Gruber CSA Week 1

Last Thursday I picked up my first box of produce from Gruber Farms CSA.  I mentioned earlier some reasons why we decided to invest in this CSA.  I was super excited to get our first box.  Now, it's early in the season so it's worth mentioning that the variety was low but I expect that to increase as we progress through the next 12 weeks.

Inside:

• 1 HUGE cabbage- the size of my head! (high in dietary fiber (like a toothbrush for your intestines), high in antioxidants,  vitamin C, rich in phytonutrients which support the immune system, and anti-carcinogenic)
• 1 very large bunch of Kale ("One cup of kale contains 36 calories, 5 grams of fiber, and 15% of the daily requirement of calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine), 40% of magnesium, 180% of vitamin A, 200% of vitamin C, and 1,020% of vitamin K. It is also a good source of minerals copper, potassium, iron, manganese, and phosphorus." link)
• 6 large Spring onions 
• 6 beets with greens attached (vitamin C, betaine- helps with cardiovascular health, blood pressure, and hypertension, dietary fiber, and a good source of protein)
• 2 quarts of strawberries- YAY!  (vitamin C, fiber, antioxidants)

This week's meals included:

• Beet and Sweet Potato Hash with Eggs
• Gluten Free pasta with spaghetti sauce (chock full of grated carrots) served with a kale and beet greens saute.  Abigail's take on the kale and beet greens "Yucky!  I no wuv it!  I no eat it!" So, yeah, that was successful.  I'll admit, it wasn't my favorite and needs tweaking.
• Roasted organic chicken served with a salad in which I used some of the cabbage and roasted beets in a bed of sauted beet greens (much yummier than the kale saute)
• Asian Sesame Cabbage salad- used cabbage and spring onions and some shredded up left over chicken.  Topped it off with sunflower seeds, homemade dressing (basically soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, lemon juice, sesame seeds, and fresh grated ginger), and sliced up oranges.
• A copy-cat Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana to finish using up the Kale
• Japanese Pizza- to use up most of the rest of the cabbage and several spring onions.
• The strawberries were gone less than 48 hours after we opened our box.  We love strawberries around here!
• I also had several lunch salads to use the cabbage.  Seriously, it was a HUGE thing of cabbage.  I still have a little left and I have picked up box number 2 (thank God, no cabbage in this one!)