First box of the year, or how to dismantle an atomic bomb

The first true signs of spring appeared today in Minneapolis—our first CSA box of the season from Harmony Valley Farm has arrived! There is something wonderful about opening up a the first box filled with the best things that the spring in Minnesota has to offer. Alive and green, it is such a refreshing treat after the cold months of winter officially draw to a close—despite the prospect of snow tomorrow night.

One of the challenges I look forward to each Thursday evening after we've picked up our box is trying to find a way to combine all the bounty contained inside into a week's worth of meals, all without having to make too many additional purchases at the Co-op. It's like solving a big puzzle, taking note of what we have on hand in the cupboards and hanging around in the fridge from the week before, then mapping it all out for the meals across the entire week. Despite how procedural my brain might be, I usually like to keep things spontaneous in the kitchen. The problem is, if we don't have a game plan stuff ends up going to waste—something I found out the hard way when we started this the whole CSA thing two years ago.

So, this week's box contained the following items:

• Ramps
• Asparagus
• Chives
• Parsnips
• Rhubarb
• Sorrel
• Spinach
• Sunchokes
• Sauté Mix
• French Breakfast Radish
• Red Russian Kale

After some quality time spent with my favorite cookbooks, I turned that list into:

• Chickpea and Spinach Curry with Black Jasmine Rice (spinach, sauté mix)
• Maple Mustard Glazed Root Vegetables and Green Beans with Brown Rice (parsnips, sunchokes)
• Oven Grilled Pizza with Sautéed Ramps, Grilled Asparagus and Spring Green Pesto (ramps, asaparagus, sorrel)
• Stir-fried Tofu and Kale with Miso Soup (kale, chives, radishes)
• Indian Spiced Red Lentils and Rhubarb with Curried Baked Rice (rhubarb)

To allow myself a little bit of the freedom in the kitchen that I enjoy, I always allow a little flexibility in the assignment of meals to specific days of the week. Plus, it always turns out that we don't have time to cook one night or we've got a fridge full of leftovers, so I usually only end up plotting about 5-6 meals per week to be safe.

My system might not work for everyone, but it works for us and frankly that's what matters right? We're certainly in a different boat from many people anyhow, since we're not just making a bunch of vegetable side dishes to throw along side a big hunking piece charred animal flesh.

So, if you too are beginning your CSA adventure this week and need a little guidance sorting out all your produce, try my method out. It will only become more helpful when you find yourself face to face with the ultimate challenge, the summer harvest CSA boxes of August. Until then, experiment with what works best and don't feel bad if you let something go, it's all a part of the CSA experience.