In case you sign up for the CSA and find yourself a little overwhelmed, don’t fret one bit. We met up with our tenured recipe blogger, Megan Winfrey, to get a couple of CSA hacks that she uses on the regular. She’s held the blogging post for a little over three years now, and seamlessly juggles family, friendships, career, and cooking with flourish and ease. With summer underway and an influx of new and potentially perplexing crops appearing, we couldn’t think of a better person to chat with about simple ways to utilize the weekly veggie haul to their full potential while also living a very full and busy life.

Megan in the kitchen. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

We bopped over to her Brentwood home one day this week and arrived as both Hunter, her husband, and she were returning home with their spirited daughter, Louisiana, in tow. Both multiple-generation Texans, their cozy home reflects their deep roots to the hill country and their immensely warm and honest personalities. Hunter immediately cracked open a beer, donned his loose summertime garb, and set to carefully curating the music; while Megan poured herself a glass of wine, and casually started dishing CSA secrets and cooking for her loved ones simultaneously. Check out some of their summertime cooking hacks below:

• Get yourself a good knife. The one I have, I’ve had since my college years, and I (and Hunter) sharpen often.
• Try to roast most of the bulk stuff (squash, cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, carrots) and have those portioned into containers and ready to go for Lou (their daughter) for dinner. It’s very simple - olive oil, salt, and pepper for roasting - flip ‘em halfway through the time allotted for whatever vegetable you are prepping.

Roasting squash. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• It’s usually half and half, half the box gets prepped right away for Lou’s dinners and then the other half stays fresh for Hunter and me. I keep a couple squash and zucchini in the fridge for us… I’ve been making zoodles a lot lately.
• Just wing it! Just cook it however because it’s food and it’s gonna be good!

Roasting tomatoes for salsa. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• I don’t always prep all of the box immediately. Just stick it in the fridge on busy weeks and get to it when you can.
• If I'm really on top of it, I try to deal with the greens and all the gentle produce ASAP. Get them washed, trimmed, and in bags with paper towels. It’s super beneficial to have them ready for cooking when I get home from work.

Definitely a busy week! Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• One of my best mom hacks is making Lou dinner when I get home from work, she sits down and eats while I prep dinner for Hunter and myself. Her bedtime is at 7:30, so I don’t have a ton of time to make a full meal with her biting at my ankles. I don’t necessarily have time for all of us to eat at the same time and that’s okay!
• Lou has her portioned plates which consist of whatever roasted veggie I’ve already prepped (the aforementioned bulk veggies), a little bit of fruit, and a little protein of some sort. That being prepared for the week already is super helpful.
• On the weekends, either Saturday or Sunday, I spend all day meal prepping and cooking. I will also make a nice, fresh meal that we will all share. That’s our family meal for the week. Otherwise, we eat separately for the most part, which is nice. Hunter and I need that time to sit, talk, reconnect before we crash out around 9.

Megan and Lou. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• Freezing melon! Cut it up, freeze it, put it out on the plate (while your kid is being super distracted and not eating), it thaws, and serves nice and cold. Or you can freeze it on sticks - a little melon pop! Delicious.
• Getting Lou to try things from the farm, I bribe her. To be honest, It usually turns out that she loves it. If I promise her something that she loves after trying the new veggie - she tries it (always acts like it’s gross and inedible), gets the treat, momma walks away, and then she’ll usually finish the new thing she didn’t want to try initially. When the watchful eye dissipates, she can’t deny the deliciousness! She’ll usually eat the entire plate. So, parents, try it! Parents are always right about the yummy factor, come on.
• When cauliflower gets those brown spots, just brush it off with a scrubber.

Scrubbing the cauliflower. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• I can a bunch of tomatoes every year, and use them throughout the year. We still have three cans from last year. When you pop it open, it smells like summer. They are so versatile. You can make a sauce or put them in a soup, make it as a base for proteins, or put them in greens… you can use them literally in anything! It makes everything so much better, especially when it’s fresh and organic tomatoes. There’s no other smell or taste like that - it’s so sweet, earthy and wonderful.

Megan's canned tomatoes.

• Make caprese! Super easy.
• Eat a ripe tomato for breakfast... just cut it into slices and enjoy.
• Watermelon and tajin - I put it in a tupperware, take it into bed on a weekend morning, or into work (I keep tajin in my drawer at work). It’s so tasty, satisfying, and not super heavy. Same with melon and cucumber. YUM.

Tajin at work.

• A quick and easy meal - cold noodles (soba noodles or zoodles), peanut rice vinegar dressing or some sort of Asian dressing, and cucumbers. A summertime staple for sure.
• Blending watermelon or melon into pops (boozy for the adults!).

Hunter checkin' in on Meg. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• Slicing up any and all veggies in the summertime and eating it with Grandma’s hummus. Slice up cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, squash, or peppers - the only thing I wouldn’t do is potatoes or onions I think.
• Squash pickles - make ‘em last.
• For zucchini, I love making zoodles. I just got a spiralizer and I love it.
• For okra, roast it & change it up with different spices, or make a tomato/okra sauce.
• It’s not feasible to all sit down and eat together with two working parents sometimes and that’s okay.
• Be cool with simple meals and leftovers. Repurpose leftovers/mix and match what you have prepped to make different meals
• You can always share if you have leftover veggies! Share the veggie wealth - take it to work or share with a friend.

Hangin' with Sky, their cat. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

Bonus Parent Hacks -

• Have a plan for the week. For a while, I was feeling a ton of pressure to make dinner every night for the family. Then we created a schedule for the week - Monday: Hunter does something for himself, Tuesday: we go out to dinner as a fam, Wednesday: I do something for myself, Thursday: we cook, Friday: we all hang out with friends together, Saturday and Sunday: we cook and meal prep all day. This has us looking forward to Thursday. I’ve had it in my schedule, Hunter can wrangle Lou, and I can make something nice for all of us. It’s also helpful in utilizing the box. I can use whatever is left in the box for our special dinner. Then, I’ll get a new box and I’m ready to prep again. It’s a cycle.

The Winfrey fam. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

• Dad advice/partner advice from Hunter: if you’ve got a partner who is well versed in preparing and preserving produce you should really insist that they teach you so that you can help out. Take the time to learn about preparation, etc, so that one can split the responsibility and increase the likelihood that you will use every little bit of the veggies.
• Tell your kids where the food comes from and then they will become way more interested. Kids learn about farms and vegetables in school. When your kid takes part in potlucks and the u-picks that JBG does, then they are able to identify with the food because they've been there.
• Get kids involved in the kitchen if they are old enough! Entertainment and learning potential combined.
• Teamwork! Work together in the house.

One last fam photo. Photo by Scott David Gordon.

'Til next time! A huge thank you to the Winfrey fam for letting us feature them, and their continued support of the farm.