Seven Ways for Busy Parents to Use Their CSA Shares
There’s a well-known saying that goes: If you want something done quickly, give it to a busy person. The meaning, of course, is that busy people are in the business of getting things done. They’re so accustomed to being super productive, they won’t procrastinate on anything on their to-do list.
The question is: What exactly is this busy person supposed to eat to sustain their energy and keep them healthy? And if this busy person is a parent of school-aged children, chances are they’re not going to be prioritizing their nutrient intake while shuffling their kids from soccer practice to piano lessons to swim school. One can only eat so many protein bars!
Fortunately, our farm shares make it exceptionally easy for parents to get the nourishment they so often go without. Area 2 Farms’ weekly harvest delivery consist of items from each of these five categories:
Greens like lettuce blends, arugula, and kale.
Microgreens and shoots like broccoli microgreens and pea shoots.
Specialty items like herb oils, herb salts, honey, and herbal tea blends.
The benefit is twofold: 1) You get consistency through the categories, so it becomes easy to incorporate into your day-to-day, and 2) Area 2 Farms switches up the offerings in each category, which keeps things interesting. One week you might get turnips and baby kale greens, and the next will be tomatoes and a citrus lettuce blend. We’re no fans of dinner ruts over here.
We’ve put together a list of seven ideas that require very little prep with major payoffs. These are ideas that come straight from busy Area 2 Farms customers and parents, and are not (strictly) salad.
Fold Herbs into Cream Cheese
Area 2 Farms customer and mom of two, Neha, is wild about dill. She can’t get enough of it! So when dill-skeptic Jeff (also a customer) heard about her dill cream cheese, he was on the fence. Still, he took the dill he received that week, gave it a quick chop, and mixed it into a tub of softened cream cheese.
From there, he kept the dill cream cheese in the fridge and would smear it over Ezekiel bread every morning before topping it with two over-medium eggs and a fistful of greens (because why not?). For the lifetime of that mighty tub of cream cheese, breakfast was Jeff’s favorite meal of the day.
It couldn’t be easier to add any of your favorite herbs (parsley, rosemary, or even chives) into cream cheese or butter to turn it into a powerhouse of flavor. Simply give them a coarse chop and make sure that the cream cheese or butter is softened enough that you can fold the herbs in easily.
Use Greens in a Soba Noodle Salad
Soba noodles are Japanese noodles made from buckwheat and have a number of health benefits. They boil in six minutes and are a fantastic base for any of the lettuces (Asian Greens Blend, Citrus Spring Mix, etc.) and/or microgreens you have from your harvest.
You can sauté the microgreens in a touch of garlic, olive oil, and salt, or simply mix them right into your noodles for vibrancy and crunch. Dress the noodle salad with a dressing of choice, or simply add a few dashes of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sesame oil, and eat as-is or alongside your protein of choice.
Sprinkle Herbs on Slow-baked Salmon
There is a simple, fool-proof way to cook salmon filets that creates zero mess and results in tender, flaky fish each and every time: the low and slow method of oven roasting.
Preheat your oven to 275 (or small toaster oven to 260). Put a few filets of salmon on a sheet tray, drizzle the filets with olive oil and sprinkle some salt over top. Then scatter any of your fresh Area 2 Farms herbs right onto the salmon itself so that as it slowly cooks in the oven, the aromatics seep right into the tender flesh. Serve it with a side of salad, or with the soba noodles above.
Use Roots Veggies as a Roast Chicken Side
Every time Luke gets turnips or tomatoes in his harvest, he knows he’s making roast chicken that week. He picks up a 3-pound free range bird from the market and takes it home to make Thomas Keller’s fail-safe 3-ingredient roast chicken.
After you truss the chicken and transfer it to a sheet pan, dress the turnips or tomatoes with a little salt, olive oil, and black pepper, and scatter around the bird. (You can also add unpeeled whole garlic cloves.)
Roast it in the 450-degree oven for 50 minutes, and be sure to give the vegetables a quick peek halfway through. The chicken fat will infuse flavor into the turnips or tomatoes, and you’ll be left with a stellar side dish to boot. This method works equally well with bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs.
Make Bibimbap with Greens
Bibimbap, which means “mixed rice,” is a Korean staple that many know to be a big bowl of rice topped with seasoned vegetables, marinated meat (optional), a fried egg, and dollop of gochujang (spicy red chili paste that can be found in Asian grocery stores, or even Target).
All you really need is cooked short-grain white rice, gochujang, and a heaping handful of lettuces and/or microgreens to have a filling meal. If you happen to have leftover protein in the fridge, such as tofu or steak, add that to the mix. And if you’re so inclined, go ahead and top that bowl off with a fried egg. Just be sure to mix it well. The greens will reduce in volume as they combine with the other ingredients. Voilà, lunch is served!
Grill, Broil, or Air Fry Some Fresh Ingredients
Certain Area 2 Farms items like the green onions or oyster mushrooms are perfect candidates for high heat cooking once they’re tossed in a little olive oil and salt.
Throw onions on the grill alongside whatever else you have cooking. Mushrooms can be broken into bite-size pieces and cooked in the air fryer for 8-9 minutes at 350-375 depending on your appliance (you can broil them for around the same amount of time).
Just Throw Area 2 Vegetables in Everything
This one is a bit of cop-out, but to be honest there’s very little you can’t add Area 2 Farms vegetables to.
If you’re bored with salads, throw heaping handfuls of the greens onto your avocado toast, jam them into your sandwiches, or pile them onto your pizza and eat the triangle folded up, New Yorker style.
Open up a can of chickpeas and combine them with a bowl of greens with a generous squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of good olive oil, and some freshly plucked herbs.
Throw some kale and microgreens into a blender with half a banana, almond milk, and dollop of peanut butter and you have a protein-packed smoothie.
Our harvests make it easy to transform staple ingredients and weekday leftovers into robust and filling meals. For more recipe ideas check out our Almanac.
And if you have a special way you eat your Area 2 Farms vegetables, drop us a line at hello@area2farms.com and we may feature you and your recipe!
Area 2 Farms for Locals
Your food should be equally accessible and nutritious. Which is where we come in. We’re Area 2 Farms, we grow organic produce, deliver it to your door weekly, and operate all within 10 miles of you.
