The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. While still grieving Ashes, I took on some major home projects (electrical, structural, aesthetic and financial!), launched KC Zine Con’s virtual zine fest applications, and somehow still found time to garden… all while a pandemic still surges and spreads, with no real leadership, or social safety net, or end in sight.

Honestly, I’m surprised I’m not more overwhelmed.

But through it all, there’s been the delicious stability of my weekly CSA bag to enjoy. There’s been plenty of old favorites like bok choy and new (not-quite-yet) favorites like kale (which I’m starting to embrace! It isn’t just for smoothies anymore!) And just as I began to harvest zucchini from my garden, it also started appearing in my shares. We’ve been eating a lotta zukes these past few weeks.

An assortment of alliums appear on the regular: garlic and a variety of onions. As you might imagine, these find their way into everything. I should have expected we’d be getting garlic ever since the scapes from Week 2, but they were still a surprise the first time I saw them in my bag! Local garlic!

Turnips! I always forget about these pretty, pastel roots when I’m at the grocery store, so I’m glad that they showed up in my farm share. I boiled them, and then blended them with butter, almond milk and spices, for a creamy, slightly-nutty purée.

I’m always excited to see swiss chard, carrots, beets and kohlrabi. The kohlrabi has become such a favorite that every time I see it in my bag I cheer, because it means more servings of my new favorite slaw. And let’s go back to those carrots: I’ve been basting them in butter and spices (via a recipe I found on TikTok of all places) and they are sumptuous and hearty and bright. A real summer stand out!

There’ve been potatoes in our share for the past three weeks, which means some of my favorite meals: roasted breakfast potatoes, vegetable curries, and breakfast tacos! YUM!

And it just wouldn’t be summer without basil! Each week, there’s a new variety to try: Thai, Genovese, sacred, or cinnamon. I’ve dried some for later, given stems to friends, and used plenty of it in pasta sauces and on homemade pizza.

And while I’m enjoying the veggies, Coco Bean and Herbie have been loving their weekly complimentary cat toy. 😉