It’s Week 31 of Dinner Plans and I'm turning my attention to preserving produce at peak!
I've had some produce items building a backlog in my fridge. It also feels like we're cresting the middle of summer and autumn now feels like a hop, skip, and a jump away. With that in mind I tend to turn my attention to "saving the season." So, making fruit compotes I can freeze, prepping veggies for holiday sides to be stored in the freezer, pickling, and light canning are filling my schedule now.
Seasonal Cooking Tip: Storing Berries for Winter
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 my number 1 favorite way to store berries: freeze them! I put that into practice this week after buying a flat of the best blackberries I've ever tasted. I immediately brought them home and gave them a quick rinse. Then I stored them in gallon-sized freezer bags. I labeled and put the date. This will help me track the time so I know when to cook them up. When I'm ready, I'll make versions of the compotes and other berry recipes below:
- Blueberry Butter
- Blueberry Compote with Lemon & Thyme
- Strawberry & Peach Compote
- Raspberry Compote with Mixed Berries
Dinner Plans for Week 31
It was one of those weeks where I needed to skip the Riverdog CSA box. We've got plenty of produce from the previous weeks, plus more I've bought at the farmers market, that we'll need to make sure we use it up before the next week. With more fresh corn it's time for a chowder or a bisque especially with our temperate and mild summer. Fresh cherry tomatoes will shine in a fresh caprese salad. Rosemary salt will be made to help season turkey burgers for Friday night ease.
And the basil. Oh, the basil. It's time for fresh basil pesto that I can freeze in cubes for winter. Buying another bunch of basil at the farmer's market to make a big batch to freeze for later. Now's the time to lock in summer's best for the cold and wet winter days ahead in Napa Valley.
Here’s what we received from our CSA share this week:
Stepping Stone Farm:
- Sunpeach Cherry Tomatoes
- Abundant Upstate Potatoes
- Sweet Corn
- Babybeet Beets
- Summer Cucumbers
- Mia Genovese Basil
- Fresh Rosemary
- Shio Koji Granola from Rice Flower Koji
Our Game Plan for Dinner this Week:
Sunday: Homemade New England Style Lobster Corn Chowder
Monday: Caprese Salad with the Sunpeach Cherry Tomatoes and Basil Oil
Tuesday: Chipotle Marinated Chicken Burrito Bowls
Wednesday: One Pot Pasta with Corn, Basil, Ricotta and Lemon inspired by Melissa Clark's recipe
Thursday: Teriyaki Ground Beef Bowl with Stir Fry Cabbage
Friday: Turkey Burgers with Rosemary Salt and Pesto Aioli
Saturday: Pizza Picnic with Shishito Peppers, Garden Shallots, and Olives
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. 😉
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