Summer CSA 2026

A CSA, or community-supported agriculture share, gives me a different starting point for cooking: a collection of ingredients to work with each week. Here is the running record of my summer 2026 share and what I cooked as the season progressed. The first pickup was May 12.

There were plenty of salads, a few familiar recipes adapted to whatever was available, and vegetables carried from one week into the next. Some weeks were more elaborate than others. Sometimes my wife and I just ate the produce raw.

Week 1

May 12–18

A bunch of Bulgarian leeks, mixed greens, snap pea leaves, baby kale.

The first week went into three familiar recipes. I started with a Kale Caesar Salad, mixing in the pea leaves too. This was once an overlooked recipe for me, until I learned to make the dressing from scratch. Now, it’s a staple in our household, and we’ll be seeing it multiple times this season.

I followed up with a Goat Cheese Summer Salad using the mixed greens. I find it helpful to have a bailiwick of salad recipes that accept any kind of leafy green.

Finally, one of my favorites: Potato Leek Soup with the leeks. Also known as a vichyssoise, this soup is great both warm and cold.

Week 2

May 19–25

A bunch each of scallions, parsley, and young cabbage leaves, one head of romaine lettuce, and bok choy.

This week, I made a variant of a Creamy Cucumber Salad, substituting scallions for the radish and onion and parsley for the dill. Recipes are just templates, after all. There was enough to make it again later in the week, made it again later, adding leftover lettuce.

The cabbage leaves and bok choy became Sauteed Greens. This is going to be a reoccurring sight, as it works well on the side of most proteins.

Week 3

May 26–June 1

Young heads of escarole, loose lettuce mix, bunched red salad radishes, scallions, and kale. I also picked radishes and leeks.

This week was simple. A basic garden salad with a lemon dressing accounts for the greens and the scallions. Kale was incorporated into Sauteed Greens, along with the escarole. We still had some leftover radishes and were happy to eat them raw, with some salt and lemon juice.

Week 4

June 2–8

Bunched green curly kale, kohlrabi, red butterhead lettuce, green onions, garlic scapes, and open heads of Stella Rossa radicchio, picked leeks and radishes.

I made Caesar Salad with kale again, this time adding Seared Tuna Steak. Frequently, I will use extra salad dressing to coat a seared protein, usually chicken breast.

Kohlrabi, radishes, and lettuce went into a garden salad, with some store-bought tomatoes.

I also made Chicken Broth with the garlic scapes, leeks, radicchio, and leftover vegetable ends and greens. Vegetable ends are a great way to utilize every last part of your shares!

Week 5

June 9–15

Bok choy, kohlrabi, head lettuce, green onions, and escarole.

The kohlrabi, onions, and lettuce went into a garden salad with other vegetables. For me, kohlrabi is better broccoli. It tastes great raw, with just a touch of seasoning.

The Bok Choy and the Escarole was saved for next week, since I had plans to make a soup.

Week 6

June 16–22

Head lettuce, cabbage, green onions, kale, and baby carrots.

I made Okroshka with the carrots and escarole saved from the previous week, along with dill and parsley from the pick-your-own selection. This is a wonderful cold soup that can really absorb the vegetables that get picked this time of year, in northeast US.

I also made Caesar Salad again, using lettuce mixed with kale, and added some crispy tofu to the mix.

The cabbage stood out this week, meriting individual attention. I ended up saving it for next week.

Week 7

June 23–29

Beets, napa cabbage, chard, fresh garlic, and carrots.

We had additional tuna steak in the freezer, probably from a BOGO sale, and so another appearance of Caesar Salad with Seared Tuna Steak graced our table. I was sure we’d be sick of it by now, but apparently we tolerated another week of this perennial.

I picked some herbs from the farm and incorporated them into an Herb Sauce. using the chard in place of spinach. This ended plating nicely underneath some [[Roasted Chicken]] legs.

Leftovers became wrapped in last week’s cabbage leaves for a fresh snack in the latter half of this week.

Week 8

June 30–July 6

Purple cabbage, beets, green onions, a fennel bulb, and radicchio.

Fennel can be so strong, and so valuable because of it. For this batch, I simply sliced the bulb in half and seared it along with some wilted radicchio to make a nice side for Seared Monkfish.

The beets, cabbage, and onions carried over into next week, for one of my favorites.

Week 9

July 7–13

Lettuce, carrots, fresh bulb onions, chard, and beets. Picked kale and dill.

This still won’t be the last time we see a Caesar Salad come up. It’s still the first thing I want to make when I have kale, and we haven’t grown tired of it. This time, we incorporated the chard and lettuce into it as well to make a large batch.

Utilizing the beets, onions, cabbage, and carrots across two weeks, I made a delicious Borsht. This, for me, marked the true start of summer.

Week 10

July 14–20

Cucumbers, red slicing and cherry tomatoes, multicolored new potatoes, mixed green crisp and red leaf lettuce, fresh onion bulbs, and kale.

You already know: kale Caesar Salad. The protein this time was octopus, which brought a unique twist to the classic.

With lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes in the share, a simple salad was took care of business. We saved the potatoes for next week.

Week 11

July 21–27

Cucumbers, mostly red slicing tomatoes, new potatoes, bunched chard, and medium onions.

The tomatoes this week were still a bit light, so we enjoyed another salad with them and the cucumbers. The potatoes, onions, chard, along with some store-bought ingredients, became another batch of Borsht. We were able to enjoy that the entire week.

Week 12

July 28–August 3

Sweet purple and green peppers, mostly red slicing tomatoes, bunched kale, onions, and cucumbers.

I made a mouth-watering Calamari Cacciatore from the peppers, tomatoes, and onions. It wen’t splendidly on some fresh baked Artisan Bread.

Kale was saved for next week; perhaps we finally hit our limit on Caesers.

Cucumbers didn’t get fancy treatment: eaten raw with some salt. Sometimes a fresh snack is what’s needed!

Week 13

August 4–10

Purple and green bell peppers, mostly red slicing tomatoes, garlic, edamame, and cucumbers.

From here, we begin receiving a lot of peppers. My wife usually don’t like bell peppers, so I start saving them for myself. They can last quite a bit in the fridge.

Tomatoes and cucumbers went into a simple garden salad, enhanced by blanched edamame.

Garlic will last ages on the counter. If you’re reading this in 2026, I may still have the garlic from this week.

Week 14

August 11–17

Mixed green peppers, mostly red slicing tomatoes, garlic, baby potatoes, and cucumbers.

This was the week for tomatoes. We received over seven pounds of tomatoes of different sizes. With this many, they need to be processed in bulk. That means large-scale fermentation, or saucing. I opted for a Tomato Sauce, utilizing some of the garlic we’ve been getting too.

I immediately used some of that to make a Lasagna. Later in the week, a portion of it went towards a [[pizza]].

The cucumbers were eaten raw this time again, to great joy.

Week 15

August 18–24

Mixed peppers, tomatoes, parsley, zucchini, and eggplant. Picked kale, sorrel, and shiso.

There was enough sauce to make another [[Pizza]]! With some of the tomatoes this week, I made a salad with my favorite mix of greens: shiso, kale, and sorrel. This is a trio I always incorporate into a salad when available, as they bring out the best in one-another.

I saved the rest of the ingredients for next week.

Week 16

August 25–31

Mixed peppers, zucchini, sweet potato greens, and green summer crisp lettuce. Mini spaghetti squash.

The potato greens went into a Chicken Broth, which I made from leftover chicken bones.

The real treat was a Ratatouille, for which I had enough vegetables to make twice this week. Some version of this is a staple in our household this time of year. Last year, we made a similar dish: Givech.

Since my wife doesn’t like the peppers, we omitted them from the ratatouille. Instead, I used the accumulated peppers to make myself a Pepperonata.

The spaghetti squash can last a while, so that was left on the counter.

Week 17

September 1–7

Wild American plums, tomatoes, cucumbers, green summer crisp lettuce, Honeyboat delicata squash.

Another garden salad with the lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes, alongside some freshly made dressing. Remember that any dressing can be made in seconds with whatever you have on hand. Some vinegar, olive oil, mustard, and perhaps some shallots and garlic. Adjust the acidity ratio to your preference, but a general guideline is to have one part vinegar to three parts oil.

Delicata squash is a favorite of ours. A simple Roasted Delicata Squash gave us a yummy mid-day snack.

Week 18

September 8–14

Pawpaws, Honeyboat delicata squash, mixed sweet peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, and a small amount of baby eggplant.

Pawpaws are a lovely fruit this time of year. Local to the northeastern United States, this fruit is largely unknown.

I enjoyed the peppers raw, this week, while using the rest of the ingredients for another Ratatouille, supplemented this time with some fresh-picked herbs.

The squash was saved for a future date.

Week 19

September 15–21

Mini Angel Hair spaghetti squash, garlic, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, and chard.

I made a Cucumber Salad for an outdoor lunch, alongside some Grilled Salmon. The tomatoes were quartered and blistered on the very grilled that produced that salmon.

Chard became a Sauteed Greens later in the week, and the additional spaghetti squash joined the initial one from weeks prior.

Week 20

September 22–28

Honeynut squash, green tomatoes, chard, Asian pears, and mixed sweet peppers.

This was a fun week. I’ve often said that a risotto can be made from anything around, and I put myself to that test. We enjoyed a lovely green tomato and chard Risotto, beneath a beautiful London Broil. Sleep was deep this night.

Asian pears are a delightful variant for us, and these did not disappoint! I enjoyed the bell peppers myself again, this time sauteing them a little and adding to my eggy breakfasts.

Honeynut squash can be good in different preparations. We saved this one for next week.

Week 21

September 29–October 5

Honeynut squash, collards, baby bok choy, garlic, and Asian pears. The collards and bok choy, along with some garlic, became a lovely Sauteed Greens enjoyed alongside [[Roasted Chicken]] thighs.

This and last week’s squash became a flavorful Honeynut Squash Puree. I added a potato into this puree to give it more body.

Fresh fruit is always welcome, of course, and quickly eaten.

Week 22

October 6–12

Chard, mixed peppers, honeynut squash, local organic apples, and local organic yellow potatoes.

Using a pork butt I found on sale, I made a lovely Pork and Potato Stew. This really brought us into the Fall frame of mind, with its heavier texture.

Later in the week, the squash was prepared into a version of Sauteed Butternut Squash, with wilted chard on top.

Week 23

October 13-19

*Mini Green Cabbage, watermelon radish, escarole, Gingergold apples, and green peppers.

I got a hankering for Sauerkraut! This was the longest in the season we ever got before committing vegetables to fermentation. A simple preparation with peppercorns yielded a great side for Grilled Italian Sausages a week later.

The escarole joined some other leftovers in enhancing a Chicken Broth, while the rest was enjoyed raw.

Week 24

October 20-26

Miyashigi Daikon radish, beets, “Sweet 16” apples, bok choy, and fennel bulbs. Picked lavender, chives, and thyme.

We’ve made it to our last week. As we enjoyed the third week’s worth of apples, I prepared a fermentation of Pickled Vegetables of the remainder: beets, radishes, and fennel lifted up with plenty of lavender, chives, thyme, and some store-bought dill. Bok choy entered a freshly made broth, while the last of the spaghetti squash was made into Roasted Spaghetti Squash.

It’s been a lovely season, and I hope this journal inspires others to join their local CSA!