I’m starting to get overwhelmed by my CSA share. Opened the refrigerator door and all I saw is a sea of green in plastic zipper bags. What was I thinking when I signed on to eat a full share all by myself?? (In full disclosure, I eat what I shoot. The share I photograph goes home with me as compensation.)
Every other week I make “clean out the frig” soup. Last weekend it was a good way to use up the bunch of Greenwise organic celery bought at Publix only three days before the share. (Really, what was I thinking? During season, Publix is best for non-veg staples.) Chopped up that whole bunch to make celery soup, threw in a few stray potatoes and carrots, and chopped up an onion, too. Simmered it in homemade vegetable stock. Was pretty good topped with chopped tofu, cilantro and a drizzle of sesame oil and a dash of hot sauce.
Don’t laugh! Gourmet chef I’m not, nor pretend to be. Just trying to keep ahead of things wilting or going bad. When they do, and it’s happened a few times already, I can hear Margie’s voice or Eva Worden’s voice scolding me about how hard they worked to grow that food for me. (No, I don’t usually hear voices. That’s some leftover Catholic guilt rattling around.)
Made room in the freezer next to leftover soup, and am starting to fill it with plastic zipper bags of blanched veggies. Found information on the UF IFAS Extension website, including a chart of detailed instructions on how to handle various vegetables. First you blanch (or cook briefly in boiling water), chill, then pack and label and store in the freezer. (If you have a garden, or have been a serious cook for a long time, you already know how to do this.) Doesn’t take that long, either. As my dad would say, waste not want not. I think I’m ready for the next share!
Redland Rambles 
We’ve been doing the CSA for 3 years (at least – time flies, memory fades). Always did a full box until this year. I found it very helpful (crucial, even) to keep a running inventory list on the refrigerator door (created in Excel, post an updated one each week). And use masking tape to label each bag with the week number and the name of the contents; really helps when i.e. you’ve got several bags of radishes.
Definitely important to label, too easy to forget what it was. Didn’t think of making an inventory list, good idea! How well do radishes freeze? And what’s the texture like when thawed? Do you eat the thawed ones raw or cooked?