2012 CSA: Week 5

This week I graduated to a full CSA share.  A friend and colleague of mine decided his family wanted in on the CSA, so we agreed to split a full share.  The main benefit, aside from saving money, is that the full shares almost have more variety.  After we divided our loot, I came out with the following:

• Fennel
• Red chard
• Garlic scapes
• Green escarole
• Broccoli
• Dill
• French breakfast radishes
• Zucchini
• Green kale
• Strawberries

Since the red chard (not normally a favorite of mine) looked very nice this week, it gets the photo:

One Page Dungeon Contest Winners

For the second straight year, I helped judge (though I was terribly late) the One Page Dungeon Contest (aka 1PDC).  For people that run RPGs, this contest is a gold mine of ready made adventures and campaign ideas. 

The contest has been run for several years now by my good friend, Alex Schroeder.  Check out this year's winners here: One Page Dungeon Contest Winners Announced.  There are many spectacular entries, and those that did not win are definitely worth a look too.

2012 CSA: Week 4

This week heralds the start of fruit share deliveries.  Like last year, it begins with strawberries and applesauce, but hopefully by mid-summer I will be reveling in delicious watermelons, like last year.

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Deer tongue lettuce given away
• Romain lettuce given away
• Kale swapped for garlic scapes
• English shell peas
• Strawberries
• Applesauce

As I am prone to do, I already gave away the lettuce (I just find it to be a tremendously boring vegetable, and it almost always goes to waste in my refrigerator).

This week, I give you a picture of the wonderfully twisty garlic scapes!

2012 CSA: Week 3

Week 3 of the CSA has arrived, and with it a nice selection of produce:

• Sparkler radishes
• Red kale
• Portabello mushroom caps
• Scallions
• Spinach
• Strawberries

The strawberries, just like last year at this time, were included in my vegetable share (instead of my fruit share, which starts after Memorial Day).  And like last year, they were beautiful, red, and pretty tasty.

This week, though, I will stick with a photo of the sparkler radishes.  Regardless of whether you like radishes, you have to admit they are pretty striking vegetables!

2012 CSA: Week 2

Just like last year, the second week of my CSA happens two weeks after the first week -- go figure.  Anyways, one of the benefits of my new CSA pick-up location (3400 Spruce St., at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania) is that the location is open until 7 pm, so I can even make it after class sometimes.

This week's haul is heavy on the greens:

• Scallions
• Green kale
• Bok choy
• Frisee
• Turnip greens
• Spinach
• Puntarelle stretta (they called it Italian dandelion, but I am not sure about this)
• Cremini mushrooms

This week's photo is of the puntarelle stretta:

2012 CSA: Week 1

After a long period of silence, outside of my shout out for the Van Gogh exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, I am back, and once again, I am blogging about my CSA.

At the last minute, I signed up for the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative CSA, the same organization that ran my CSA last year.  I signed up for a half share of a vegetables and one fruit share, which will keep me going from now until the end of October.

I signed up for two reasons: (1) I noticed my diet was steadily worsening through the winter and early spring, and I am certain that having all this fresh produce will improve that; and (2) I enjoyed the CSA last year and I am hoping to do even better with this year's program.

In my first CSA shipment, I received:

• Dandelion greens
• Bok choy
• Green leaf lettuce
• Scallions
• Fennel leaves
• French breakfast radishes
• Sweet Hakurei turnips

I have already enjoyed a beef and scallion stir fry based loosely upon the classic zi ran yang rou, a dish from the Uyghur people of Central and East Asia.  I also made a surprisingly tasty salad from dandelion greens, lettuce, fennel leaves, and about half of the radishes (I say surprising because I generally find salads boring).

To liven up my CSA blog posts a little bit, I am going to try and post nice photos (obtained from the web) of at least one item I receive each week.  This week's obvious choice: French breakfast radishes!

Van Gogh, and Getting Back on the Horse

It has been a long, long time since I last posted -- I wondered for awhile if I would ever post again.  But I recently visited the Van Gogh Up Close exhibition at the wonderful Philadelphia Museum of Art, and I had to give a shout out for this show. 

The exhibition contains pieces from museums and private collections from all over the world, and highlights Van Gogh's work during the last four years of his life.  In particular, the exhibition focuses on his intense, close-up studies of the natural world -- irises, wheat, grass, and of course some of those famous tournesols.  What really stood out to me, more than anything else, was just how much paint Van Gogh applied to his canvases, and texture and three-dimensionality that creates when you view the paintings live.

If you live in or near Philadelphia, I strongly urge you to go (and make sure to buy tickets ahead of time), it is well worth the money.  Plus, your ticket includes admission into the rest of the museum, which is a standout in its own right.

Before or after visiting the exhibition, I recommend having brunch, lunch, or dinner at the Belgian Cafe, which is just a short walk from the Art Museum.