Too Much of a Good Thing...Can Be a Good Thing

(Above) Arugula: An Adventure Awaits

(Above) Another Bountiful Box!

This week's CSA box from Farmer's Fresh was stuffed with beautiful veggies, including eight ears of corn! Throughout the season, portions are pretty standard for my family package, but every now and then, the fields must be flowing with milk and honey, because I'll get something like eight ears of corn. I have three ears left over from last week, so this gives me an opportunity to try something new and intensely corn-y. I love corn soup and will probably make that again, or maybe try to replicate my grandfather's fried corn, which is not deep-fried, but a creamy sautee of sweet corn in bacon drippings. Just a note about the corn, which we enjoyed last week "on the cob" (I know, that's a weird way to write it.), it is not as sweet as supermarket corn, which is ok with me. This corn is pleasantly corn-tasting, more so than the supersweet grocery store ears.

Also in the box, arugula, ready for its glamour shot in the salad spinner. It didn't really need the wash, but just like my kids, it got a bath anyway. I love the funky arugula smell! This hefty bunch will be put to use several ways - to punch up salads and pastas. Fine Cooking has two recipes that I've tagged - Pasta with Peas, Arugula and Prosciutto, and Arugula Salad with Nectarines and Fresh Raspberry Vinaigrette. I may be Madmomming (ad-libbing) a bit, and will report back.

Coming out of the box today:

1. Blueberries - these may possibly be the last for the season. Last year, we had blueberries into August, and I haven't made my blueberry pie for the summer. I may be foraging for blueberries soon.

2. Two zucchini. Maybe grilled with some sort of vinaigrette, or maybe tossed into an arugula pasta. I'm also planning a ratatouille, so if they can hang out until I get eggplant, tomatoes and peppers together...

3. A fragrant bunch of parsley. Tabbouleh, anyone? I love tabbouleh, really grain salads in general, and I think it's time to introduce them to my kids (good luck). Tabbouleh is a good opportunity to showcase the...

4. 6 tomatoes. Two teeny-weeny plus one normal Roma; and one each yellow, orange and red heirloom-type tomatoes.

5. A cute head of garlic. Not nearly as big as the farmer's market garlic I found last month, but it will certainly go to good use in my garlic-loving kitchen.

6. Another pretty cantaloupe. Last week's was sweet and juicy and this one holds promise as well. It can only be better than the supermarket melon I bought two days ago. Pale orange flesh, even paler flavor. If you're a smoothie artiste, as I sometimes pretend I am, melon makes a great fiber-rich filler, just chunk it up and pulverize along with juice, dairy and whatever other fruit is on hand.