Farmer’s Market Cooking: Ideas for Using Your Local Produce

Written by on in Blog, Recipes

I joined a CSA this year! CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. This is a way to support local farmers and to learn more about where your food comes from. Every CSA might be a little different, but the basic idea is you pay a farmer upfront for a whole season of produce.

In my latest YouTube video, I’m taking a look back at the 8 week winter season of my CSA. I hope this inspires you to check out what local produce is available in your area. If I’m able to get these gorgeous veggies in the middle of a cold Midwest winter, you’re bound to find something near you!

Find a few “recipe” ideas using my CSA produce below. I put that in quotes because these are just ideas to get you thinking about how to use your abundance of produce. It can be intimidating to join a CSA if you’re not used to so much produce. But these simple soups and stir fries are my go-to way to use up a lot of fresh produce easily.

Feel free to swap ingredients and change amounts. This method is a must when you’re cooking based on a CSA. I don’t like to cook with recipes because I may not always have all the ingredients I need. And with the CSA you’ll be getting new foods you may not have had before, and you won’t want to waste anything, so it’s time to be creative. Use recipes as a guide to inspire ideas rather than something that has to be followed perfectly every time. Have fun and experiment in the kitchen!

Jump to the recipes below:

Easy Stir Fry

bowl half full of buckwheat noodles and half full of bok choy, carrot, kidney bean, mushroom stir fry

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)
  • 5 ounce package sliced shitake mushrooms
  • 1 red onion, sliced
  • 2 carrots, sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 heads bok choy, stems sliced and leaves chopped
  • 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 teaspoons Bragg liquid aminos, or low sodium soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon vegan red Thai curry paste
  • Optional: salt or no salt seasoning to taste
  • 1 bunch scallions, chopped
  • Sesame seeds

Directions

  1. Cook soba noodles per package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, add the mushrooms, onion, and carrots to a skillet over high heat, and sauté until softened.
  3. Add garlic and bok choy stems. Cook another minute or two.
  4. Add the kidney beans, aminos, vinegar, curry paste and mix to combine everything.
  5. Add the bok choy leaves on top, cover and steam for about 5 minutes (or to your desired doneness).
  6. Mix in the scallions, taste, and add no-salt seasoning or salt as desired.
  7. Serve over buckwheat noodles and top with sesame seeds.

Other Stir Fry Ideas

I showed several different stir fry meals in my video this week. There are no rules! Follow the basic guidelines of the easy stir fry above and then play around with the veggies and flavors you like!

Another variation was this mixed veggie stir fry with black rice noodles, and marinated tofu.

bowl of mixed veggies, black rice noodles, and tofu cubes

For the stir fry mixture, I used the bok choy from my CSA, plus a bag of frozen mixed veggies. For flavor I added a little bit of low sodium tamari (soy sauce works too), rice vinegar, and lots of garlic.

For the tofu, I simply marinated it in some balsamic vinegar, tamari, granulated garlic and onion, and a just a drop of liquid smoke. Bake or air fry until crispy then serve on top of the stir fry. This was served over black rice noodles.

Finally, I also made a tempeh stir fry.

bowl half full of rice and half full of carrot, bok choy, and ground tempeh stir fry

Tempeh is a fermented whole bean soy product. I crumbled the tempeh by using a box grater. If you don’t want or can’t have soy products, feel free to swap it out for any bean. I love kidney beans in a stir fry.

Then I sauteed onions, carrots and more bok choy along with the tempeh. This time I used coconut aminos and rice vinegar and served it over brown rice.

Beware that soy sauce, tamari, and coconut aminos do contain quite a bit of sodium. If you are reducing salt, often the coconut aminos has a lower sodium content. Also keep in mind that you only need to use a small amount.

But if you are totally salt-free, omit those and I recommend bumping up the other spices you choose to use as well as perhaps using a higher quality flavored balsamic vinegar for deeper, salt-free flavor.

Simple Escarole and Chickpea Soup

bowl half full of whole grain wheat and half full of escarole chickpea soup

Ingredients

  • 2 small yellow onions, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 2 to 3 cups chickpeas (or one or two cans)
  • 2 heads of escarole, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • ½ teaspoon celery seed
  • ½ teaspoon sage
  • ½ teaspoon thyme
  • 1 teaspoon basil
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 2 teaspoons no-salt seasoning
  • black pepper to taste
  • Vegetable broth or water
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons miso paste

Directions

  1. Add everything except the miso paste to a slow cooker. Use enough broth or water to just barely cover the ingredient, or less, as the veggies will give off liquid. You can add more later if needed.
  2. Cook on high for 2 to 3 hours or low for 6 hours.
  3. Remove about a quarter cup of liquid from the soup, add the miso paste and stir to dilute. Pour the mixture back into the soup and stir to combine.
  4. Serve over your favorite whole grain or with some whole grain bread.

Other Soup Ideas

I love throwing food in a pot and being done with it! This is why I love soup. The escarole and chickpea soup is just one example. But really you can throw whatever veggies you happen to have on hand in there. I usually add beans or lentils and then serve over a whole grain.

Generally I always start with onions and garlic, then any other veggies. Add enough water to just cover everything and add more liquid if you want it soupier as it cooks. Add whatever seasoning blends you like. To make it super simple, just use a pre-mixed no-salt seasoning blend. Or search online to find different blends until you find one you like.

crock pot full of cabbage and bean soup

For the other soup I showed in the video, I used onions, chinese cabbage, carrots, and cannellini and kidney beans. I don’t have exact measurements for this one, but I added turmeric, ginger, cumin, black cumin, fennel and more.

Tofu, Mashed Acorn Squash, and Cabbage Slaw

bowl with marinated tofu cubes, acorn squash mash, and mixed cabbaged slaw

This one was simple but beautiful and delicious. I used the same marinated tofu from above along with a simple coleslaw and mashed squash.

For the acorn squash, I cut it in half, and roasted it until the edges were caramelized. Then I scooped the flesh out with a spoon and simply mashed it up. No extra seasoning! You could sprinkle it with your favorite no-salt seasoning, but I love the natural flavor of the squash by itself.

The coleslaw was a mix of shredded red cabbage, carrots, red onion, and parsley. I dressed it with balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and date sugar, and topped it with pumpkin seeds.

Eating Local Produce

Hopefully these meal ideas inspire you to use more fresh produce in your diet. Joining a co-op or CSA might be intimidating because you don’t always know exactly what you’ll get or how much. You might be afraid of wasting food. Soups, stir fries, and simple meals are my go-to’s for making sure I use all my fabulous veggies.

So check out what’s available in your area. Not only will you be supporting your local economy, but you’ll also learn more about where your food comes from!