Dinner Plans: Week 29

It’s Week 29 of Dinner Plans and we're savoring the latest summer goodies!

We are seeing loads of summer fruits and veggies now and I'm making the freezer my friend when it comes to preserving stone fruits and summertime tomatoes and corn at their peak freshness. From pie filling to compotes to simmering sauces and sides, we're savoring summer as we keep on Cooking with Our CSA.

Seasonal Cooking Tip: The First Tomatoes

When it comes to seasonal cooking, this year I'm sharing a weekly tip here focused on preparing ingredients, preserving foods, and kitchen hacks that help you save time.

This week we’re talking about the first tomatoes. After seeing The Patch in Sonoma has returned to the weekly Napa Farmers Market, we can certainly say summer has arrived. While some may opt to process their tomatoes for sauce and more, I take a very simple approach and freeze them whole.

Give the tomatoes a quick rinse and dry on clean kitchen towels. Remove the stems, if there are any, then freeze whole in freezer safe bags. I did this with the batch of Dry Farmed Early Girl Tomatoes last summer and they held up beautifully. I am using the final bag of tomatoes next week for lasagna. Freezing them at their peak is a great way to preserve their freshness and, if done well, they'll keep for up to a year. Roast them for sauces and soups. Of course, enjoy them fresh in all the salads and pasta dishes this season but winter tomato soup will be our friend with the freezer tomatoes later.

Dinner Plans for Week 29

We are back to the double CSA box pickups as the Summer CSA season with Stepping Stone Farm began this week. The first of pickling cucumbers have arrived and I'm making a batch of Refrigerator Pickles for Fried Chicken Sandwiches later in the week. Dwarf Satsuma Plums are floral and lightly tart yet sweet which will make for a delicious seasonal compote for the morning's yogurt bowls. Corn from Riverdog Farm along with their summer squash will be enjoy in a mix of both enchiladas and tostadas for easy and delicious dinners.

Here’s what we received from our CSA share this week:

Riverdog Farm:

• Gold Nugget Cherry Tomatoes
• Yukon Gold Potatoes
• Carrots
• Sweet Corn
• Slicing Cucumber (Scarred)
• Mixed Summer Squash
• White Onion

Stepping Stone Farm:

• Excelsior Pickling Cucumber
• Maxibel Dwarf Beans
• Clear Dawn Bulb Onion
• Early Summer Courgettes
• Mia Genovese Basil Shoots
• Dwarf Satsuma Plums
• Daikon Radish Kimchi from Rice Flower Koji

Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:

Sunday: Grilled Steak with Sautéed New Potatoes with Green Beans and Sorrel Butter

Monday: Zucchini Tart in Puff Pastry

Tuesday: Zucchini & Corn Enchiladas Verdes with Shrimp & Crab

Wednesday: Lamb Meatballs with Cucumber Tzatziki & Cucumber Salad

Thursday: Pasta with Zucchini Basil Pesto and Blistered Tomatoes

Friday: Fried Chicken Sandwiches with Homemade Refrigerator Pickles

Saturday: Pizza with Sun Gold & Cherry Tomatoes, Fior di Latte, Fresh Basil and Balsamic

From favorite recipes to new meal ideas using a wide variety of ingredients, cooking delicious food with our CSA definitely gets us out of a dinner rut while reducing food waste. I share meal ideas for our busy weeks with our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be in the know when they’re live. 😉