24 Weeks: GREENS

A couple of weeks ago, my family signed up for our very first farm CSA.  This has been amazing for me, especially pregnant.  I love to cook, but when I am pregnant my ability to decide what to cook goes out the window.  There are times I go to the store and just look at the vegetables knowing I need to eat lots of them, but not knowing what to choose.  Going to the farmers market has been this way too.  It either all looks good, or I am lacking in creative ideas that day.  Now here were are receiving a box of stuff every single week.  These are not just a few bunches of greens, but things like baby artichokes and fava beans.  Sometimes strawberries, or last week we got some raspberries.  The day we bring these veggies home, we have a FULL fridge.

So what is next?  I get to be creative and figure out how to cook veggies I may never have bought myself.  There are some kind of salad greens every week, enough to have a small amount every day.  We love fresh salad greens.  My kids will pick up the leaves and eat them as a snack in olive oil.  It is fantastic!  Last week I found myself making a "pesto" out of dill and turnip leaves.  Life is getting colorful and interesting. 

Having tons of vegetables in the house forces me to cook every day, but it also has cut down on some of my time at the store.  Between our farm share and ordering once a month from Azure Standard,  I basically go the store for local milk, some dairy, fruit, and the odd box of tea.   My total shopping time has gone down from about one hour, to fifteen or twenty minutes in the store!  This is great because when my husband comes home at night the last thing I feel like doing is running out to the store.  All I want to do is curl up on the couch and relax. 

Thank you local farms for making this an affordable and enjoyable experience!