CSA Week #9

It's that time of the week again.  CSA Thursday!  Let's check out what we got this week...

• Emiko Cabbage (similar to Napa Cabbage)
• Sweet Onions
• Blueberries
• Romaine Lettuce
• Cucumbers
• Kale
• Garlic
• Fennel 
• Tomatoes

First tomatoes of the season!  They're plump and juicy - and I'm sure they're absolutely delicious!

Now let's check out some of our fellow bloggers' stash...

Lori from Fake Food Free sent in her garden haul.  She got all these beautiful goodies from her father's garden in Newburgh, Indiana!  Her dad has one serious green thumb - I just wish one of these years my garden produce would be as beautiful as all of this!  Be sure to check out Lori's blog for an awesome grilled green bean recipe!

Blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, green beans, yellow squash, potatoes and kale.

And Lyn from Life Lyn Style is back with 2 CSAs!

Lyn's Tuesday share included: tomatoes, strawberries, green onions, cherry tomatoes, romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, yellow squash, zucchini, kohlrabi, carrots, and radishes!  Whoa that's a ton!

And Lyn's Thursday pickup from Fresh Fork CSA

  Thanks again Lori and Lyn for joining in the CSA round-up this week!  Everybody got some great stuff and I can't wait to see what you all come up with for your goodies! 

I know I'll be experimenting with unique slaws - I've been in a slaw mood lately!  So be sure to check back to see if I come up with anything crazy.

Anyway, I'm off for a run (I'm still at it - yay! I've got a consistent 9:13 mile, so I've shaved off 20 seconds from last week already - score!)  Be back tomorrow with something tasty - and a treat poll! 

***If you guys received a CSA this week, what did you end up getting?  I'd love to have a weekly round-up of your CSA goodies (if you participate in one), or even if you made a weekly visit to your Farmer's market (or even just picked from your own garden!) - I'd love to see the local produce everyone gets!  So feel free to e-mail a snapshot of your goods (as well as your name and blog title (and don't worry if you don't have a blog, your name will be just fine!) as well as a link to your blog) at mtlabor85 (at) yahoo (dot) com and I'll post them in next Thursday's CSA post!  

Pasta Carbonara w/ Green Beans

My garden is in full swing. I'm almost ready to pick my second round of green beans and my corn is nicely coming along. And yesterday, I almost squealed at the fact that a small cherry tomato blossom was protruding a baby cherry tomato. And here I thought that my cherry tomatoes would never grow. It's funny that seeing my garden grow can just make me happy regardless of the direction my day went.

I made this pasta carbonara a few weeks ago with my first batch of green beans and it was definitely a delicious way to use up the beans. I love the comfort of pasta and how simply they normally come together. Give me some cream, some pasta, and a few veggies, and I'm happy. And yeah, the bacon is always welcome to the party, but if you wanna keep it meat-free, the pasta and veggies stand well on their own.

Ingredients:
Adapted from Rocco Dispirito's "Now Eat THIS!" - 'Spaghetti Carbonara'

8 oz. thin spaghetti
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
2 strips bacon, cooked and chopped
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup Pecorino cheese, grated
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to the package directions for al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, heat a large skillet under high heat. Add olive oil, onions, and green beans. Season with salt and pepper and saute for about 5-6 minutes, or until onion starts to soften.

Reduce heat to medium and add garlic. Cook for an additional 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, whisk the cream and eggs. Set aside.

Add the chopped bacon and the cooked pasta to the skillet.

Mix well. Remove from heat and add in cream/egg mixture. Let the residual heat slowly thicken the sauce. Stir in both cheeses and season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Serve right away with cheesy garlic bread!

This was great for 2 reasons. #1: It was really quick to whip up, I'd say no longer than 30 minutes. #2: It allowed me to use my own grown produce and there's no better feeling in the world than that. Enjoy!