It's Week 28 of Dinner Plans and we're capitalizing on all the peak summer produce!
We had to skip this week's CSA delivery because we had so much left over. Some weeks it is like that here. For a family of four, we had so much garlic scapes, radishes, and greens; it can be great to have an abundance of fresh produce and we've learned how to ensure we use it all and let nothing go to waste. You gotta love summer produce!
Seasonal Cooking Tip: Maximizing Produce
When it comes to cooking with the seasons, we have learned how to maximize produce. Oftentimes, that means freezing items we won't use. Other times, it means storing ingredients to keep them fresher for longer. What that tends to look like for us:
- Store fresh herbs in a jar of water. If keeping them in the fridge, keep a loose plastic bag with an unbleached paper towel to remove excess moisture. I use these from King Arthur Baking and I'll reuse them until I can't anymore. When I'm done, I'll make sure they're clean and dry before adding them to the recycle bin.
- Chop, wash, and dry greens like broccoli greens, chard, and bok choy. Store in a reusable silicone bag and keep in the fridge for up to two weeks. I love Stasher bags and use the half-gallon or the stand up size (holds up to 56 ounces) for storage salad mix and greens.
- Place the next week's box on hold. If a CSA member and there is a week where you don't get through everything, ask your farm CSA about holding the next week's box. If you also desire, you can donate the box to someone else, too. ❤️
See Part I and Part II of my Pantry Essentials Series for more tips and recommendations for keeping a well stocked pantry no matter what size pantry you have.
Dinner Plans for the Week
Here's a brief list of what remains from last week's box:
- Fava beans (we had close to 2 pounds!)
- Garlic scapes
- Cauliflower
- Broccoli greens, chard, and salad mix
- 2 tomatoes
- Purple carrots
- Nectarines
Wednesday night we have a fun dinner planned for our family to ring in a new series of episodes for Bluey on Disney+. If you're a parent with small kiddos, this show is a sweet must watch and it's one Jerry and I love watching too. The kids had a fun idea to make some of the foods from the show. We're drawing inspiration from episodes like "Daddy Putdown", "Takeaway", and "Pavlova" to plan our dinner for Wednesday. Recipes for a few of those items will be posted on the blog later this summer.
Checking the list on Sage Mountain Farm's website for what we're getting in our boxes this week helps me to shop our pantry, fridge, and freezer in order to plan meals on Sunday. Since we're skipping the box this week, I'm placing a small grocery pickup order for essentials like milk and a few pantry restocks.
For several of the meal ideas down below, I'm writing up the recipes this week and aim to get them on the blog soon. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to be in the know when they're live. 😉
Here is our game plan for dinner this week:
Sunday: Watermelon, Cucumber, and Mint Salad with a Chili Lime & Cotija Dressing (recipe coming soon!)
Monday: Fava Falafels (final recipe test)
Tuesday: DIY Chipotle Burrito Bowls which we could literally eat each week!
Wednesday: Shrimp Tempura with Rice, Edamame Beans, and Spring Rolls with Pavlova (the kids are excited for a Bluey watch party with new episodes coming July 12th to Disney+!)
Thursday: Slow Roasted Cod with Cauliflower Steaks and a Quick Romesco Sauce
Friday: Baja Fish Tacos with Fresh Pico de Gallo
Saturday: Pizza Margherita with our CSA tomatoes and Garden Basil
Cheers to a nourishing week. ❤️
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