Rutabaga chopping block

What Do You Do with a Rutabaga? Eat it!

Rutabaga Beet Hash

So in my never-ending adventures with my CSA box, I come across some curious specimens. And by “curious” I mean “I’ve always been too lazy to buy and cook them before.” Case in point, rutabaga. I’ve always known rutabaga existed, but I couldn’t tell you anything about it or how to use it in a recipe. I hate wasting, though, so when a big ol’ rutabaga arrived in my CSA box the other week I knew I had to do something.

After some research, I figured I could use a rutabaga in the same way I could use a potato or turnip. It’s a root vegetable with a similar texture, so hey. I decided to make it into a hash with my CSA spinach and beets and top with runny eggs, because as I’ve been telling you guys time & time (& tiiiiiime) again, runny eggs make everything better. And guess what? I was right, it was great.

I know the name of this recipe might sound scary because it combines two stereotypically reviled childhood vegetables – rutabaga and beets, ahhh! – but I promise it’s super delicious.

Rutabaga & Beet Breakfast Hash

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CSA box rainbow carrots

CSA Cooking: Sweet Potato Rainbow Hash

Rainbow Breakfast Hash

Big news! We finally made the leap into signing up for our own CSA box! This is something my bf Rob has wanted to do for awhile, and the rest of the roommates and I quickly got on board.

The natural choice was Johnson’s Backyard Garden, an Austin favorite. If you’re not familiar with CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), here’s an explanation from JBG:

Community Supported Agriculture is much different than going to the local grocery and buying your vegetables. It is a direct partnership between you the consumer, and our farm. CSA members pay in advance for a share of the upcoming harvest and are ensured access to truly nourishing food, food that is grown locally, organically and is delivered when most nutritious and fresh. What’s more, the shareholder cultivates a relationship with their farmer, the land, and with other shareholders. CSA is an opportunity to use your money to support valuable causes: responsible land stewardship, a vibrant local food economy, a healthy community, and the success of local farmers.

Can’t argue with that. Especially considering the amount of vegetables I eat on a weekly basis. We’re getting a medium box every two weeks, plus a half-dozen farm fresh eggs. Our first box, which was delivered last Tuesday, held delights such as sweet potatoes, rainbow carrots (absolutely gorgeous!), kale, spinach, parsley, and even daikon. The fun thing about getting a CSA box is it’s kind of like being on Chopped, except for instead of crazy ingredients it’s a bunch of super fresh, organic produce. You still have to figure out ways to cook it at its peak before it starts going bad, though!

CSA box rainbow carrots

Last Saturday morning I wanted to use up some of our beautiful vegetables and, obviously, try out some of those eggs in our morning meal. I decided to go the hash route. I’ve never put carrots in a hash before, but their crisp sweetness was great with the sweet potatoes. I added some leftover chopped organic chicken breast to bulk up the protein, plus some leftover red  and green onion (not from JBG, but duh, gotta have some onion). The result? A gorgeous rainbow of colors, flavors, and texture. Adding a runny-yolked egg was really just gilding the lily.

Sweet Potato + Carrot Rainbow Hash

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