One of our favorite winter joys is the bi-weekly delivery of our winter CSA Farm Shares. When the weather gets cold and it looks like life is hibernating, there is nothing better than a packed-full box of fresh vegetables at your door. It gets harder and harder to find local produce in your grocery store as temperatures decline, and it gets harder and harder to leave the warmth of your home to venture to a farmers market or produce stand. And that is the beauty of the CSA. Your money goes to supporting local, organic agriculture, and you get a bounty of freshly picked goods at your doorstep. A highlight is that you never know what new items you are going to receive. You’ll be exposed to new fruits and veggies and learn new ways to cook with them! You can also go and visit the farm (which children love!) and get to know your local farmers and ask questions about how your food is grown.
My first Winter box arrived last week and included eggs, brussel sprouts, carrots, Pac Choi, kohlrabi, turnips, garlic, greens, green onions, radishes, peppers, cabbage, lettuce, apples, green tomatoes and winter squash. In addition to a morning scramble, roasted veggies and a few green smoothies, the box of bounty became a hearty and warming vegetable soup. Try the “recipe” below!
Everything But The Kitchen Sink Vegetable Soup:
Olive oil
1 yellow onion
2 large green onions
3 cloves garlic
4 carrots
2 small peppers
2-3 large or 6 small turnips
2 cups diced green tomatoes
2 cups chopped kale or greens
1 28 oz can diced organic tomatoes
1.5 cups dried, sprouted adzuki beans
1 can organic chick-peas (garbanzo beans)
4-6 cups broth (chicken or vegetable)
4-6 cups water
Salt
Pepper
Hot sauce
Garlic powder
Red pepper flakes
3 inches Kombu
(feel free to add in celery, broccoli, squash, any beans you have in your pantry, quinoa, pasta, rice, etc… )
Directions: Cover bottom of a large pot with olive oil. Heat at medium.
Add in diced onions and stir. Peel and chop carrots. Add to the onions and stir. Peel and chop the turnips and add to the pot, stir. Peel and mince garlic, add to the pot. Chop the peppers and add, stirring.
Add in the stock, kombu and the adzuki beans and cover. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat slightly.
Chop the tomatoes and add into the broth along with the can of tomatoes. Stir and cover.
Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder and hot sauce/pepper flakes. Stir
Add in water and kale and can(s) of beans. Cover and let simmer until the adzuki beans are tender, the veggies are soft and the broth is flavorful, about 30 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
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