experiments from the CSA

Our CSA box has been a big success so far, and we've managed to keep on track of all of our weekly vegetables so far (except for some potatoes we have left over from week 1, still). The most unusual inclusions have been Jerusalem artichokes and mizuna. A Jersualem artichoke tastes a bit like a turnip when cooked and is actually the rhizome of a sunflower (and is also called a sunchoke). They kind of look like fat grubs in their raw state. We sauteed them in a bit of butter and ate them with chives from the yard. Mizuna is a leafy green, similar to arugula. The bunch we received was grown locally at Full Circle and was very bright tasting and not at all bitter. It found its way into a roasted beet and goat cheese salad with walnuts.

We also have been eating a lot of quinoa lately -- and made this dish with a recipe from the farm box.



Quinoa (keen-wah) is a south american grain high in protein and with a texture similar to cous cous. Friends of ours eat it all the time -- even having a dish made with it at their wedding reception. The dish we made had basil, lemon juice, parmesean cheese, red pepper, scallions and some toasted pine nuts.

Box number four will be here on Thursday....Until then we need to start using up our radishes, which we aren't sure we like quite yet. If any radish has a chance -- it would be these. Cute little red globes fresh from Carnation ,Washington.