Week 4 in Review

The Score
Eaters - 12   Compost - 1    Carry Over - 1
Getting back to full eating capacity this week meant that we did a much better job tackling the box (and previous week's carry over).  We ate a lot of great meals with a lot of delicious vegetables (and one amazing pie!), but most of the fennel tops hit the compost since they were able only to make a minor appearance in our lives this week.  One head of lettuce didn't get eaten but is still in great shape and will carry over into our next week of meals.

The Good

• The halibut over tatsoi was once again devoured by all.  A few tweaks to the sauce (less sugar, more jalapenos) made it even more delicious than the last time.

• My husband made his favorite pie - strawberry-rhubarb - and adorned it with the logo of his favorite team - the Red Sox! 

The So-So

• The grilled chicken with braised greens and polenta was gorgeous.  I was out that evening, so sadly I didn't get to try it.  According to the boys, the greens were good, but they weren't too excited about the firm polenta. 

• The leek and swiss chard frittata was actually loved by all, and included some added tarragon that really went nicely with both veggies.  Given that I was never able to find a recipe for fennel tops, however, they made an appearance on our plates this week solely as a garnish, and that seemed kind of sad.

The Ugly

• The rapini with fusilli and sausage tasted good, but boy was it ugly...too much brown.

Week 2 in Review

The Score
Eaters - 9    Compost - 1    Carry Over - 1
We still have lots to learn about the CSA box.  We pick up our box on Saturday, but we actually get a list of what will be included the previous Tuesday.  If it's on the list, it will definitely be in the box, but it seems the quantity of items can vary considerably.  Last week, we had just enough tatsoi to make a small bed of sauteed goodness under each piece of halibut.  This week, the bunch was at least twice as big, and we could have made soup for 10.  Sadly, half of the bunch of tatsoi hit the compost bin at week's end, as did half the gigantic bunch of cilantro that we had received (though we used it at least three times in our cooking).  If we hadn't been expecting more of the same in the next week's box (see Week 3), perhaps we would have found a way to use it up?  The beets will be carried over - see below. 

The Good

• We all loved the rapini with penne & sausage.  It was so good, in fact, that it's getting added to next week's menu again (though I hope to not do week-after-week repeats too often). 

• The kale, bunching onion & potato fritatta was like a warm slice of savory pie, perfect for the rainy evening that we were having.

The So-So

• The Hanoi noodle soup went over well with the adults, but not so much with the kids.  Without a handful of sliced jalapenos to give it some zip (which their young palates cannot yet handle), it fell a bit flat.  They also weren't too excited about the floating pieces of "green stuff" (tatsoi) - though they had gobbled it down the previous week when it had been sauteed.  

• The chicken citrus salad was my own impromptu creation.  The veggies from the box were all delicious. but the combination of blood orange juice with olive oil made for an overly sweet dressing.  

The Ugly

• Acutally, there is nothing ugly about pork tenderloin, couscous and roasted beets.  Except forgetting to get the beets in the oven on time.  So, a quick saute of zucchini, carrots and bell peppers was served in place of what I had planned.