CSA Harvest Box: week 3

boy, this week was some what of a blur!  I didn't take any pictures except this one- and it was kind of an odd week as far as our schedule goes so I didn't cook dinner as often as usual/ or it was super-fast meals.  But that's life, right? Well in this week's "box" (it really comes in a reusable cloth bag) we got lettuce, cabbage, broccoli,a sample of the first of the summer squash, edible pea pods, rhubarb, purple or orange carrots, and an herb plant.  Our herb plant happened to be Moroccan mint, otherwise known as spearmint, which I actually despise.  I unintentionally left it on the back patio without watering it all week- so, if anyone likes Moroccan mint tea, the leaves are already nice and dry! hahaha.  I didn't realize there would be different potted herbs until I got home and got my email from the farm saying that there were various potted herbs in each share.  I was bummed I got the mint plant.  Oh well! :o)  Anywho- as far as what I used this week....  the lettuce of course made a delicious salad, the broccoli and zucchini I just used as normal (we eat those all the time)  and the rhubarb made it into round two of the rhubarb custard pie.  Which turned out really yummy this time, I might say.  Way less sugar than the recipe called for.  We haven't used the fantastic looking purple carrots yet, or the pea pods- I'm planning on sauteing those bad boys up for lunch today!  If you do get fresh carrots from the farm,  make sure you cut the stems off right away.  They make the carrots go bad much faster.  I used half the cabbage with last week's dried beans in the crock pot since we had some nice cool weather.  It was super good. Here's the recipe if you're interested!  I'd post the original recipe from allrecipes.com, but I changed it so much it's really just the "sauce" that's the same. :o)

Sweet Sausage 'n' Beans

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots (used one of the big farm carrots)
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 4 cups mixed beans (picked over, rinsed, soaked over night, and drained)
• 1/2 head cabbage, chopped
• 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, crumbled
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
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• DIRECTIONS

  1. In a slow cooker, layer carrots, onion, beans, green beans, and sausage. Combine ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar and mustard; pour over beans. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or until vegetables are tender. Stir in the cabbage for the last half hour or so before serving.