What to do with your CSA Basil

Make Pesto!!

2 tablespoons pine nuts
5 tablespoons olive oil
2 bunch basil, stems removed
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Fry the pine nuts in 1 tablespoon of oil until pale brown, then drain. Put the
basil in the food processor with the nuts and garlic. Process until well
chopped. Gradually add oil until smooth. Turn into bowl. Add Cheese and season.

Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles

Substituting rice vinegar will produce a pickle that is less tart

Makes 2 Quarts

From Epicurious

1 Small Sweet onion thinly sliced
2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers scrubbed and cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 large bunch of dill coarsely chopped including stems
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons peppercorns
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
2 teaspoons dill seeds

Divide sliced onion between two 1 quart wide mouth jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in the jars and top with Dill.

Using a mortar and pestle or resealable plastic bag and a mallet, crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in a medium sauce pan. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and dill seeds. Bring mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Stirring until sugar dissolves.

Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours. Cover glass jars with tight lids. Keep refrigerated.

CSA Week One.

Thank Goodness for my Mom and Dad and the internet. I arrived later than I wanted to pick up my first weeks produce. Not knowing what to expect, I had a basket and a bag to take home the fresh goodness. As I was picking up my share, I kept saying to myself - What is this? I have no clue what to do with this! To be honest it scared me a bit. Dave being the wonderful patient guy he is carried the produce while we walked the rest of the market. Then back to the car to get my bounty home. The first weeks tally: Kale, Turnips, Romane Lettuce, Field Lettuce, Garlic, Bok Choy, Broccoli Rabe, Strawberries, and Kohlrabi (the strange purple vegetable from space). I unpacked my veg and snapped some pictures. Called my Mom and send her some pictures to help me identify some of the items. The mystery items were: Kohlrabi and Kale. I made sure what I thought was a turnip really was a turnip. After two calls to the parents and about 30 minutes on the internet, I found all the information I needed to help me store my wonderful produce. After a lunch of home made pasta and sauce leftovers, I hit the internet again looking for recipes to try. Thanks to Emeril Green and Jamie Oliver.com I have some good recipes to start. I put a request out on facebook and twitter. Maybe I will get some additional good recipes. I will post pictures of my fresh produce and the recipe I chose to try as I cook through out the week. My mom sent me two great broccoli rabe recipes. so I am sure that will be first. Here is a picture of me and my Market Basket full of goodies.