Fig to Fork: Week 1

CSAs (community supported agriculture) have been around for a while, and while I've toyed with the idea of joining one I didn't want to lose the fun and spontaneity of tri-weekly farmers market visits. Admittedly, my dislike of vile weeds also slowed my embrace of weekly deliveries that would likely include ten pounds of kale and cauliflower.

Fig to Fork works similarly to a CSA although payment is weekly and boxes contain a variety of ingredients from local organic farms. Boxes also contain recipes from local chefs, and enough food for two people to enjoy two meals plus snacks. At roughly $50 a week and delivery to my office, I decided to sign up. A bonus: customers receive an ingredient list the day before delivery along with an opt-out option. That's a plus for those of us wary of kale-happy dining. Also included in the ingredients list are suggested pantry items to have on hand for those who want to follow the chef's recipes. Even those of us who love to cook get into a dinner rut now and then, and my  hope was that Fig to Fork would provide our kitchen with some new ingredients and ideas, all while supporting local farmers and food producers.

Tuesday afternoon my delivery guy braved the Minnesota monsoon and brought me a box loaded with chicken, arugula, watermelon, onions, eggs, cucumbers, tomatoes, chipotle cheese, garlic, thyme, limes, and a beautiful (half) loaf of bread. That night I followed the Cumin Chicken recipe provided by Chef Jourdan Morris from Mill Valley Kitchen (note: I was happy to see the recipe provided instructions for both grilling and roasting the chicken) as well as his Buttermilk Dressing. I made a salad from half of the arugula, onion, cucumber, and my own stash of olives, pepperoncini, and feta. To round out our feast I spread garlic (roasted with the chicken) over a few slices of the bread and topped each slice with the buttermilk dressing and tomatoes.

Wednesday I made croutons with the leftover bread to top Morris' Heirloom Tomato Salad (which included the second half of arugula and onion, as well as the Buttermilk Dressing), and sliced some of the cheese to eat alongside the salad. My thought was to add some of the watermelon to our salad, but honestly there wasn't room in the salad bowl.

Two filling summer dinners down, and we hadn't even sliced open the watermelon yet. I've been finishing up the watermelon and cheese for breakfasts and sauced our tacos last night with the remaining dressing. I can hardly wait to see what comes next week!