!
CSA Breakdown: For those of you also using Crossroads Community Farm, here is a breakdown of how I will use each piece of produce from my farm share this week. See the first CSA post from this season for details of how I structure the plans.
Carrots (1.0 bag): 2 in kale and bean soup, 2 in burritos, 1 in Asian slaw (with leftover purple cabbage from last week)
Zucchini, Green and/or GOLD (1.0 count): bruschetta
Basil (1.0 bunch): to top bruschetta, rest into pesto
Kale, Red Russian (1.0 bunch): kale and bean soup
Celery (1.0 head): kale and bean soup
Parsley, Flat Italian (1.0 bunch): adding to kale and bean soup in place of oregano
Eggplant, Japanese (1.0 count): bruschetta
Lettuce, Summercrisp (1.0 head): tossed salad
Beans, Green (1.0 bag): steamed and tossed with butter to serve with pulled pork
Onion, Purplette OR Pearl (1.0 bunch): 1 in creamy cucumber salad, 1 in kale and bean soup, 1 in burritos
Cucumber (1.0 count): creamy cucumber salad
Garlic (1.0 count): bruschetta, kale and bean soup, pesto, pulled pork, burritos
A1 Corn, Sweet (1.0 count): grilled and served with pulled pork
Pepper, Green Bell (1.0 count): burritos
