Community Supported Agriculture

I baked a cake yesterday—an elusive recipe I just can’t give up on. This was Take Four, I think. It’s getting there. Last time it flopped. Time before it was a bit gummy. This time—too dry. The good news is this time it isn’t gummy and it didn’t flop! It’s flavorful even if it looks a little naked. My kid said it didn’t look like my other “fancy” cakes. (Clearly he doesn’t read food blogs because this kid has never seen a really fancy cake!)

Baking wasn’t up to par yesterday but, the rest of the day was stellar. I have an urge to tell you all about it. It wasn’t spectacular in the Hollywood sense of the word. It was spectacular for an every day person like me. It’s something I like being—an every day person—because the chance for a simple day like yesterday to be spectacular is abundant.

I awoke just like any other day. Lay in bed a few minutes adjusting to the knowledge of being. The sounds, the body, what had happened, what was yet to happen. Into my head popped two good thoughts. It’s my birthday! It’s the first CSA veggie pick up of the season! Bazinga.

A cup of coffee, a few dog snuggles, a dinner invite from the hubs, and a cake later I was heading out the door for the one hour drive (in the rain) to the farm. With the kid in tow. (Yes, he went with me to the farm for my birthday! One of the best gifts ever.)

We walked into the barn at Genesis Farms pretty much at the starting whistle. The staff was beaming, excited to share their crops and to say hello after the long winter. We picked baby lettuces, arugula, beets, potatoes, turnips, leeks, garlic, walla walla (what the hell is that?), chard and fragrant herbs. The kid picked out a freshly baked french boule and we got one for my Mom, too. We chatted with greeters and the staff about cooking with baby garlic (why didn’t I ask about that walla walla?) and storing vegetables. I think I committed to being a greeter at some point in the future. It was a mere twenty minutes of sharing something very basic—greetings and food. What can I say? It buoyed me.

Apparently it did the same for the kid because he was talking food in the car all the way to my mother’s house. While the smell of fresh rosemary, garlic, and bread filled the air around us we discussed Potato Leek Soup—which we’ll be having for dinner tonight. It was good to see a “Net Generation” kid enjoy the simple things in life. All the trepidation about the shape of world we’re passing on to them was washed away for an afternoon as the door to the simpler life I remember was re-opened.

Yep. It was quite a good day

So begins this year’s CSA experience. I’ll be going back in two weeks to pick up my next haul. I’m hoping the kid will take the trip with me again this summer. Until then you might want to check out the CSA Chronicle and “recipes” from last year.

Tropical Black Bean Salad

I tweeted that this post was going to be something baked. Something delicious and inspired by my friend, Amber, and her lovely Schoolhouse Cupcakes. I baked and baked and baked. We ate and ate and ate. I liked what I ate but it just wasn’t right. I need a do-over. So, I’m putting that recipe down for a little bit and will come back to it.

This Tropical Black Bean Salad doesn’t need a do-over. It’s a no-fail recipe. You can follow the list of ingredients and the amounts used but it’s so forgiving that an adjustment here and there will still give you a great dish.

There’s really only one word that describes it—refreshing! Make it a day in advance and it’ll still do you proud.

This recipe was one of several featured on The Daily Dietribe as part of the Adopt a Gluten-Free Blogger May Roundup. Visit Heather at Celiac Family to see what she had to say about the recipe and check out both blogs while you’re at it for some wonderful GF recipes and ideas. Many thanks to Iris and Heather for the shout out!!

Tropical Black Bean Salad

1 ripe mango

4 slices of fresh pineapple

1 crisp apple, peeled

½ red pepper

1 jalapeno

¼ red onion

¼ cup chopped cilantro

1 14 oz. can of black beans

1 whole lime

salt and pepper

Prepare all the fruits and vegetables for dicing—peel, pit, slice. Dice the fruits and vegetables and place them in a medium bowl.

Drain and rinse the beans and add to the bowl. Add the chopped cilantro, juice from the lime, salt and pepper.

Toss. Enjoy.

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