(Sungold Tomatoes and Eggplant)
DK Crawford © 2010, all photos and text
I have always been intrigued with joining a CSA, which stands for community supported agriculture. It's where consumers commit to paying farmers a certain amount each week or month for a box of goodies. Most of what comes in a CSA box is fresh veggies, fruits and flowers but some farms also combine with a dairy to provide fresh cheeses or milk. The possibilities are limitless.
I recently got a chance to experience what a CSA box from Ojai's Rio Gozo's Farm looks and tastes like. Rio Gozo translates to River Joy. Located in Ojai's river bottom, they not only grow organic vegetables but lots and lots of joy!
Coming home to see what surprises awaited me on the porch was like sneaking down the stairs in my jammies to look at the bright packages under the Christmas tree. Also, I'd received a text from farmer Johnny Fonteyn saying he'd swing back next week to retrieve the can and his box he left on the porch -- I was so intrigued!
The can with just the right amount of pantina, ehhh rust, was filled to the brim with a technicolor array of snap dragons and yes, they had water in the bottom to keep them fresh for my arrival. Below them was a black plastic box. As I begin to unearth the contents of the box, I was ooohing and ahhhing at each delight!
(The Bounty)
There were gorgeous sunny yellow squash, turnip greens with a tiny slice of turnip still attached, the first orange sungold tomatoes of the season, (that tasted like candy!), a bunch of rainbow swiss chard, shallots, various shades of new potatoes, a bunch of beets + the greens, a cucumber, one blackberry-hued eggplant and a large bunch of cilantro and a bunch of basil. It was an edible wonderland, truly. I arranged the goodies on the porch table, gasping all the while, took a photo and began plotting how to celebrate our abundance just as Chris stepped outside and snatched the cucumber he immediately had plans for when he laid his eyes upon it.
We have our own gardens as most of you know but what was so fun about this experience is that what we received was different than what was currently growing out back. Just like your own cooking, sometimes it's amazing to eat someone else's vegetables, especially when they are organic (did I mention that?) and so incredibly beautiful. Plus, Ojai has a different climate than Ventura so eggplants and cucumbers and tomatoes were already taking off at Rio Gozo while we were staring and pining for ours here in Ventura.
We decided to celebrate the bounty with a friendly challenge. Three friends agreed to come over Thursday night to take part in a cooking challenge. Before they showed up I took all the beautiful bounty and laid it on one end of the table. On the other, I laid out what interesting items I'd found when cleaning out my fridge the night before like shrimp, bacon, mustard seeds, coconut milk, coconut, blueberries, balsamic glaze and one really ripe plum. My friends also brought their miscellaneous items -- Andre champagne, tofu, and a half-eaten chicken carcass to name a few... We were divided into teams and started to take turns choosing our items for each dish.
(Mystery Ingredients)
Team A was drawn to the shrimp and added the plum, flaked coconut, fresh cilantro and some balsamic glaze. Team B started with the shallots, turnip greens, mustard seeds, bacon, eggplant and two tomatoes. Team C was drawn to the beets, sunflower seeds, cilantro, creme fraiche, curry powder, blueberries and balsamic glaze. Team A also later created a simple olive oil pasta with cherry tomatoes, basil and parmesan.
(Team A)We each got cutting boards, knives, pans and bowls and started to create. We laughed, drank wine, watched in amazement and covered all the major topics of the world as people tend to do when cooking together. It was a bit like a crazy Thanksgiving. Too many folks were in the kitchen, too few eyes were cooperating on the stove and lots of laughter ensued.
(Action Shots)
We finally got our dishes together, placed them on the table and toasted our first Iron Chef challenge. We filled our plates, grabbed some wine, and started discussing our creations. Some of them were quite simple in appearance like the greens with bacon crumbled on top and the pasta while others, like the plummy purple shrimp and the blueberry beets were rather unusual yet each incredible in its own way. The most difficult was the judging and we all decided not to choose a winner for that night, it was too difficult!
(Fait Accomplis!)
After our dinner I noticed the beet dish had left odd smudges on each of our plates so we did a Rorschach reading of what each configuration meant and made up our fortunes.
(Rorschach Fortunes)
For the end of the evening I made Chocolate Chip Strawberry Cookies (this recipe plus the addition of crumbled dried strawberries from Trader Joe's), and we helped our friends plant a small herb garden for their new apartment. It was a lovely evening, hopefully the first of many similar ones and wouldn't have happened without the inspiration of the bounty that fell on our porch.
If I weren't in the height of summer in our garden I would order a weekly CSA. I love going to the market but there is something even better having a direct connection with a particular farmer. When you pay in advance for your CSA it's like insuring that farms next season and helps them buy seeds and plant and create your food -- it's a gorgeous symbiosis.
Later that week, Rio Gozo invited their CSA recipients to show up at the farm with a bucket and pick as many snap dragons as they wanted. Last year I remember CSA members and their children going to the farm to help plant corn.
Not many of us have time to have our own organic farms but in essence, with a CSA you can have your own personal stake in one. it's a brilliant solution to knowing you'll have organic food delivered each week.
Consider investigating local CSAs around you, this link shows hundreds if not thousands available. You can enjoy produce that tastes like its meant to, fresh from the earth, support your local farmer and be inspired to host impromptu Iron Chef challenges at your home! All you need is willing friends, appetites and a bit of creativity!
