We love our CSA. This is the 2nd year we've done the CSA in our Brooklyn neighborhood, and it's been great. But over the last few weeks, it got a little out of control. I think we were busy, and maybe not eating at home as much, but before we knew it, our fridge was exploding with late summer produce that desperately needed to be dealt with. So, this past Sunday afternoon we unloaded it all onto our counter, pulled out the knives, put on some music, and got to work...
The most pressing issue were the onions, corn and beans. There were at least 20 onions, 10 ears of corn, and a few pounds of green and wax beans. So, over the course of three hours, we chopped onions (and believe me, you haven't really cried until you've chopped 20 onions one after the other), shucked and zipped the corn, and blanched the beans. Then we measured out individual portion sizes (about 2 cups each) and put them in the freezer. Whew!
While I'm certainly not an urban homesteading aficionado like my friend Amber, I dream of being like that some day. The truth is, I'm just not very experienced in the kitchen, although I love fresh, local food. So, I felt very proud of myself for hunkering down and preserving all these veggies for the winter to come!
How have you fared with your CSA or garden produce? Gotten overwhelmed at all? What have you frozen or preserved for the winter?
Image by Cambria Bold
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Comments (5)
I've never had luck blanching and freezing beans. When they came out they were mush.
Living in the city, I have limited freezer space and a not so great freezer. I do find that making things like soups with the veggies freeze better than just the veggies along (which tend to get freezer burn). I also have started getting into pickling things, which is relatively easy, and brings a whole new flavor dimension to vegetable.
My CSA gives me immense "vegetable guilt" whenever anything goes bad.. especially because my brother works on the farm!
I try to stretch one box over the course of 2 weeks and I can usually do it if, like you, I blanche and freeze veggies. I've also been collecting all the winter squash I've received to use for later in the season. That stuff keeps on my counter for months. I'm a vegetarian who cooks every day so I'm pretty good about eating most of the veggies. I'm just not very good with okra so I have whole pods in my freezer I've accumulated over the last 2 months and I have no idea what to do with them. But I'm trying to find interesting recipes that cut down on the slime factor. I really hate that.
Way to go Cambria! I can't believe you chopped TWENTY onions.... wow. At least canning pickles doesn't bring tears to your eyes. :)
I've got three pounds of green tomatoes, plus a pile of tomatillos, just waiting for attention. I found an enchilada recipe that calls for a pound of green tomatoes or tomatillos, but that still leaves a lot left over! They'll likely go into chile, but maybe pickling is the answer. Then again, will I like pickled green tomatoes better than I like fresh ones?