summer bento

My favorite part of summer is the availability of fresh local produce. This summer marks my second participating in a CSA (community supported agriculture). If you're not familiar, you pick a CSA farm, pay in advance for shares, and get a box of produce from the farm every week. It can be risky. Some natural disaster might make the crops fail and then you're just out of money. You don't get to pick what comes in your box so it's probably not the best choice for picky eaters. The other side of that coin is you'll probably be introduced to some new veggies (I ate kohlrabi for the first time last year and saw my first-ever lemon cucumber). The veggies couldn't be fresher and you support your local economy and local business owners. Many farms will let you visit too.

Just look at this produce! So pretty.



1. zucchini flowers, 2. purple cauliflower, 3. purple cauliflower, 4. zucchini flowers


Some photos from a June visit to my CSA, Dunlooken Farms in Glencoe, MN.



1. farm, 2. chicken, 3. asparagus, 4. goat, 5. chicken, 6. chicken, 7. horse, 8. guinea hen, 9. ducks, 10. asparagus, 11. chicken, 12. where people die, 13. chick14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available


And finally, here are some bento I've made with CSA produce.



1. bento 7.17.09, 2. bento 7.20.09, 3. bento 7.22.09, 4. bento 7.23.09 -- vegan, 5. bento 7.27.09, 6. bento 7.28.09, 7. bento 7.30.09, 8. bento 7.31.09, 9. bento 8.3.09 -- vegan!


What's been in your bento this summer?