Vegetables are a wonderful thing. It's hard to be satisfied with a meal unless it's chock full of them. One of greater freedoms of Ann Arbor is that one can be at Michigan's center of cosmopolitanism and fine culture one minute, and 20 minutes later (driving) be enjoying nature's peace of mind. I would've had to cross state lines back in Boston to do the same thing. In this case, nature is the farm that will grant me all my veggies for the summer. I've signed up for a farm share this summer, splitting it in half with my fellow MD/PhD student Ania. I participated 2 years ago and was deluged in earthly goods- some weeks I received in excess of 15 pounds. For those of you who don't know, a CSA farm is Community-Supported Agriculture (http://www.localharvest.org/csa/), where the idea is that you cut out the middle man, know your farmer, and know exactly where your food is coming from. From a more practical standpoint, you pay up front at the beginning of the summer (usually a couple hundred dollars) and get your vegetables in bulk each week for 18 weeks. It's enough for a family of 4 (which is why I split mine). The convenience is astounding- it's really easy to underestimate the time and thought spent at the supermarket selecting vegetables. The effort required in the aisles is just one more barrier to healthy eating, driving people to the pre-packaged food. Some weeks at the CSA you'll get 15 different kinds of vegetables all in one box, including ones you might have never tried otherwise. Great way to expand your palate without having to give it much thought.
This was the first week, early in the summer, so the harvest is only starting to pick up. It's mostly greens this week- later on there will be loads of squash, radishes, zucchini, bok choi, potatoes, spicy peppers, onions, tomatillos, basil, eggplant, melons and dozens of other kinds… heck there's even chocolate mint leaves. Since it was picked the day before or the morning of, everything has a wonderful earthy scent. The arugula in particular smells and tastes nuttier than anything I've ever found at Whole Foods.
 |
| A half-share of farm veggies. It's still early in the season so we're getting just greens- but there are some extremely large harvests to come! Top row: bean tops, mustard greens, chard, arugula. Bottom row: green onions, carrots, spinach, and a variety of herbs (chives, cilantro, lavender, sage, rosemary). |
What will I make?
- salad of arugula, mustard greens, and chard
- stir-fries spiced up with some herbs, green onions, and beantops
- eat the carrots straight up
- GREEN SMOOTHIE from the spinach. I drink on average 1.5 smoothies per day, so my $10 personal-sized blender has seen a lot of action over the years. Peanut butter + spinach = heaven. Like most things in life, don't knock it until you've tried it.
Peanut butter and spinach? That's a novel combo!
ReplyDeleteIn case you are looking for ideas:
http://everydayglow.com/diy-guide-to-creating-the-perfect-green-smoothie/
http://yogidetox.com/free-recipe-cards-for-yoga-students
Me loves green smoothies! That's why I adore summer in regions like MI or Upstate NY: fruit picking and veggie abundance galore! It's awesome to have self-picked fruit in the freezer that can easily be thrown in the blender to make an epic smoothie. I did end up needing to invest in a chest freezer, but the expense has already paid off (I got it last August, 2011).
#Firstworldproblems :)
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I DID just troll your blog. Success!
ReplyDeleteFor readers out there, this is a great gift idea. My brother signed me up for this (fruits only, though) for a year as a Christmas present and I look forward to the 20th of each month and it's awesome. For the people who have everything or that you just don't know what to get, farm fresh boxes/CSA shares (called different things in different regions) are a great idea!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletespinach plus peanut butter sounds gross. I am fully content to knock it and not ever try it :P
ReplyDelete