A lot of meal salads that started like this:

with additions of turkey, cheese and/or beans. And a cashew cream ranch-ish kind of dressing from Dishing Up the Dirt .

One of the benefits of knowing my farmers is that I also have at least a bit of an idea of how hard they work to get these vegetables to market and their CSA shares like me. In addition, to generally not wanting to waste food, I feel an obligation to respect that hard work by making sure I eat everything I bring home. So, as I make a meal – any meal! – I am thinking about how to use some of the vegetables.

Hence, toast with goat cheese, chopped arugula, sun shoots and a slice of bacon.

By yesterday (Thursday) morning with an afternoon pickup of next week’s vegetables … after making a morning green smoothie (collard greens, lemon juice, blueberries, 1/2 banana and kefir), I was down to just enough greens to add to my lunch time toast!

As noted on last evening’s post, the weather forecast was for a very cold front to blow in, overrun the hot and fire up thunderstorms.

As I headed for the farm, the clouds were building up over the divide.

All around the farm, it was dark and threatening stormy weather. This was at 5:00 p.m. with sunset now about 9:30 p.m. so it shouldn’t have been this dark!

I gathered my share, turned the Jeep around and headed for home.

That large cell was getting closer to my house but we got home, unloaded and a quick walk while it was still rumbling some distance away. We did get some rain and a brief bit of wind, but neither that cell, nor any that followed were a direct hit at my house. Overall, we got some nice moisture and the benefit of temperatures that dropped from 83F to 60F and down into the 50’s overnight.

Bear, Auggie and I were happy with the cool down and we all slept later than usual this morning.

We start Friday rested and with a fresh supply of vegetables: lettuce mix, super greens, sun shoots, green onions, rainbow chard, salad turnips, baby beets and fresh dill.

I have several new recipes for cooked greens and pasta to try now that it is cooler. It looks to be another week of good eating!

Taco bean and beef mix using butter lettuce leaves for taco shells.

My new favorite salad! The original recipe is from Six Seasons: a new way with vegetables , but I bought the book after seeing Dishing Up the Dirt’s post.

Spinach, salami, onion stir fry which I topped with a poached egg.

Fresh Dill!!! Oh, boy – I made some “ranch-ish” dressings with this fresh dill and plenty of black pepper. SO very good.

Hard to see, but there is a burger in there! Hamburger with onion, Fontina cheese, avocado … butter lettuce for the bun… and a side of baked sweet potato “fries”.

A sweet potato/Fontina/Asiago riff on Smitten Kitchen’s Potatoes Anna with a side salad of Spinach and Chickpeas.

An incredible, edible, vegetable week!

Week 3 haul:

Napa Cabbage ( a special “small” version that my farmer found specifically for partial shares!), arugula, baby romaine, sun sprouts, tatsoi, salad radishes and collard greens.

Hiding – sort of underneath the vegetables …is a printed copy of the farm newsletter.

It is wonderful!

In addition to telling about all in the CSA box, there are recipe links AND info on planting, farm issues and generally, information that makes me feel part of the farm experience. I LOVE it!