CSA overload continues apace

Now that summer is winding down, the CSA basket seems to be in overload. This week we got another watermelon (barely finished the one from the week before), more eggplant, more crook-neck squash, more okra, more potatoes (gods, we have so many potatoes) and more tomatoes. It is truly an embarrassment of riches. This has been the best value CSA we’ve had. Nary a mess of greens in sight after the first couple of weeks.

This week we also got some pears. I had apples leftover from a previous week and some blackberries I’d frozen from a couple weeks back. I encased all of this in a hot water pastry crust (eh, not thrilled) with some sugar, cardamom, cinnamon and flour tossed in for good measure and baked it off while roasting eggplants on the lower level to scoop out and freeze for more babganoush than anyone will ever want to eat. (My fellas don’t care for the aubergine, to say the least.) The pie is fine. The apples and blackberries are lovely but the pear stayed a bit too rocky for my liking. I should have steamed them first. Note to self.

We have also been getting spaghetti squash, which I love. I’ve made a couple different ragu/marinara type sauces to go over the top of it, in true spaghetti fashion. Keifel and Jules approved, which meant Julian ate squash somewhat willingly. I also have a freezer full of beans to get to, but when I mentioned a pinto beans and cornbread supper to Keifel he was unimpressed by the idea. I, however, am very much looking forward to it, even if I have to eat by myself, as I have had to do with the copious amounts of okra (fried but I have yet to achieve my mom’s quality on that particular preparation).

Having all this produce about makes me long for canning with my parents when I was still at home. It was often back breaking but always pleasurable when enjoying the fruits of our labors in the drab of winter. Canning solo doesn’t have the appeal, though I have done it a time or two, putting up jam or applesauce. I can still remember all my father’s careful instructions about how to wipe of the rims before setting the lids on and slowly lowering the jars into the water bath to avoid splashing boiling water about or knocking the jars together. I’m glad these things stick with us. I wish I had more time to do these things now.