The Veggies Are Here! The Veggies Are Here!

I used to serve as kind of a fruit and vegetable hospice.  I would buy the lettuce or the pepper at the grocery store and bring it back to live out the rest of its existence in the comfort of my vegetable crisper.  Nothing was asked of it and it was allowed a dignified death; if by diginified death you mean turning to squish in my refrigerator. But no more.  I have turned a corner (or a new leaf one, who is punny could say) and have began to embrace vegetables.  While Kevin was gone for a month I even, of my own volition, cooked and consumed broccoli.  Twice. I know, I know, who is this person and what have you done with Ann-Marie?

In the spirit of new, healthier food discovery I signed us up for a CSA last week.  CSA is Community Supported Agriculture for those not familiar with the acronym.  Our first delivery from our CSA came this morning and I am very excited about our produce.  OK, this isn't a CSA in the most technical sense of the word and yes I am aware how geeky being excited by produce is.  They do get product from outside their farm especially during the winter and early spring when not a lot is growing around these parts  They partner with mostly Washington and neighboring states but also with other producers.  It doesn't meet the locavore standard but I am not trying to be a locavore.  Besides, fresh produce from this region this time of year will pretty much be crap I don't want to eat; asparagus anyone? 

The produce is all certified organic and comes highly recommended by my friend Liane who has been a customer of theirs for awhile. 

Our box of happy that was delivered sometime before dawn this morning.

The contents of our box: 

• Four Cameo apples (I ate one today so there are only three in the picture)
• Four D'Anjou pears
• One pound zucchini
• Tomato
• One pound potatoes
• One bunch carrots
• One bunch French breakfast radishes (who the hell eats radishes for breakfast? *le sigh*)
• Four Valencia oranges
• Two Meyer lemons (I have been wanting to try these for awhile.  They included a recipe for a lemon/chocolate tart that I might make for this weekend.)
• One bunch green chard (any cooking suggestions?)
• One bunch Romaine lettuce
• One cucumber (for which Kevin is wholly responsible to eat)

You can permanently omit up to five items and we chose to never receive asparagus, avocado, cauliflower, mushrooms and okra.  You can also customize your order each order period if you want to make substitutions.  There might need to be beet substitutions in the future.  We are getting the small shipment every two weeks.  Once the tasty summer fruits and veggies start pouring in I might consider a weekly shipment though.

Seriously, any ideas what the hell to do with chard?  I don't care much for cooked greens as the texture is a little too close to mucous.