This week we got 2 pints of blueberries, 2 quarts of plums (purple and yellow), 1 quart of peaches, 3 cucumbers, 1 small head of lettuce, 1 bunch of beets, 1 large basil plant, and 1 bunch of radishes. 

We also got about 3 quarts of green beans and 3 LARGE cucumbers from our neighbor!  And even more cukes from my Mom's garden.

I'll start by saying that ALL of these cukes  have disappeared. Mark eats them whole as snacks and the kids like them sliced up. 

I also made a shredded radish/cucumber salad  (sub 2 cukes for 1 bunch radishes) with cucumber and the bunch of radishes.

The blueberries and ALL of the fruit were just set out on the table and have since disappeared.  The lettuce was quickly eaten as dinner salads.

The green beans were eaten raw (by the kids), and a bunch were stirfried with Tamari, Garlic, and a little sesame oil and served with baked tofu and brown rice.

The beet greens were made into a delicious Greens and Beans with Smoked Pork.  

I will be making the beet roots into this AMAZING recipe for pickled beets.  Alton Brown is one of my favorites and always knows what he's talking about!!

And the basil I pinched back some leaves and planted the rest of the plant in the garden next to our renegade tomatoes.  With any luck, by the time the tomatoes ripen, we'll have some extra basil to go with them. 

This week we actually went on a short (MUCH NEEDED) trip out of town.  We still didn't have any problem finishing up all of our fruit/veggie share for the week.  We'll be leaving for a long weekend at Grandma's house again in a couple of days, but I feel confident that next week will be equally easy for us to keep up with. 

I wrote about how we had gotten some beets with our CSA share last week.  Well, I cooked the greens a while back but the roots still remained.  I have a recipe for  Refrigerator Pickled Beets that I really LOVE which involves cooking the beets first and then pickling them in vinegar.

This time I decided to try getting a little probiotic goodness in there as well.

In our house, we eat leftovers.  We repurpose things for new meals later in the week, we usually have leftovers for lunch, and as you can probably guess, I can't stand wasting anything.

Earlier this week I harvested Garlic Mustard and made Pesto and then a little later I made Easter egg dye out of beets.  And so, sitting in my refridgerator, next to the leftover hardboiled Easter eggs and ham I had a bowl full of vinegar-y chopped up beets, and a ziploc bag full of Garlic Mustard roots.


I, for one, LOVE pickles.   I like to eat them by themselves, or on seasonal green salads and they're really easy to make.

So, while the kids were out of the house today, I put together this "project in wide-mouthed pint jars".  And I can't wait to see how they turn out in a couple of days!



Boil together the Seasalt, vinegar, water, and sugar.  Make sure the ingredients are completely dissolved.  Pour the brine over the veggies in the jars.  Cap tightly and store in the refridgerator.  They should be ready to try in 2-3 days. 

Enjoy!

If the Galumpki weren't enough to satisfy your craving for Ukrainian fare, how about a nice big pot of Borscht?   This recipe is amazing.  It was one that I DID get directly from Grandma... and then modified from the version she gave me because I'm certain she gave me the wrong measurement for the amount of vinegar to add...  ever notice how people who love and closely guard their traditional recipes tend to do that?? ;-)

The bright color and hearty, unique flavor are going to bring us right on up and out of the end of this ridiculously cold January... on towards the glorious colors of February/ Valentines day!  Love me some beets!