No winter CSA? Now what?

At the suggestion of one of my readers...


As I mentioned in my previous post, we learned in late/fall that our usual farm would not be offering a winter CSA this year.  My winter weeks would no longer be greeted by a whole chicken, a dozen eggs, and frozen items from the summer harvests (can you say roasted cherry tomatoes? garlic scape pesto?). This made me sad, but I figured that we'd have to improvise. 


Our Farmer's Market does operate through the winter, with an abbreviated schedule (2nd and 4th Saturdays, 10am to 11am) and many farmers ask for a pre-order, but don't require it.  We have great farmers/merchants at our market. Really great. Veggies, pork, poultry, hummus, wild-caught salmon, beef, eggs, bakeries. As such, the market is very popular and attracts a crowd, so it is best to get there right when it opens, as some will sell out very quickly and you don't want to be stuck with having kale as your only green veggie for two weeks. Don't get me wrong, I love kale, but I like variety in my meals.


As an aside: the mister and I eat a vegetarian diet about 85% of the time--in the summer, that percentage is even higher because of how many fruits and veggies are part of our various CSAs. When we do eat meat, pork, or poultry, I only buy directly from the farmer and know the quality of the conditions they raise their livestock in.  I know, I know, this might sound hypocritical that I'm "mostly" vegetarian, but my reasons for eating mostly fruits and veggies comes from the standpoint of health.  That's why I'm so particular about where our food comes from.  If it's not local, then my food usually comes from the supermarket and above all, it must be organic. 


Ok, so back to what I did when I found out that our farmer would not have a winter CSA this year.  I got boring and repetitive in my menus.  No matter the time of year, my weekday breakfast is always the same--organic whole oats, topped with raw local honey and usually fruit.  This fall, we gained a new provider at our  market--FreshaPeel Hummus--and I was quickly hooked on their pumpkin hummus as a topping for my oatmeal. It only takes about 2 tbsp. to add some great flavor to the oatmeal.  You can also add unsweetened pumpkin to the oatmeal, too. I've done that on a few occassions.


Lunches were far less inventive. Mostly the same thing each week--organic yogurt, organic string cheese, and an apple.  We had local apples up until mid-March, since we bought about 80 lbs of them back in November. They kept pretty well in our uninsulated coal room, off our basement.  


How 'bout them apples?

Very infrequently, lunch would consist of leftovers from the night before.


As for dinners, this is where I lost my mojo.  I felt like they were very repetitive, and if it weren't for the mister's chili-making abilities, I think we would have withered away through the winter months.  I also became quite reliant on my organic, whole wheat penne pasta as a meal staple and would saute various greens to add to the pasta dishes.  If it wasn't pasta for dinner, it was a variation of my farmer's stew.


Farmer's Stew

I would regularly top this dish with a poached egg, or put quinoa or cous cous as the foundation for the meal. 


Breakfast for dinner was also popular and easy to make.  Not to mention, Local Food Lady and the mister moved...so there were plenty of meals that were take out (:::hangs head in shame:::). 


The mild winter may have confused our plants, but it appears that our area is experiencing a real spring this year. Other than the fluke 80 degree days in late March, we've had cool nights and a few mid-April frost warnings.  That means that it is time for our spring/summer CSA to begin. 


We've found a new one this year--Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. They are a non-profit food cooperative that buys from more than 75 farms.  The majority of products are organic and they partner with local churches, private residences, and other organizations for delivery locations. They deliver to areas of our region that have very little access to fresh food or grocery stores (see also: food desert).  I look forward to posting many more photos and food creations in the next few weeks, as we received our first CSA share on Tuesday, May 1st.