Monroe Organic Farms CSA - Week Five

Anaka is usually off playing in the pool or digging in the dirt somewhere while I’m unloading our CSA bag. However today she decided that it looked like fun. She took her time and examined all of the items I pulled from the bag; smelling, touching and even tasting them all. A few items I am sure she found unsatisfying, but the fresh beans hit a spot. I had to repeatedly ask her to stop eating the green beans. Not something most parents do, but I think after eating around 10 unwashed beans from the bag that she had had enough.


This week we received: New Red Potatoes, Red Beets, Turnips, Onions, Garlic, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Cauliflower, and Yellow & Green Beans. I plan on making pasta with the beet greens, beets, garlic and onions for dinner tomorrow. I’ll let you know how it turns out. If it is worthy I will share the recipe. I am also going to try my hand at pickles again, last year they turned out ok, but this year I am shooting for amazing. Hope I can do it!


Last week we didn’t do much cooking, it was way too hot. Yet amazingly most of the veggies did get eaten. Today is the first day in over a week that I have been able to bake without turning my house in to an oven. I made Zucchini & Carrot Muffins. I must admit that they turned out pretty tasty. Anaka, Matthew and Jerry (our CSA farmer) all seemed to enjoy them. I think that tonight I am going to whip up a cream cheese frosting for them. Here is the recipe; the only bummer is you have to check on them often, I don’t have the cook time down perfectly yet. I am going to try and reduce the oil and replace it with applesauce as well as try agave nectar in place of 1 cup sugar. I’ll let you know the results, or give it a try your self.

• 2 large Zucchini, finely shredded
• 4 medium Carrots, finely shredded
• 3 cups Flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup sugar
• ¾ cup olive oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon clove
• 3 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions: Preheat oven 325. Shred carrots and Zucchini and let them drain until needed. Mix oil, sugar, vanilla and eggs until incorporated.  Add all spices and lemon juice. Next add flour baking powder & baking soda. The mix will be very thick, add the carrots and zucchini to the mix, making sure that all is incorporated. Pour into muffin pan and cook for about 30 min. adding more time as needed until a tooth pick comes out clean. My last batch was close to an hour and my first was about 45 min.