Every Thursday in the summer, we receive our
CSA share from the Sippels. I get excited about some veggies and dread others. The ones we like are gobbled up in a day or two. The ones we dislike stick around the fridge until they are mushy, moldy or otherwise inedible and get tossed in the compost bin.
To keep on top of what's left in the crisper drawers, I have a list on the fridge of all the herbs and veggies. When we use up something, then I cross it off. When we pick up that week's share, I add the names. It's a lot easier than rummaging through the crisper drawers to see what I still have.
Before last week's pickup we still had and their status before tonight's dinner:
- lettuce -- took to a cookout
- garlic scapes (they're the stem and flowerhead that garlic plants get)
- swiss chard (a colorful green)
- beets
- sage leaves -- dehydrated for more sage-y weather
- kale
Last week in our share we got and their status before tonight's dinner:
- more lettuce -- took to a cookout
- more beets
- cabbage
- collard greens
- zucchini -- made pickles
- yellow squash -- cooked
- kohlrabi
- tomatoes -- gone
Today is Tuesday so that means only tonight and tomorrow before the fridge is inundated with more veggies. I had to take action now.
I decided to use up some of the greens. When we were on vacation last month I made
Sharna's Chard Tart. The original recipe uses a pie crust, but I didn't have one, so I decided to make a crustless tart instead. Joe isn't crazy about greens, so I baked them in muffin tins for individual portions and froze the rest. I used up the swiss chard and the kale leaves that were still green. Even without a crust, I thought these were really good.
While those were baking, I tackled the beets. One of the blogs I read, Once a Month Mom, had a post recently about making
freezer pickled beets. I usually can my beets, but that's a lot of work for only a jar or two of beet pickles. I will try anything once, so there's now a container of pickled beets in my freezer.
If my list is correct, I still have left:
- garlic scapes (they'll keep, so I'm not worried)
- collards
- kohlrabi
- cabbage
- half a hot pepper from my garden
Maybe tomorrow will be coleslaw using the kohlrabi and cabbage as well as some carrots and onions from the garden. Or not. Tuna casserole is on the menu. In my experience greens make a better side for tuna casserole, so maybe it'll be the collards. Probably not.
Here's my version of the chard tart:
Chard Tartlets2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1 bunch swiss chard, coarsely chopped and stalks sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 pinch ground red pepper
3 large eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup plain yogurt
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 375. Line a muffin tin with (roughly) 10 cupcake papers. Lightly spray the papers with cooking spray.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook until onions are soft. Add swiss chard stalks and garlic to the skillet and continue cooking until tender. Add the leaves and cook until tender. Season with basil, salt, pepper and red pepper.
In a bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt and cheese. Stir in the chard mixture. Scrape into the prepared cupcake papers, filling 3/4 or more full. These don't rise very much, but they do bubble.
Bake at 375 until filling is golden and firm, 25-35 minutes.
Of all the meals we ate last week, the Curry Chicken was probably my favorite. Very surprising considering that I did not grow up eating those flavors. Joe and Samantha also liked it. She knows that it's called curry, but she even called the currants "curry", so there's still a little confusion there. This was a freezer meal, but just as good as the first time around.
