Our First CSA Box

Here it is! This is the small box. I decided to weigh it as soon as we got home: 18 pounds. The whole box cost us $30, but we are splitting it with the in-laws, so technically about 9 pounds for $15. That works out to about $1.67 per pound. That's pretty good for all organic and local. We got carrots, apples, LOTS of tomatoes (off to the store momentarily to pick up mozzarella and basil), Armenian cucumber (that's the weird looking stripey thing on top), Swiss chard (will be making Tuscan stew/Ribbolita this week), broccoli leaves (will add this to the stew as well), one other leafy green that I have yet to identify, zucchini, shallots, garlic, bunching onions, rosemary, grapefruit, lemons, oranges, and apples! What a variety!

The Ribbolita is going to use up quite a bit of this: carrots, greens, garlic...and I am adding white onion, celery, chicken broth, cannelini beans, and diced tomatoes. I may have to supplement my canned tomatoes with some of the fresh just to use them up! I also already have plans for the zucchini: I have a great recipe for a squash-rice casserole that hides the zucchini well. Cheese = kids like it. ;-)

The kids were very excited to see what was in the box - it was almost like Christmas. They devoured one of the apples and an orange within 5 minutes of getting it out. I think this whole thing *may* just have the result I was looking for: excitement about vegetables and fruit.

That Armenian cucumber was the highlight. They were surprised that I didn't know what it was and we all looked it up on the internet together. They picked it up and smelled it...now if I can just get them to try a bite!