CSA! & Market Report for May 26th

Update (June 1):  Here are the recipes I made with this weeks' Market trip:
Cheesy Grits with Bacon
Toby Run Mushrooms with Pasta & Cream
Other things - Salads, Pasta

Today was my first CSA pickup!  Yay eggs!  The good news, for many of you new subscribers who signed on this year, is that Sandy has a new farmer working on her farm - Chef John!  (Formerly of Alana's) This enabled her to have more CSA subscriptions available.  This is especially nice because I'm guessing you could get some cooking suggestions while you're shopping; Alana's has used produce from Elizabeth Telling Farms for years so John has some experience cooking with her products.  My CSA box this week, a little light this time of year, included a nice big bag of greens, asparagus, eggs, radishes (pictured below), and ramps (which, I learned, are harvested on a long walk in the woods, through a lot of mud)!  I also bought a bag of "wild things," mostly lamb's quarters (pictured below), from the farm.

I bought pounds and pounds of asparagus at Wishwell Farms - you never know when it's going to be the last week (although we are lucky enough to have a pretty long season here in Columbus, owing to being between two hardiness zones, meaning we get it early from the southern and western parts of the state, and later from the northeast, and even the southeast.  I bought some aged Gouda from Oakvale cheese (any chance we could age that for a few years?  That'd be great) and a nice big bag of arugula from Comb's Herb Farm.  Also, of course, more strawberries from Rhoades farms. 

Best News!  Toby Run Mushrooms are back at the North Market!  Husband and I have been waiting for these for 6 months:

From the Worthington Market, where I took this picture of a flower:

I bought some short ribs (had an undocumented dinner of them last Sunday; they were divine) and beef shanks from Up the Lane Beef; chicken breasts, hot Italian sausage, bacon and pork chops from Oink Moo Cluck Farms.  I also bought some popcorn and rhubarb (Pop & Judy's farm) - last week I made a pretty tasty rhubarb cake that I think can be improved upon; I'll keep you posted.  And some scallions from "From My Garden" farm - scallions have been few and far between so far this year, as with chives - one of my favorite things from last Spring. 

Then I returned home and thought "this day would be perfect if I didn't have to work."  I love my schedule, but every spring when the markets start, I dream of having Saturday nights off to cook up a storm and do some preserving.  One day.  Then I made this pasta fagiole from my spoils:

Here's the recipe: Cook pasta (I used tubetti) in salted water and drain.  While that's happening, brown 2 hot Italian sausage links (remove from casings)  in a pan, deglaze pan with 1/2 cup red wine.  Add 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed, then add 1 (small) can of tomatoes with their juices, chopped (I like those fire-roasted tomatoes).  Add a big handful of arugula and stir everything together.  I grated a little of the Oakvale aged Gouda over the top, being temporarily out of Parmesan.  Yum!  Hopefully it contained enough complex carbs and protein to sustain Husband and I through our long night of work.