#csa box

For those who don't partake, I'm referring to something called the CSA Box program. Farms offer "shares" ahead of time (usually Feb-May) to the tune of 200-700$. A pretty hefty sum of money all at once, but in return, you get veggies all summer long -- fresh from the farm, usually cheaper, organic, and whatever happens to be in season. I usually split my box with a few people and we do tradesies for what each of us likes or doesn't like. For example, I hate zucchini.

Two weeks ago, I got my very first box of the year -- exciting! So here's some of what I got, and what I did with it.

HOI SIN PORK SSAM

Ssam is the Korean term for wrapping things in lettuce -- something which I got to do plenty of, since I got two different kinds of lettuce, AND Gai lan (a relative of Bok Choy).

-Pork marinated in club soda, gluten free hoi sin, garlic, ginger, a small bit of tamari and a splash of sesame oil. Slice into strips then toss with all of these and let sit for ~30 minutes.* Then fry in a little bit of oil until no longer pink.

-Gochujang paste (about 3 tbsp) plus 2 tsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 2 cloves garlic and 2 tbsp water. All measurements are estimates; change around to your desires. (Some people also add soy or tamari.)

-Lettuce, cabbage, Bok Choy, kale or other leafy, crispy vegetable: If you can wrap it, you can use it. I got a rather pretty purple lettuce in my veggie box as well as some very lovely Gai Lan, but any type of cabbage, lettuce or leaf will work.

-Kimchi, pickled garlic, seared garlic scapes: some additional things I put on mine! Garlic scapes are something most people only see at farmer's markets and veggie boxes, which is a shame; they have the texture of a bean and the taste of a garlic clove, just milder. They're what grows out of the top of a garlic bulb!

-Short or medium grain white (or brown) rice

*Don't have club soda? Pear juice, pineapple juice (sparingly), orange juice, or even other carbonated beverages will all work; the first three have enzymes that break down meat, while Coke, ginger ale etc. do the same thing as club soda but with some extra flavor notes...and more sugar. So keep that in mind.

HOW TO EAT:

Take your lettuce or cabbage leaf and put in a bit of gochujang sauce, then a bit of rice, then a bit of meat, wrap as much as you can, and then scromph. Delicious. Or you can do any order you like. It's genuinely that easy.

The agriculture box keeps sending me the same things with the occasional new addition: lettuce, chard, rosemary or basil, chives, celery, cucumber, squash, zucchini, unripe tomatoes lol, and peaches.

I'm a fruit slut, I'm fucking stoked about the peaches lol. Last year I made DELICIOUS peaches and cream filled mochi which I want to make again and share at work. But I'm running out of ideas for the veggies. I hate zucchini and the yellow squash lol. The lemon loaf I made with the yellow squash was very good, but I think I'm going to use them in the Superhero Muffins recipe from Run Fast, Eat Slow this time.