What Does CSA Day Mean?

It means getting a half bushel of the freshest greens I've ever tasted.

It means finding new greens and wondering what to do with them.  What am I going to do with Italian Dandelion Greens?

It means we're having salad for dinner.  It will be better than any restaurant salad, not because of the distracting toppings, but because of the goodness and richness of each tender leaf.

It means finding a new way to enjoy the last turnips of this season.  Pureed Turnip and Potato Soup tasted of home.

It means strawberries for dessert.  Not strawberry pie, not strawberry shortcake, and not strawberries dipped in chocolate either.  Just strawberries that taste like sunshine and the sweetness of life.

It means using my senses.   Feeling the tender leaves.  Hearing the crunch of stalks as I chop.  Smelling the richness of God's creation.  Marveling at the array of color that comes from the ground.  And tasting, tasting, tasting.

Pureed Turnip and Potato Soup

5 medium turnips
1 cup turnip greens sliced into strips
1 large potato
2 T unsalted butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 bunch of green onions sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup of dry white wine
1 qt of vegetable stock
sea salt and white pepper to season

1.  Chop turnips into 1 inch pieces.  Peel potato and chop into 1 inch pieces.
2.  Heat butter on medium-low in a soup pan and add minced garlic, chopped onion, and turnips.  Cook, stirring continuously until onions are tender.
3.  Add white wine, and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced by half.  Smell that!
4.  Pour the vegetable stock in the soup pot and add potatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft enough to pierce.
5.  Remove soup from the stove and ladle into a blender or Vita-Mix.  Puree in small batches and return puree to the soup pot.
6.  Saute turnip greens and green onions for 2 minutes.  Then add them to the soup.
7.  Season with sea salt and white pepper.

Taste.  Savor.  Enjoy.