For the summer months, I am a member of my local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) which means I get a weekly box of local, mostly-organic farm-fresh fruit, vegetables, eggs, bread and cheese.
While I love getting all of this wonderful produce, it can prove to be a challenge fitting these fresh ingredients into my meal plan. Especially since most of what I get in my “share” are ingredients I would usually not choose at the grocery store (like turnips, garlic scapes, and so much cabbage!!!)
So, I pickup my share on Thursdays, make a plan on Friday, pickup any remaining items I need on Saturday at the Farmer’s Market or the grocery store, then start cooking! So, a Thursday CSA share usually lasts me through the following Friday/Saturday.
The trickiest part of the whole thing is “making a plan” – it includes checking my pantry, searching for recipes, and making creative substitution so I can use all of the fresh ingredients.
Huge cabbage lover here! This is my very favorite recipe (Okonomiyaki) and uses a ton:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Japanese-Okonomiyaki/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=okonomiyaki&e8=Quick Search&event10=1&e7=Home Page&soid=sr_results_p1i2
Making sauerkraut is cool too and an interesting experiment. Whoever thought to eat something that got all yucky/moldy originally was absolutely crazy.
Thanks for sharing, Chandra! I will definitely check this out, as my go-to is usually cabbage soup, which my kiddos won’t touch!