Saturday, August 29, 2009

CSA Adventure: Week 16

Everything is so tiny. Is that typical of organic gardening? When I think of eggplant or summer squash or bell peppers, I think of what I see at the grocery store--and what we are getting in our CSA is about half that size. (Or smaller.) No exaggeration: We got three green bell peppers this week, and I could hold all three in one hand, easily.

The tomatoes (also small, even compared to what we are getting from other people's [non-organic] gardens) are finally starting to roll in, so that's nice. SmittenKitchen posted a different tomato pie recipe last week--with corn instead of onions, and a different crust--so I think I am going to try that again this week and see which one is better. I also need to figure out how to make pesto. We keep getting more basil than I can use, and we actually have our own basil plant (the only one of five we planted in pots that is actually doing well), so I need to do something with all that basil.

This week's bounty:
  • one tiny eggplant
  • two small summer squash
  • 1-2 servings of green beans
  • three tiny green bell peppers
  • seven banana peppers
  • two servings of mixed greens
  • five tomatoes
  • two dozen or so cherry tomatoes
  • lavender
  • basil
  • oregano
  • six farm-fresh eggs
  • a grass-fed beef chuck roast

8 comments:

Zoanna said...

Typical, yes, but that doesn't make it less disappointing. I would suggest you have an Alice in Wonderland meal where everything is small on purpose. :)

Anonymous said...

My stuff is big! And I'd say mine was "organic." At least, I didn't spray it with anything.

Anonymous said...

Pesto is awesome! Here's a recipe for pesto along with pasta I posted last year.

Pasta with Pesto

admin said...

I'm surprised that your bell peppers are so small! Dan and I eat exclusively organic produce, meat, and dairy, and we purchase it from local farms who set up a huge farmer's market in Union Square and Rockefeller Square every weekend. If we can't make it to the farmer's market, we dash over to Whole Foods. We've never had such small items as you are describing! Maybe the crop is just not growing as well this year as others?

Shannon said...

I don't think its normal. We have a small garden and all of our veggies are quite a bit bigger than you describe.

zz said...

Some varieties are smaller than others, and some you've gotten may have been picked too soon in order to have SOMETHING to offer customers? The sizes I've picked from the same plant have varied, but nothing I'd call small. Then again, I am not 100 percent sure what was in the compost mix. I thought it was all organic and I haven't sprayed anything either. Let's see what you get next week. Maybe the same stuff will grow bigger. *(Trying to be optimistic here, but seriously thinking you've gotten a bum deal from your CSA. ANd I'm not trying to add insult to injury by telling you how well our garden is doing. It's in full sun and there's been a great mix of sunshine and rain this summer, unlike the conditions you've described of your yard/growing season.)

ThatLadyInAWhiteDress said...

totally unconnected to the size of organic food-just wanted to remind you that you hadn't yet blogged about your new church...:-)

Anonymous said...

I have been reading several cookbooks/recipes lately that imply that, at least for certain vegetables, the smaller they are the more flavorful they are. Rick Bayless, at least (mexican cuisine) says that tomatoes, peppers, etc, are more favorful the smaller they are because they're not diluted by a bunch of water. Just a thought...

- Amanda