CSA Box Adventures- The Beginning

I've taken the plunge and subscribed to a CSA box. What is a CSA box you ask? Otherwise known as a farm box or veggie box, the CSA (community-supported agriculture) box comes from a local farm that you choose. For a certain weekly fee, which varies on the farm and the quantity of vegetables you receive, you take home a box of gorgeous, seasonal, and local produce. Now, some of you may wonder why I am only signing up now, but I was always intimidated by the quantity of veggies and the iron chef quality of the veggie box since you can't choose the veggies you receive this week.

However, after picking up my first box this week, which felt like christmas by the way, I was totally sold. Will it be tricky to use all the picked-at-its-peak produce before it spoils? Yes. Will it be a challenge to design recipes that use assortment of veggies that I receive each week without repeating recipes or drowning in basic salads? Definitely.

My (optimistic) plan is to post the list of vegetables I receive every week with a meal plan that will utilize said vegetables. I will then post any exceptional and/or original recipes later on. Do you subscribe to a CSA? Let me know what you receive and plan to cook!

Bring on the vegetables!

This week's Box Contents:
1/2 lb Snow and Snap Peas
1/2 lb Summer Squash
1 bunch Baby Carrots
1 bunch Tokyo Turnips (They look like white radishes and are good sliced in salads or roasted whole with their greens attached)
1 lb Chioggia Beets (Light red/Pink beets that have fine white stripes when sliced)
1/2 lb Arugula
1 bunch spinach
1 lb Broccoli
2 heads of lettuce
1 1/2 lbs Red Onions

This week's meal plan:

1- Arugula salad with citrus vinaigrette, roasted chioggia beets, sliced tokyo turnips, and oven roasted panko breaded dijon chicken.

2- Thai curry with snap and snow peas, summer squash, broccoli, red onions and baby carrots with brown rice.

3- Sautéed greens (spinach and beet greens) with italian chicken sausage and butternut squash ravioli

4- The remaining sweet and snow peas, carrots, turnips lettuce, and red onions will be used in salads for lunch and to accompany meal #3.