I’ve been getting a CSA box for almost two years now. It’s a pretty amazing way to experience new fruits and vegetables that I would never seek out at the grocery store or farmers market if left to my own accord. My only wish is that they would have remote deliveries or pick up locations, so when on climbing trips or events, I could stray from the canned soup and bagel for dinner and actually eat nutritious food. For those of you who don’t know what a CSA is, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You basically sign up to be a member of a local farm and each week you receive a box of whatever it is they are growing on the farm at that time. It gives the farm a constant and assured source of income, and makes you eat healthy, fresh, and local produce. Summer boxes tend to be much more heavy on the fruits, which I love, and winter tends to be heavy on the leafy greens, potatoes, and the dreaded whole head of cabbage.

In all honesty, I actually like cabbage. It’s one of my go to veggies for road tripping because of it’s long shelf life and durable nature. The part that is hard to swallow is getting an entire head of cabbage every seven days. If they grew cabbage in baseball sized variety, instead of volley ball sized variety, it would be much more manageable. But as they stand, it’s pretty hard to go through an entire head of cabbage every week. It’s not a bad filler to toss into stir frys or soups, and cole slaw is a great occasional side dish, emphasis on ‘occasional.’

A few weeks ago I had some friends up enjoying the spring like conditions here in the valley. Kelly is new to climbing and Pat and Jack has been in prime condition. She dispersed of her first two outside climbs with ease and is keen to come back for more. One of her many talents is cooking and she just so happens to be a longtime member of the same CSA, Eatwell Farms. The recipe below is her solution to getting through cabbage. It’s so tasty in fact that the most recent box did not have a head of cabbage and I went out and bought one at the farmers market! Not only is is tasty, but it can be made on the road and is really fast and simple.

1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup (generous) Olive Oil

1 head of cabbage, thinly sliced

1 bunch parsley

3 – 4 medium carrot, sliced

Whisk the first six ingredients together and then mix into the vegetables. Enjoy!