wherein i rhapsodize about my CSA

my one regret in leaving our nation’s capitol was leaving my farmers’s market in dupont circle, every sunday morning like clockwork for fruits, veg, meat, cheese, yogurt and most especially dairy.

it’s not like i’m crying over my easy access to the union square farmers’ market instead, just that i loved the convenience of throwing on a pair of shorts on a hot sunday morning with my pajama top and strolling the market for my week’s shopping. for the time being, at least during my pseudo-exile on the new jersey side of the hudson river, i am still without reliable farmers’ market access. union square is just on the far side of a lunch hour.

and then, as if by serendipity, my dailycandy delivered a solution: sweet deliverance NYC. kelly, a marvelous and creative woman, decided to place herself as a middle-woman between the garden of eve farm on long island and the snobbishly food-challenged here in the city. and best of all, she picks up the share each weekend and spends all day sunday cooking an entire menu of options for the week’s share.

for me, i went in for a vegetable, egg, fruit and flower share every other week until thanksgiving, and then sweet-talked kelly into letting me have an extra fruit share every week, raw, for my own cooking fantasies.

i debated over the veg share for several days before i signed up. i don’t usually believe in vegetables. especially green ones. or gourd vegetables, i don’t eat gourd vegetables. or asparagus. or...anything, really. but cooking has really expanded my food horizons and i hoped that maybe i could learn a few new things while forcing myself to each green and leafy plantlife. my skepticism increased when i saw the first week’s menu--there it was, in black and white, asparagus. but the other options included a quiche with arugula, tomatoes and bacon and braised bok choi with shiitake mushrooms. stir-fried kale with white rice and spicy pumpkin seeds. garlicky pea shoots.



for the past three weeks, meal after meal has just cooked itself, as i pulled together elements from my share and fresh groceries. sunday’s dinner? a nigel slater-inspired lamb-filled pita with farm-fresh butterhead lettuce and kale with white rice on the side. friday’s dessert? the tastiest strawberry ice cream ever, making use of a pound of fresh strawberries from long island. i had pasta and A SALAD for dinner last week, trying to use up the lettuce. strawberry rhubarb compote spooned over fresh profiteroles.

all i need are for the fresh cherries to start coming, and my life will be complete.