It’s been so long since I last blogged. Ever since plant reopened after the mini holiday, things have been pretty busy. It’s funny how a seemingly short break can mess up your groove at work. The first day back, Yona and I were dropping pans, over-baking things, breaking cups, bumping into things… Lol. Mayhem. But now I’m settled back into the routine, and I’m also ready to get back into blogging. Thank you for your patience!
So I’m sure a lot of you have already seen this on FB, but there’s a brand new CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) organized by WWOOF in Korea! They just launched at the start of this year and they offered to send a sample box for me to taste and blog about. First of all, I’m suuuuper excited about this WWOOF CSA not only because I’ve always wanted to join a CSA where I can get fresh organic, local produce delivered right to my doorstep, but also because this one is so foreigner-friendly.
CSA literature. I know in the past, people have tried signing up with other co-ops like Hansalim or Orga, but their website is all in Korean and its just hard to navigate and understand the rules. But with this one, everything is explained in both Korean and English, and their staff can answer any of your questions, no problem.
A list of all the items and various box options come with the package. I love how the farmer’s name or the source of each item is listed… makes you feel connected to them. This person put their blood sweat and tears into their farm and I get to enjoy the rewards. It’s a beautiful thing.
Oh, and another rad thing is that they have taken into consideration vegans and those with gluten allergies, so you can get a box that is vegan or without bread, based on your needs.
My loot. 1 cabbage, 2 large onions, 4 carrots, 5 or 6 potatoes, garlic, a pack of mushrooms, two bags of lettuce greens, three yellow/orange bell peppers, a bag of clementines, two different kinds of mini bread loaves, a small container of mullberry (or blackberry?) jam, and spinach and root banchan. The majority of produce was separated into paper bags with a few wrapped in plastic for freshness. I really appreciate that they take into consideration their eco-friendly packaging, etc.
Peeled garlic cloves, because who has time to peel their own garlic? Not me.
A bag of clementines. These were the first to disappear.
I also got two loaves of vegan bread. This one is made with local-grown wheat flour, potatoes, walnuts, grapeseed oil, yeast, and salt. That’s it.
The other one was a little firmer and dense, but this second loaf was quite soft and pillowy infused with the flavor of onions and herbs. I probably should’ve used this for a vegan sammie or something, but instead, we just broke into it to enjoy it for what it was. A good hunk of herby bread.
So I think I was supposed to come up with one amazing innovative recipe using all or most of the items in the box, like it was a challenge from Chopped or Top Chef, but honestly I had no time for dat last week and I needed to use the produce before they went bad. So instead, everything got consumed in different ways… some of the foods were eaten pretty much on the spot (like the clementines and breads), while other ingredients went towards the making of deliciousness. It was reassuring to know that I had this amazing box of veggies to rely on if I ran out of other ingredients while cooking at Plant. I wasn’t able to photograph all the ways I used the produce, but I’ll post what I have.
Beautiful organic carrots.
I ended up juicing one of the carrots, along with some cucumber and an apple I had on hand. It was sooo good. I used to juice a lot, but then I fell off that bandwagon and my juicer has been mostly idle ever since. It was nice to break it out for this occasion though. I was baking cookies when I took this photo, haha.
I got a total of 4 carrots in my basket, so I used the others to make a delicious carrot cake.
Perhaps I mismeasured the sugar, or maybe it was the organic local carrots, but the carrot cake was noticeably sweeter than usual. I’m pretty sure it was the carrots. It’s amazing how much sweeter organic produce can taste sometimes. The difference in quality is noticeable.
And you see that onion there, in this burrito? It was a csa onion! Cooked together with quinoa, black beans, tofu scramble, bell peppers…
And then today I used the mushrooms and bell peppers to make some vegan grilled cheese sandwiches. The CSA yellow bell peppers are hiding in there, and I supplemented them with some green ones I had on hand.
Vibrant color~
So yea, I’m beyond thrilled that this WWOOF CSA has started. I wish them nothing but huge success and loads of support. How amazing would it be if all of PLANT’s produce came from a csa? It’s definitely something that is on my mind for the future.
Anyway, go check out their website and sign up for a box! Or ask them questions on their FB page. Yay!!!
I love hearing feedback from you guys! Feel free to leave a comment by clicking here~~ :)