Blueberries, Tomatoes And A Return To Blogging

So in case you haven't noticed, I’m now into session two and haven’t posted in weeks. I could give you all my excuses (My laptop battery died and I’m tied to the desk. Not an easy way to type with a toddler around.), but instead I’ll just pledge to renew my focus on this blog. And I have so much to blog about…

First of all, I have to admit that I have occasionally wondered if this whole CSA thing is worth it. That’s partially why we only signed up for a single session at a time rather than the whole, discounted 30 weeks. I mean, would we eat it all or have a lot of waste? Would we have boxes full of things we didn’t like? Is it just going to be too much work to clean and prep all that food? And what about the cost? Does it seem like a lot because I’m paying for it all at once or am I really just paying a premium for local, seasonal, organic food? Obviously I had some concerns. Anyway, after 11 weeks I felt I had already answered many of my questions: The waste is about the same as my previous fruit and veggie consumption. Things come up, life happens, and sometimes things just don’t get eaten. This happened before and it happens now, so no real change there. We have enjoyed almost everything we’ve gotten in the boxes. Obviously we’ve liked some things more than others and sometimes get things I wouldn’t buy, but I kind of like the “forced variety”. Yes, it can be a lot of work to clean and prep all the produce, especially in the first session. There is, however, something oddly calming about experiencing foods fresh from the ground- pure and almost untouched. After answering all those questions, I decided to address the math. I made a list of all the items in the box this week: 3 ¾ lbs of tomatoes, 1 lb of field peas, 1 lb of okra, ½ lb of blueberries, 1 ½ lbs of summer squash, 2 bell peppers (1 red, 1 purple) , 2 asian melons (3 ¾ lbs), 1 pt of grape tomatoes, and 1 watermelon. Whew. Summer session is $300 or $30 a box, so that was my control number. I took this list along with my regular shopping list to my local Whole Foods and began “shopping”. Here’s what I found. Most of what I found to compare was organic, a few things were local, and a few were unavailable (the field peas and asian melons). My total would have been $40.21 after tax for a box missing two items, mostly organic, and a little bit local. Hmm. That’s a savings of over $10. And I’m getting “better” food in the sense that it’s all organic, supports a local farm, and traveled less than 50 miles from ground to plate. I’m not saying that every box will save me that much, but over the course of the entire 30 weeks, I’m easily saving enough to more than cover the cost of one of the sessions. And next year I plan to pay for all three sessions up front, increasing my savings even more. That sounds like a win-win to me. So, yes, this is well worth it.

So let's talk about what we've been eating. Blueberries, blueberries and more blueberries. And my son couldn't be happier. He will eat them by the dozens and ask for more. When I did manage to wrangle a few away from him, I was able to make some of my favorite dishes so far... Blueberry Cobbler and Blueberry-Buttermilk Sherbet. Both of these are super easy to make and taste just like summer. We've also been feasting on some pretty awesome tomatoes. We've been eating them in salads, on sandwiches, in sauces and as soup. I made some roasted tomato soup that my husband declared the best he'd ever had. I'm telling you, if his head would have fit in the pot he would have licked it clean. Even though we tend to think of soup as a winter food, you've got to try this with summer tomatoes. The flavor can't be beat. Freeze a batch if you have to and eat it when the weather cools, but make this soup! If you love tomatoes, you won't be disappointed.

I have much more to talk about, but not much time to type so I'll leave you with a few recipes and a promise to be back soon! And, Serina, if you're reading and still not loving the okra, I'll share an Indian Spiced Okra recipe next.

Flat Creek Lodge Blueberry Cobbler
½ Cup butter
1 Cup milk
1 Cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 Cup sugar
2 Cups fresh blueberries
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in a 9x13 baking dish and place in oven to melt. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and stir in vanilla, milk and sugar to make a batter. Remove the hot dish with the melted butter from the oven and pour the melted butter into the batter. Spoon the berries into the dish and pour batter over the berries. Do not stir! Place dish back in the oven and bake until the batter is browned - about 30 minutes. Note- I have decreased the sugar by half and had awesome, slightly more savory results.

Blueberry-Buttermilk Sherbet
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup sugar
2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Process blueberries in a food processor or blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides. Press blueberry puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large bowl, discarding solids. Add sugar, buttermilk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to bowl, and stir until well blended. Pour blueberry mixture into freezer container of a 4-quart ice-cream maker, and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

Roasted Tomato Soup (from epicurious.com)
4 pounds tomatoes, halved lengthwise
6 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups chicken stock or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half

Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, in 1 layer in a large 4-sided sheet pan and add garlic to pan. Drizzle tomatoes with oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast tomatoes and garlic 1 hour, then cool in pan. Peel garlic cloves. Cook onion, oregano, and sugar in butter in a 6-to 8-quart heavy pot over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, garlic, and stock and simmer, covered, 20 minutes. Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then force through a sieve into cleaned pot, discarding solids. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and simmer 2 minutes.

Happy Eating!
Shar