CSA goodness and Giving

We had a lovely CSA delivery this week.  These strawberries were inhaled by the children after a quick wash. Tough preparation, huh?

I threw the bok choy into the sink for a good wash (especially after Ryan found two caterpillars in last week's selections), and then tossed them into the crock pot with a chicken dish I was making.  The leaves have a mild taste, so they can bulk up almost any dish without changing the flavor profile.

I spent half an hour--okay, maybe less than that but it felt like forever--shelling peas.  Fresh peas are so good when they're at their peak.  I flash boiled them in a little sugar water and then threw them in a pan with a little butter, salt, and mint from the garden.  Delicious.

Speaking of food, the kids and I spent part of the morning at a local charity packing snack backpacks for a group of small children to take home with them this afternoon.  For some of the kids, the food we packed might be all the sustenance they get all weekend.  Considering how much food we have in this country, it's a travesty there are those who go without.  The gals I worked with this morning are talking about other ways we can help out locally.  More to come on that.  

As Ryan and I have said before, we choose to give to food-centered organizations.  Our garden challenge this year is for us to give any of our grocery savings to charity.  Well, even though all we've gotten is lettuce so far, we just made a small donation to Heifer International, specifically their program called "Seeds of Change, which is a domestic project in the Arkansas Delta and Appalachia.  

Next time you're pigging out on something delicious, think about those who don't have that luxury.  Give your time or your money or both.