This week’s CSA share from Sol to Seed Farm is so fragrant and colorful it would be unfair to compare it to ordinary supermarket vegetables. With each box I am thankful to live where an abundance of fresh produce is grown and distributed locally. My wish is that everyone could experience the pleasures of eating simple, gratifying food like this. Buying and eating this kind of food helps local farms stay in business and preserves farming close to home. For me, the most important reason to support local farms is food security.
CSA Week 9: Great food + family dogs = good life
This week’s box includes:
I’ve been purchasing local farm CSA shares since the late 90s (New York to Washington), and each summer I inevitably obtain more summer squash than I care to eat. Instead of forcing myself to eat a zucchini every day, I sought the kitchen wisdom of a brilliant cookbook author, Barbara Kafka and her book Soup: A Way of Life. I can now turn surplus squash into a nutritious and versatile soup base.
Summer Squash Soup Base
- 3 T unsalted butter
- 3 lbs. trimmed and chopped summer squash (e.g. zucchini, patty pan, yellow squash)
In a large saucepan or stock pot, melt the butter on medium high until bubbling and then add the squash. Cover and cook for 45 minutes but stir frequently. Really all you have to do is saute the zucchini until it is soft, and then puree it in a food processor. You can either use it immediately or store it frozen, flattened in a freezer bag.
Saute mixed summer squash in butter for 45 minutes
When you are ready to use, combine it with 6 cups stock (vegetable or chicken) and add the remaining ingredients for the soup you wish to make. I’d add this soup base to minestrone, creamy potato soup, or a chilled green gazpacho infused with aromatic basil.
Frozen Soup Base (stacks easily in the freezer and doesn’t use much storage space)
That also makes a great pasta sauce if you dress it up a bit (garlic, red pepper flakes, parmesan, etc…)
Wow! Is that the biggest onion I have ever seen!!! Amazing
This week’s party is up and running…come and add your link…http://inherchucks.com/2012/08/08/whats-in-the-box-38/. See you there!
Tammy- that’s a really good idea- thanks. And yes, thinking this GIANT Alisa sweet onion needs to be transformed into crispy onion rings tonight. Then it’s back on my own clean eating program.
I love the dogs in this photo! They look so proud of their CSA haul. Or, maybe, they are waiting for permission to eat something?
Trying this with my acorn squash:)
Hi Ann- Thanks for the post! Actually you may want to reconsider…because this method only applies to summer squash. Winter squash varieties like acorn, butternut, etc have a different cellular make-up than summer varieties, so I don’t think it would work as well. For acorn’s I would just peel and cube the squash, then throw it in a baggie and freeze until you are ready to cook.