Many reasons why I loved the bounty of this season...first let me begin by stating that we received plenty of apples. I love apples and there are many ways to use them, in pies, sauce and just snacking. Every week my son will ask for the list of CSA items for pickup, and every time after I stated apples he would sigh, “apples again!?!” Then I would state that by mid winter we would be missing them, so we should enjoy them while we can. Preserving apple sauce is the best way to do this, then we won’t miss the sweet (or tart) deliciousness of this fruit. We also made apple ciders as well, and we froze some to save for later, and I even made apple cider popsicles which were really tasty, yum! The cucumbers were great, although I missed the opportunity to make pickles this year they were enjoyed in many salads this summer. The onions and garlic blended well with the tomatoes to use for pasta sauces, and the corn was so sweet and the taste was to die for! The many varieties of potatoes were enjoyed as well.
The other reason is that I feel grateful for the opportunity to join the CSA every season, especially since I became vegan in January 2017, it provides plenty of organic ingredients for my meals. My son loves to cook (he is vegan also) so we create dishes and explore more options using local foods. I have become more healthy and lost weight, lowered my blood pressure and started to drink more water. I eat out much less than I used to and by doing meal prep on the weekends I save money on lunch at work during the week (ordering out in midtown Manhattan is quite expensive lol). I am certainly looking forward to the next spring/summer season so l can continue on this path to good physical, financial and mental health!
