I’d like to think I’m cool. There are many reasons why. One reason: I’m part of a CSA (for a complete list of reasons why I’m cool…just send me an email. There are 67).
CSA’s (or Community Sustained Agriculture) are these awesome buy-in programs that few people know about. Heck, I had never heard of one until about 2 years ago.
What you do is this: find a local farm (that is a participating CSA), pay anywhere from $200-$600 at the beginning of the growing season (Feb-April) to buy a “share” of what they produce, then receive 20 some-odd weeks’ worth of farm fresh produce (this ends up only costing you about $10-$30 a week in produce…which is a SWEET bargain). We bought a half-share from our local CSA and barely finish all our produce in a weeks time.
They’re fantastic. Everyone should join one. Want to know if there are CSA’s near you? Click Here!
I absolutely love being a part of a CSA. Every week we pick up a small bin FULL of farm fresh produce. It’s pretty much the greatest thing ever!
What you’ll need:
-Broccoli, Turnips, Snap Peas, Carrots, Bok Choy, Kholrabi, Radishes, Zucchini, Summer Squash or whatever produce you find in your CSA bin (Usually I use 3 different types of veggies)
– approx. 1/2 c Udon Noodles*; uncooked
-3 cloves of garlic; chopped
-1 uncooked chicken breast: chopped up
-1 tbs corn starch
-1/2 c warm water
-1 tsp ground ginger
-1 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
-1 tsp ground garlic powder; plus additional teaspoon to use in stir fry sauce
-1/4 tsp salt
-3 tbs soy sauce
-1 tbs teriyaki; plus additional tablespoon to use when frying
-1 tbs honey
-2 tsp wok oil; plus additional wok oil for frying
-1/4 tsp better than bouillon: of the low sodium chicken variety
First things first, do you own a wok? If not, go buy on. They are an absolute essential in any kitchen; plus, they really aren’t that pricey. You can definitely find a great one for around $20. Ok…go buy one.
In a medium bowl: combine the cornstarch, water, ginger, salt, garlic powder, pepper flakes, teriyaki and chicken. Set aside and let “mingle” for about 10-15 minutes. Use this time to wash and chop up your CSA produce. (I like to chop up everything to relatively uniform pieces; they cook faster this way)
Now, put about 1 tablespoon wok oil (oil infused with garlic and ginger) into your *cool* wok with the chopped up garlic; turn the burner to high heat. While the wok is heating up, add water to a medium sauce pan and turn to medium-high heat. Also, mix your sauce ingredients together in a small bowl (soy sauce, honey, better than bouillon, garlic powder, teriyaki, oil and a few grinds of black pepper). Set aside.
Once the oil is heated (and your garlic is popping), add the chicken (but not the left over cornstarch liquid).
Using a large wooden spoon (or wooden spatula) frequently stir the chicken as it fries in the oil (Stir Fry…get it?!). Cook until the chicken is browned; about 5-7 minutes.
Add your chopped up veggies. Add another drizzle of oil and a dash of teriyaki. Continue to stir everything frequently; cook for an additional 3-5 minutes.
While the veggies and chicken continue to “fry” together; add your Udon noodles to your (hopefully no boiling) water. Cook the noodles for 5 minutes.
(Turn your heat down to low) Once the noodles are done, drain and add to the wok. Add your sauce to the wok now too. Stir everything together. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. This helps the noodles and sauce to heat up.
Spoon into 2 large bowls. Add Chopsticks. Enjoy.
(Serves 2)
*Don’t have Udon noodles? You can also use whole wheat thin spaghetti or penne!
Sounds delicious! And I also love being a part of a CSA. We even garden ourselves but depend on the CSA for extras. The one we’re in is nice. You don’t get a specific amount of stuff. You stop in and get what you need at any time, either right at the farm or specific days at the farmer’s market. There are many things we can pick ourselves for even more savings. In any form, they’re great! And it really helps the farmers out in the early part of the season when costs of operation are high and money short.