CSA: Week 20

A quick update on my CSA:

• Cajun peppers
• Italian eggplant swapped for more cajun peppers
• Red butterhead lettuce given away
• Sweet candy onions
• Collard greens
• Beauregard sweet potatoes
• Cremini mushrooms
• White mushrooms
• Acorn squash
• Gala apples
• Golden Supreme apples

CSA: Week 19

I failed pretty badly at using my CSA produce last week.  Fortunately, we are starting to get a lot of squash, which keeps, and I have really enjoyed these delicata squashes. 

• Eggplant
• White onions
• Butternut squash
• Delicata squash
• Red potatoes
• Kale
• Green bell peppers
• Green leaf lettuce swapped for baby bok choy
• Green endive swapped for cajun peppers
• Pears
• Apples

In a little over one month, I will be starting the so-called 'Fall Extension' of this CSA -- 7 or 8 weeks of produce, hopefully good stuff for Thanksgiving and Christmas meals :)

CSA: Week 18, back on the horse

I discovered, during this past week without a CSA delivery, that I have become wholly dependent on that weekly delivery of fresh vegetables and fruit.  I do not shop for fresh produce much anymore; this became apparent when I found myself ordering out a lot this week because I lacked ingredients to make proper meals.  Well, no longer!

This week's shipment is pretty solid:

• Tatsoi
• Bok choy
• Delicata squash
• Italian eggplant swapped for more bok choy
• Romaine lettuce swapped for another delicata squash
• Jalapeno peppers
• Red beets
• Flat-leaf parsley
• Portabello caps
• Peaches
• Pears

I have never had tatsoi, so I am excited to give that a try.  As you can see, I also am tired of eggplant, I still do not like lettuce, and I really like the delicata squash.

Violent, Visible Death

One of the vices that I have reacquired since returning to the US are computer games.  In part it is because I built a new desktop that can run current generation games relatively well, and in part because of the beautiful abomination that is Steam.  Regardless, I have been playing more computer games now than any time since graduate school, including exploration of some smaller indie titles.  At some point I hope to post some micro-reviews of games I have played in the last year, but I thought I would mention my latest drug: Space Marine.

Space Marine is a first/third-person shooter based on the highly successful Games Workshop property called Warhammer 40,000.  Warhammer 40K is a table-top wargame (one that I have dabbled in twice, but I could not afford it, nor could I bring myself to do all the painting -- I like a well-painted army, but painting 5 guys is my idea of fun, not 50) that has moved into other media, including a number of successful computer games.  To make a long story short, during development, the game developers said that one of their design principles was "Visible, Violent Death."  Well, nothing sums that up better than nailing an Ork to the ground with a glowing power axe through his foot, then grabbing his upper and lower jaws and ripping them apart.  Wow.

If you are a fan of the Warhammer 40K intellectual property, this game is worth checking out.  If only to ram a chainsword through an Ork.  Yes, you read that correctly -- a chainsword.  As in a sword that is also a chainsaw.

CSA: Week 17

I have been distracted by deadlines this week, so my CSA post is quite late.  This week's bounty was substantial -- in fact, I gave away a half dozen ears of corn, and still had some to spare.

• Sweet corn
• Delicata squash: I really liked this from last week.  I read that it tastes like sweet potato, and this is a good description.  I made a Thai yellow curry last week, I may try something similar with red or green curry this week.
• Sweet onions
• Green bell peppers
• Bok choy: Strangely, the last time I had bok choy was one of the first deliveries of the season.
• Mixed cherry tomatoes: These have already been combined with the cherry tomatoes from last week, some garlic, white wine, and basil to make a nice fresh tomato sauce.
• Yukon gold potatoes
• Peaches
• Bartlett (I think) pears