I am part of a CSA – Commmunity Supported Agriculture which basically means, I own a farm share. I pay so the farm can grow veggies in an organic fashion, and I get fresh vegetables and fruits for 5-6 months of the year. I also commit 4 hours to work on the farm per season.
They grow organic, but they are not certified. Every year the vegetables are in a different location from the prior year so I know they are rotating crops for maximum mineral and nutrient benefit for that vegetable. Only the strawberry, raspberry and blackberry bushes never move! Everything else does.
This past week I got beets with the greens, cabbage, chard, kale (oh wait, that was last week!), cucumbers, zucchini and cantaloupe. That was the first time I have seen cantaloupe! At the farm! Not ever. I also got lucky that someone got beets and asked out loud “Anyone want me beet greens??”…..I will, I will almost jumping up and down like a 5 year old! I eagerly grabbed them, and this morning I decided I needed to make a smoothie with my farm veggies. oh my, how will that be? It was really good – way better than i expected quite honestly! Way!
my CSA surprise smoothie (aka Beet Smoothie):
1/2 fresh cantaloupe (might have been more?)
1/2 medium cucumber, skin on
1 cup beet greens – just leaves, no stalks
1/2 cup coffee (I had that cold left over – why not?)
1/3 cup frozen black cherries
1/2 cup green cabbage wedge
1 inch turmeric root
1 medium beet (duh, how could I forget to list that?)
1/4 cup raw cashews
1 tbsp or more of ground flax seeds
1 tsp maple syrup for added sweetness as needed
Then I put them all into the Vitamix blender and this is what came out (see photo above).
I was actually surprised it didn’t taste bland and it was not overly sweet either. But I guess with the melon, black cherries and beets, it would be sweeter – fruit and root veggies have natural sweetness! And the cuke tempered the potential bitterness of the beet. It was lightly sweet and refreshing!
I learned one thing today. No matter what I get from my CSA, there is always something creative I can make out of it. One time it was the rutabaga and carrot mash, now a strange CSA surprise smoothie! And by golly, they are both Detox Plan approved! If you want to find your own local CSA listing, please click here to find a farm near you. Best decision I made 5 years ago was to join. Keeps me with fresh vegetables, and keeps me searching for new recipes or create my own!
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