CSA Weeks 5 and 6: starting to get a bit more color

This Napa Cabbage with pasta and peanut sauce is one of my favorite recipes to date. Mandy linked to the recipe in the CSA newsletter and it is a winner, plus quick and easy start to finish: Napa cabbage peanut noodles recipe

A cool crisp salad using the baby lettuces, sliced salad turnups (Hakuri turnips), Napa cabbage and dressed with a dill dressing.

Arugula pesto with penne and salmon! I tossed in some marinated artichokes as well.

The week 6 box: Spinach, baby kale, baby romaine (new to me and SO good plus cute!), golden beets, kohlrabi, green onions, dill and the first basil.

The first thing I did the evening I picked up my box was make a fresh tomato and basil pizza. This is one of my favorite pizza combos and this fresh basil was so fresh and so fragrant – just delicious. There will be lots more basil hopefully.

This salad!! Mel of Mel’s Kitchen Cafe posted a recipe for Mediterranean Quinoa salad . I added some baby kale from my box and ate this salad three lunches in a row until the baby kale was gone.

And then, I went to Farmer’s market on Saturday and got more from Lower Valley Farm!

I love beets as well as beet greens. That little bundle of golden beets and their greens were gone fast..

So to the market for more beets! I bought both golden and red beets. the lacinto kale looked beautiful and pea shoots which are so good on a sandwich or salad – so added both of those to my bag. I also stopped at Flathead Cheese and got notzarella (like mozzarella), Gouda and some feta. The cheese is made in Polson, about 30 miles south of me on the south shore of Flathead Lake.

And yes, a pastry. Actually 2 chocolate eclairs. A young woman started a pastry business and sells from a trailer at the markets as well as catering functions. Her trailer looks like a little bakery and she was such fun to talk to. She likes making traditional pastries but found she had to adapt some things for “modern” tastes. The eclairs, though, traditional and they were wonderful!

On with the week and a breakfast of avocado toast my way: my Irish style brown bread with mashed avocado, pea shoots and a bit of bacon.

And then the box for week 7: Kohlrabi, fennel, garlic scapes, carrots (I snuck 1 and they are SO sweet!), lacinto kale, red beets, dill, butter lettuce and spring greens.

Things are still a bit behind from our long, cool Spring, but there is starting to be a bit more color in the CSA box AND at the market.