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I am seriously in love with my CSA from Porter Farms. It is so cost effective, the produce is all organic (and obviously local) and each week there are new surprised in the bag that I get excited about playing with.

I am sure most of you do know, but if you don’t know what a CSA is, here is a quick description from the Porter Farms website:

CSA stands for “community-supported agriculture”. The idea behind it is simple: individuals share the costs, risks and bounty of growing food in an environmentally-friendly fashion. The concept first appeared in the U.S. in the early 80’s, when people sought higher quality foods available from local sources.

The meaning of “community-supported agriculture” as it relates to the mission of our program here at Porter Farms is as follows: CSA participants, through their membership, help pay for seeds, compost, irrigation supplies, equipment maintenance, fuel, labor, etc. In return, the farm provides, to the best of its ability, 22 weeks of fresh, certified organic produce throughout the growing season.

Community supported agriculture is a grassroots movement that reconnects the local community with its food source, the local farmer. This alternative to the grocery store and big chains couldn’t fit more perfectly into my lifestyle and my mindset. My only complaint about CSAs is that I didn’t join one sooner! This most definitely will be a yearly thing for us.

Each week I try to get creative with the offerings in my bag, playing around with new recipes, getting inspired. This week we received zucchini, yellow squash, cucumbers, celery, red and golden beets, tomato berries and red onions with their tops. So many things that I love! I wanted to play around with a dish that would really highlight as many of the ingredients as I could. I did pretty well, the only two that didn’t make it into this dish were the beets and the cucumbers and don’t worry I have big plans for both of those.

In addition to the CSA, each Saturday morning, I always pick up a dozen (or two) brown eggs from Painted Meadows Farm at the Elmwood Bidwell Farmers Market. I am telling you, until you have had eggs fresh from a farm (or maybe you have my ultimate dream and you have your own chicken in the yard), you have no clue what you are missing. The taste isn’t even comparable, the yolks are a shade of yellowy, orange you wouldn’t believe. Now I am spoiled, it’s the only kind of eggs I want to eat.

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In looking over our pantry and refrigerator and all of these lovely, seasonal ingredients, I had the perfect thought for a light summertime dinner – a Summer Harvest Frittata. What a great way to highlight all the wonderful items in season right now.This recipe is quite versatile so feel free to play around with it and add or take away anything you’d like or have on hand from your own CSA, farmers market or your garden. I added a bunch of fresh basil since it is growing abundantly and beautifully in our yard, but the flavor profile can easily change to whatever fresh herb or spice you have readily available. This frittata was perfectly satisfying for dinner with a small salad on the side, but it would also be great for breakfast, brunch or heck even lunch, you can eat it all day!

[print_this]Summer Harvest Frittata – Gluten-free + Dairy-free
Serves 6-8

• 6-8 large local farm fresh brown eggs (more eggs will give you a fluffier thicker frittata, less eggs and it will be thinner)
• 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup celery, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium zucchini, cut in half-length wise, then cut in half again (if it is large enough) and sliced
• 1 medium yellow squash, cut in half length wise, then cut in half again (if it is large enough) and sliced
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on what size they are
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400ºF.

In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with a small pinch of salt, red pepper flakes and basil. Set aside.
In a 8 to 9 inch oven-safe, cast iron skillet, heat olive oil over a medium-high heat, make sure you get the olive oil all up the sides using a brush or some wax paper, etc. (you can also use an oven-safe nonstick skillet). Add the onion and celery, with a dash of sea salt, sauté about 3-5 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and sauté another 2 minutes, being careful not to burn it. Add the zucchini and squash, toss around and sauté about 8-10 minutes, until they are tender. Add the tomatoes and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the tomatoes start to soften and get tender. If there is any water sitting in the pan from the veggies, pour it off. Salt and pepper to taste.

Turn down the heat a bit. Add the egg mixture to the skillet by pouring over the veggies and giving it all a really quick stir to combine. Cook over a medium-low heat for about 5 minutes or until the eggs are just set and there isn’t a lot of liquid running around the pan. To do this, run a spatula underneath the sides of the frittata and tilt the pan so the uncooked eggs run to the underside and cook.

Place the skillet in the center of your preheated oven. Allow to bake for 13-15 minutes, until it is golden brown, well set and puffy. Remove from oven with oven mitts and let cool for several minutes, cut into wedges and serve.

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