Eat Your Spinach!

I am not sure where this recipe came from, but it is (as usual) a quick and easy side dish. Spinach with garlic and raisins is a nice way to change up sauteed spinach, and the raisins are a nice complement to the garlic and the bitterness of the spinach.

Spinach with Garlic and Raisins

1. Saute 1lb spinach in pan that has been heated with olive oil over low-medium heat. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Cook 3-5 minutes, until spinach begins to wilt.

2. Add in chopped garlic (as many cloves as you prefer - I usually do one big or two small cloves) and 1/4 cup raisins. The raisins will begin to expand. Cook for an additional 3 minutes. Serve as a side dish.

CSA Week #5 Recap

Alright, so this post is lacking in pictures. Things have been a bit busy over here @ lizzilnthings! It turns out that super cute and excited behaviors Winnie was exhibiting were signs of separation anxiety :( Poor puppy! We're trying to figure out what is considered "normal' separation anxiety for a dog who was just introduced to a new home, and which behaviors may be not "normal". Any thoughts or suggestions? We've been doing some behavioral adjustments and reinforcing positive behaviors...but Winnie keeps on incessantly howling and crying when we leave. I've been spending all of my free time researching all variations of canine separation anxiety, so I haven't had much time to take pictures or post. I hope this is a good excuse for the delay.

Beets

The beets were delicious - baked in the oven and eaten on salads and with goat cheese. I never had made beets before (confession: I buy them in a can!), so I was not sure how they'd turn out, but it was very easy to bake beets! Wrap in foil, bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes (longer for bigger beets), until a fork can pierce the beet. When cool, peel, slice and enjoy!

Spinach

Pretty boring preparations - on salads, sautéd with garlic, in wraps. Nothing too exciting or exotic here.

Overall, week #5 was pretty great. All the produce was delicious and I made some new foods (pickles!). Looking forward to picking up my next share tomorrow...and finding time to finish posting about week #6. Yummy recipes to be posted soon...promise!

CSA Week #5

Wow - I was shocked at how much produce was available this week at the Farmer's Market!  What a difference a week makes! I have not seen this many options since our CSA began. It's definitely prime picking time at the farm...3 types of squash, eggplants, kohlrabi, beets, spinach, broccoli, collard greens, 2 types of cucumbers, lettuce...and much more. Here's what I picked on my first week back:

I already have LOTS of idea for what to make with these veggies! Recipes to be posted soon :)

For those of you keeping track, last week I was not able to pick up the produce because we were on vacation. A dear friend picked up our share as to not let any food go to waste....and she picked cauliflower, yellow squash, turnips, and garlic scapes. Her updates will also be posted at a later date!

Happy 4th of July to all my readers from the United States! Hope you have a great celebration full of BBQs & fireworks!