This will be our 8th season (I think) to be a part of a CSA – a Community Supported Agriculture farm called the Brookfield Farm. The season runs from June through Thanksgiving and provides and abundance of fresh, local, and organic fruits and vegetables. And not only that, but other local farms, dairies, etc. have begun to sell their products right in the farm shop allowing me to also buy local yogurt from grass fed cows, local duck eggs, beef, pork, chicken, goat cheese, milk, and even locally canned, fermented carrots, sauerkraut, beets, kombucha, and locally homemade popsicles! Really, we are so spoiled in the area of good, local, organic food that it is hard to imagine ever living in a place that didn’t offer this amazing selection.

This photo turned out a bit blurry, but you get an idea of what it looks like in the farm shop. The chalkboard tells you “What’s in your share” and then you bag your own veggies accordingly. Usually the board announces what veggies are available on the tables and whether or not you can fill a whole plastic produce bag or a half or a third, etc. with that particular food.

The other table in the shop holds all of the “greens.” I’ve had to learn to use lots of different kinds of greens and still am not very good at anything but salads! I usually end up steaming the kale and chard, freezing it, and using it in soups at a later date.

I have never been a fan of beets – probably because the only kind I was ever exposed to were the canned ones from the grocery store. Robert, on the other hand likes them and grew up eating beets from his own family’s garden. They are still not my favorite, but I am slowly acquiring a taste. We can get quite a few of them in the farm share, so I decided to look up some new ways of cooking and serving them. This recipe comes out of The Martha Stewart Cookbook which has several recipes for any kind of fruit or veggie you can imagine.

Puree of Beets

1 small bunch of beets (4 to 6)
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp heavy cream or Creme Fraiche
zest of 1 orange (I thought this made it “too orange-y” and would use much less next time!)
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Put the beets in cold water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cook over medium heat until tender, about 25-30 minutes. Peel the beets and puree in a food processor. Stir in vinegar, cream, orange zest, salt, and pepper. Serve warm.

On a wall in the farm shop is another chalkboard letting you know what veggies and fruits you need to pick yourself – things like strawberries (see kid pic above!), raspberries, herbs, sugar snap peas, shelling peas, snow peas, green beans, cherry tomatoes, tomatillas, and even a wonderful variety of flowers. Two weeks ago, we were able to pick a quart of sugar snap peas, and I found another Martha Stewart recipe to try…

4-5 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 pounds sugar snap peas, strings removed
1/2 tsp sugar
Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet and saute the peas until tender, 3-4 minutes. ( I cooked mine a bit longer.) Sprinkle with the sugar and toss well. Season with salt and pepper and serve.