By Adrienne Smith

The benefits of subscribing to a CSA are twofold.

• You get access to local food.
• You learn to cook with the seasons and adapt to using what flourishes in your area.
• Most of the time, your CSA will be comparable in price to your grocery store.

 
And with Nextdoorganics, you also get sustainable food that you can commit to on a week-by-week basis. Plus, we deliver across New York City, and can UPS within 300 miles of the metro area.

But a CSA offers some challenges too. You may not like everything in your package this week. Or, you may have trouble getting through the abundance of produce - especially in the summer months when produce flourishes.

So here are some tips for getting through the last of your CSA haul - those wilted greens, knobby radishes or those soft broccoli spears.

Recipe Ideas For The Last Of Your CSA Produce

Smoothies

Smoothies don’t care if your spinach is going limp or a day old. In the blender it goes. The nutrient offering and taste remain the same, and you’d never know the difference.

Our friends at Green Blender have tons of smoothie recipes for their smoothie ingredient subscription boxes. We’ve rounded up their best smoothie recipes with kale and their favorite smoothies with root vegetables.

Frittatas

A little bit goes a long way with frittatas, an easy baked egg dish. You don’t need a heaping bowl of greens or a whole sweet potato. Chop up whatever odds and ends you have left in your refrigerator. Sauté in good butter. Add whisked eggs to the mix and cook. Voila! An easy breakfast for the rest of your week.

It’s really that easy. Food52 outlines how to make any frittata in 5 easy steps.

Pesto

A pesto sauce isn’t limited to basil, olive oil and pine nuts. Any herbs - and even arugula - make for a great pesto. Experimentation is key here. What herbs do you have left over? Throw them in the food processor, along with a nut, good oil and perhaps some cheese.

Take inspiration from Epicurious’ piece on how to make pesto out of pretty much anything.

Pasta

The best weeknight pasta dishes are everything-but-the-kitchen-sink meals. Play with your textures here, and mix any firmer veggies you have (radishes, potatoes, spring garlic) with softer ones (scallions, Swiss chard, herbs).

Sauté with oil, add some pasta water after cooking the pasta, and stir your pasta in. Preferably, top with pecorino cheese and a fried egg.

Food52 is all about the weeknight pasta dishes. But be creative!