Real Life CSA: winter share 3

After a brief holiday break, we got our third winter share. I might have actually squeed out loud a bit when I got the email saying what we were getting this week. Cheese, pasta and honey puffed corn in the same week? Heaven!

Here's what we got!

The eggs (Heritage Farm) are a great supplement for us, since our chickens aren't producing at the rates they do in the seasons with lots of daylight.

Garlic (Blue Goose Farm, certified naturally grown) and squash (Kistaco Farm) will go down in the basement to stay cold for awhile. I'm thinking of making some muffins with the apples (Dawson's Orchards).

This cheese (Riverview Dairy) will be great to try. It looks similar to a hard cheese like parmesan, but who knows if that's how it will taste.

I never liked real maple syrup as a child, even though my dad kept telling me how good it was. Now I wouldn't touch Aunt Jemima with a 10 foot pole. Give me the real stuff! (This syrup is from Weeping Willow Farm.)

In addition to the cheese, I'm most excited about the honey puffed corn (Clarion River Organics, organic) and pasta (Fontana Pasta). The pasta is fresh, so I froze it right away since we already have our meals planned out for the week. You can boil pasta straight from frozen.

The honey puffed corn is just like corn pops, but without all the crap and chemicals. I could eat this stuff like candy.

The lettuce is hydroponic (Harmony Grove) and has been great in the other shares. The other green wasn't specifically identified, but I think they look just like baby bok choy, so that's what I'm going with (Goose Creek Farms, certified naturally grown). I have a great recipe for sauteed bok choy with great Asian flavors, so this might end up in a side.

My favorite part about this share with Penn's Corner so far is the great variety. It's so much more than just root vegetables and squash - the things you can easily store over winter. For a season that is usually pretty dreary in the fresh food department, this share has been wonderful. Can't wait til share #4!

Side note: For more info about certified naturally grown and what that means, check out this post.