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| Whole Grain Pasta with Basil Garlic Scape Pesto |
This week, when I picked up CSA Box #3, I noticed the box was considerably fuller than the first two boxes. It’s always a fun surprise each week to see what’s inside.
This week’s CSA box features sugar snap peas, basil, romaine lettuce, napa cabbage, broccoli, baby salad greens, spinach, garlic scapes, scallions, and strawberries.
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| Salad Greens, Broccoli, Spinach, Scallions, Basil, Sugar Snap Peas, Garlic Scapes, and Strawberries |
Along with the box came a note: “The last week has brought some sun, some rain, and some temperatures that plants and humans both enjoy, and the fields look a whole lot better. It made for a great mid June harvest, which helps make up for our slow start.” Unfortunately, the farm suffered a case of “woodchuck-itis” on their lettuce, which damaged several hundred heads of lettuce!
The highlight to this week’s CSA box were definitely the sugar snap peas – the boys gobbled these up raw. They were so sweet and crunchy, there was no need to cook them.
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| These Sugar Snap Peas Were So Sweet And Crunchy, We Ate Them Raw. |
We also enjoyed the strawberries as is, although the box was a bit small this week, so I might pick up more from the farmer’s market to make some Strawberry Lemonade Fizz for the boys as a treat.
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| Strawberry Lemonade Fizz |
So, what will I be making with this week’s CSA box produce? So far, I’ve made Basil Garlic Scape Pesto and a Basil Garlic Scape Pesto Vinaigrette (which I served over Poached Chicken), and one of my kids’ favorites – Broccoli with Toasted Garlic and Red Pepper Olive Oil. The broccoli was so fresh and crunchy, not like the limp broccoli that you sometimes find in the supermarket.Â
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| This Broccoli Was So Fresh and Crunchy. |
We’ve also been enjoying lots of salads with all the fresh greens (the romaine lettuce was so sweet and crunchy!).
Next on my list to try is an easy Napa Cabbage Kimchi recipe. Since the head of Napa Cabbage is huge, I will also be making some Gluten-Free Chinese Dumplings so we have a reserve of frozen dumplings on hand for my little guy.
Basil Garlic Scape Pesto
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| We Got A Huge Bunch Of Basil In Our CSA Box. |
Basil Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients
- 6 cups basil
- 5 garlic scapes
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Combine basil, and garlic scapes in food processor bowl. Process until almost smooth.
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Gradually add olive oil through feed tube. Continue processing until pesto is smooth.
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Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Basil Garlic Scape Pesto Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup Basil Garlic Scape Pesto
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
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Whisk together pesto, lemon juice and olive oil.
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Serve with green salad or with poached or grilled chicken.
Broccoli with Toasted Garlic Oil
Ingredients
- 1 head broccoli cut into florets
Toasted Garlic Olive Oil
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, until broccoli turns bright green (it should still have some crunch).
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Drain broccoli and rinse well with cold water to stop the cooking process. You can also steam the broccoli for 5-6 minutes instead.
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To make Toasted Garlic Olive Oil, heat olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small skillet. Cook 2 minutes until garlic is lightly browned.
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Toss cooked broccoli with some of the Toasted Garlic Olive Oil and season with salt and pepper.
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Just fantastic as usual…
Thank you! The boys had the pasta with Basil Garlic Scape Pesto, and Poached Chicken with the Basil Garlic Scape Pesto Vinaigrette for dinner, and the leftover pasta for dinner for a late breakast/early lunch (teenage boys sleep in very late!)
delicious. love the idea of combining pesto with broccoli :D.
At this time of year, sugar snaps are so good that I can't help but eat them raw! They're better than candy.
This pesto sounds delicious! I have quite a few CSA garlic scapes in my fridge that will be turned into this!
Jeanette you have captured all the amazing flavors of summer in this one post. The pesto looks wonderful. We have been enjoying those sweet peas too!
The veggies look gorgeous. I think there is nothing prettier than bright green, fresh vegetables. 🙂 I am a broccoli-hugger, heehee!
I am loving all the fresh vegetables in my CSA box so far – make menu planning a lot easier, and I don't have to go to the supermarket nearly as often.
That broccoli recipe sounds incredible. Yummy! Those sugar snap peas make me giddy since they remind me of my summer's with my grandpa, stools in hand, and eating these straight from the garden. Grandma would ask us to pick them to cook for dinner but since we both didn't like cooked peas we'd eat them all raw and tell grandma the crop wasn't worth it. Haha!
Looks delicious and fresh (and most importantly, healthy)! Plus I love how the CSA boxes 'make' you eat more veggies to use up everything!
Oh and by the way, I really appreciate the visits you give to my blog and comments 🙂 I'm so appreciative that I'm sad that words can't describe how happy I am for the visits. That makes sense, right?
I have garlic scapes and basil in my garden, both ready to be trimmed. What a great idea for how to use them together!
It's been fun trying to figure out how to use the fresh produce together in my CSA basket – this Basil Garlic Scape Pesto is one example – I wanted to make pesto, and thought why not use garlic scape instead of garlic cloves.
Totally hungry now. Just lovely.
The pasta and broccoli both look amazing. I wish I had both for dinner! 🙂 YUM!
I love to see all that you make with items from your CSA box – the pasta looks spectacular!
What a beautiful post Jeanette! Love that you converted the CSA basket into a menu of delights. Everything looks so fresh and delicious and, after a two hour walk in the sunshine with my dog, I find myself particularly drawn to the Strawberry Lemonade Fizz – how pretty and refreshing!
love CSAs, love that you are finding creative ways to use all of that CSA box and for sure love this pesto! i don't make my own pesto very often and i don't know why – my garden is always overflowing w/basil and i have a great blender . . . i need to rectify that immediately! beautiful pics Jeanette!
One of the things I love most about summer produce is that it can all be turned into something delicious without any fuss, perfect for the lazy days of summer!
I'm loving these pix of spaghetti pasta towers… And the pesto sounds fabulous too!
Jeanette, I love your commitment to the CSA box upfront. I admit, some of my delivery doesn't always get used in time. My box arrives tomorrow. And tomorrow, well maybe this week, I will use every last leaf of produce. Love the broccoli for its simplicity, but bold flavor.
Fortunately, we have a lot of mouths to feed in our house, so it's not too hard to finish everything in the box. I do make a special effort to try to use everything up by the next delivery date – this fresh produce is just too precious to go to waste.
I sure miss my farmers market! I love garlic scape. Love love love. This pesto looks so good I can smell it filling my room.