Vegetables the Size of Your Head

Hello CSA fam,

Well, we’ve made it – ‘tis the season of abundance! Almost every field here at the farm is full right now of growing veggies. Some are new successions of young greens like spinach and arugula that we will harvest for our delicious salad and spicy mixes. Others are growing big and tall like our corn (probably a few weeks out), onions, kale…lots of things, really! I’ve always been impressed by the size of the vegetables we grow here at Red Dog. Left to their own devices, our lettuces, kales, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini and sweet onions have achieved sizes that I didn’t even think possible, based on what I’ve seen at the grocery store! I think it has to do with the very healthy soil we’re lucky to have here in the Chimacum Valley, and the organic amendments we use to keep our plants healthy. Plus, the long summer days of sun we’ve been enjoying lately (paired with a rigorous watering routine) help our plants grow at a crazy rate – sometimes between harvest on Friday and harvest on Monday, the size difference on a particular crop is super noticeable! It makes me want to film over the weekend with a time-lapse camera.

Since I live in a small space with a mini-fridge, sometimes the size of our veggies can be sort of daunting. I know I want to bring home the cauliflower that’s the size of my head, but I also know that it will take up approximately 1/3 of my fridge space, so can I eat it in time?! It’s a race against the clock! Luckily, I’ve gotten pretty good at using the vegetables I bring home and economizing for space. Giant cauliflower becomes cauliflower rice, cauliflower pizza crust, cauliflower stir-fry, and lots of delicious meals shared with friends. Giant sweet onion? Caramelize that baby! Lately I’ve been on a kick of preparing delicious toasts with fresh sliced tomato and basil, which is made even yummier by some caramelized onion tossed on there, and maybe a handful of fresh arugula (yummmm).

For those of you with regular-sized refrigerators, I salute you, and I hope you enjoy the giant vegetables we grow here and make good use of them. And, even if you are able to store a vegetable the size of a small child (hehe), it’s still a great idea to share your cooking with friends and family, whether you’re gathering around a barbecue or the dining room table. For me, that’s what this whole growing food thing is all about! Happy cooking, happy eating, and don’t forget to be grateful for the sun and fertile soil.

~Amanda