CSA - Community Supported Agriculture

I have known about CSA's (Community Supported Agriculture) for some time, but have never participated in them until this year. For those who do not know much about CSA's, here's what LocalHarvest.org says about them:

Over the last 20 years, Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer. Here are the basics: a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public. Typically the share consists of a box of vegetables, but other farm products may be included. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a "membership" or a "subscription") and in return receive a box (bag, basket) of seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season.

I went into this venture knowing that I will be paying a bit more for my vegetables than if I purchased them from the grocery store, due to the farmer using organic practices. I am okay with this.

My first CSA pickup was last Saturday. I have used some of the vegetables up already, like the carrots, but for the most part I have been able to stretch the rest of them out. We still have sugar snaps, a small head of broccoli, green onions, chives, oregano, lettuce and bokchoy left for this next week.

One of the natural things to make with these goodies is a stir fry. I used the bokchoy, broccoli, green onions, carrots and sugar snaps and added garlic, ginger, cremini mushrooms, water chestnuts, a splash of soy sauce and dark sesame seed oil. A quick stir and served over steamed rice made for a delicious and low calorie meal.

I also had some spot sticker wrappers in the fridge left over from a cook day so I decided to make pot stickers to go along with the stir fry. I don't really have a recipe but here's how I made mine.

No-recipe Vegetarian Pot Stickers

Make about 12

8 or 9 cremini mushrooms, destemmed, cleaned, and chopped

about 1/2 cup shredded napa cabbage

about 1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 or 2 green onions, chopped (both green and white part)

about 1 tablespoon Hosin Sauce

splash of soy sauce

Pinch of red pepper flakes

small clove garlic, finely minced

You want to have about 2 cups of the filling when you are finished.

Put about 1 tablespoon of filling in the middle of the wrappers. With your finger, wet the edge of the wrapper. Fold the wrapper in half and press the edges together.

Using a steamer basket sprayed with non-stick spray, steam the wrappers over a small amount of simmering water for 10-12 minutes. Do this in batches so as to not crowd the pot stickers. Keep the cooked pot stickers warm in a low heated oven.

I made a dipping sauce to go along with the pot stickers. I used soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, minced garlic, minced ginger, sugar, thinly sliced tops of green onions, and a bit of black pepper. Stir and serve.



I can't wait to see what next week's CSA share will have in it. Stay tuned!