Week 3: Pick-Up Day & Kale Night

I must say, we have really incorporated veggie pick-up into our Saturday mornings in a major way. I guess that's what happens when you have two very small children, who, as all parents know, demand structure and an itinerary of their daily activities. Sure, we've tried to wing it plenty of times - staying in our robes with frazzled hair and haggard faces, consuming umpteen cups of coffee. Then realizing it's nearly noon and not only is no one dressed, but the breakfast dishes have grown cold and congealed on the table and the kids have littered the floor with milk, smashed bananas, barbies and race cars. And all the while we sit, drinking coffee in our robes, getting more wound up, and thinking this is what you are supposed to do on weekend mornings. Our kids have really taught us that there is no such thing as downtime and even if you are faced with the illusion of it, it is shattered the moment someone bangs their head on the coffee table or pees on the rug. So, we've wizened up. My son takes tumble tykes from 9:00-9:30am and my daughter takes swimming from 9:30-10am. We divide and conquer, hit up the playground for a spell, then go meet up with Farmer Gene and the gang at the Korean church parking lot.

Our spirits were high on this well-planned Saturday because our Passover CSA challenge was going unbelievably well. In fact, it was the first one in our marital history in which neither of us had started to blather on about the unfortunate sin (bliss) that is leavening. Typically around Passover Day 4, one of us begins to whimper for beans, rice, corn, hummus, or at least soy sauce. But because these simple, life-affirming foods have the chutzpah to "puff up" when cooked, they are as evil as a warm and glossy cinnamon roll. This year, however, we were knocking Passover out of the ballpark. The only items we had left from last week's delivery were the two batches of kale. When we saw another two batches in this week's supply, I declared Saturday night "kale night" (to no rounds of applause). Around midday, I got a call from my sister-in-law, who wanted to get together for dinner with her husband and our 19-month old goddaughter. Feeling slightly hysterical over the now four batches of kale in my possession, I told her dinner would be at our place and I hoped they could eat some serious greens. When my brother-in-law admitted he thought kale was just a garnish, I pulled out the big dogs. Literally. We had hot dog wieners and two pieces of salmon left, so "kale night" got a bit haphazard. But when Passover is winding to a close, you just eat whatever is left in the house. I cooked three bunches of kale in vegetable broth, white wine, garlic and butter for a really long time in order to get the stems soft. The men grilled up the wienies and salmon and before our eyes was a strange, yet apparently delicious meal. I'm very happy to report that not only did the kale disappear from our plates; it was also cleared from my conscience.

In this week's delivery: green romaine, red romaine, butter crunch lettuce, cilantro, purple kale, green kale, green onions, mustard greens, radishes and hakurei white turnips with greens.