CSA Diary: Winding Down

This provides a highlight of the things I've been making over the past month or so with my CSA veggies, minus the mundane and utter failures.

What I Got

• Acorn Squash
• Beets (with Greens)
• Field Greens
• Garlic
• Leeks
• Onions
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
  
• Turnips (with Greens)

What I Made

• Sausage Jumble: Boiled some Yukon Gold potatoes*. Sauteed turnips, radishes and leeks in olive oil until soft. Added Gimme Lean sausage until brown. Added turnip greens, beet greens and a can of tomatoes. Put sausage mixture on top of potatoes, then topped with mozzarella cheese and gobbled it up.
• Butternut Squash Soup: A large & very phallic-looking butternut squash, garlic, Honeyrun Farm's honey, salt, pepper, carrots, onions, celery, olive oil, Not-Chick'n Bouillon Cubes, 1% milk. (Not the best soup I've ever made, I'll have to admit.)
  
• Sweet & Tangy Salad: Tossed together field greens, dried figs, Trader Joe's Stilton apricot cheese, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt & pepper, almonds.
• Bubbles & Squeakish: Boiled some Yukon Gold potatoes*. Sauteed leeks, turnip greens and cabbage. Added Morningstar's sausage crumbles and topped with a slice of Swiss cheese.
• Rutabaga & Broccoli Mash: Boiled rutabaga and broccoli stalks. Ran them through the food processor with butter, salt, pepper and thyme until smooth. Tastes like a very sweet version of mashed potatoes.
• Butternut Squash & White Bean Soup: Sauteed onion, celery, garlic. Added butternut squash, white wine, veggie broth, cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, cloves and boiled until soft. Added whipping cream, oregano, salt, pepper, Great Northern beans. (A much improved soup in comparison to the soup listed above!)
• Green Spaghetti: Spaghetti with Newman's Own Cabernet Marina sauce and Morningstar Grillers Crumbles with sauteed green onions, beet greens and kale.
  

* From the Clintonville Farmer's Market

Shopping for a Furnace & Air Conditioner

I just went through the process of shopping for a furnace/air conditioner to replace my 30+ year old units, so I thought I would share my newfound, soon-to-be-forgotten, wisdom with you.

Step One:
Ask your friends. I got recommendations from friends, family and co-workers, simply to help narrow down the choices, as there are a LOT of them!

Step Two:
Look up your "leads" on these sites to get an idea of what their service is like, what their customer satisfaction ratings are, whether or not they have the required state licenses and certifications, etc.

• Air Conditioning Contractors of America
• Angie's List (Requires a subscription.)
• Better Business Bureau
• North American Technician Excellence certified (NATE)
• Ohio Department of Commerce's Company Licensee Lookup
• ReferenceUSA (Though this requires a subscription, many libraries, such as the Westerville Library, provide access to their library card holders.)
  

Step Three:
Create a checklist of questions to ask the salesperson/contractor once you start getting quotes. Get three quotes or more for comparison. EnergyStar.gov provides a good starting point in their Heat & Cool Efficiently article. Keep in mind that what makes a unit most efficient is its proper installation. Here are a few of the things I considered during the quote process:

• Breakdown of expenses (cost of unit versus cost of labor)?
• Any duct work (sealing) that needs to be done to increase efficiency of the unit?
  
• What are the AFUE ratings for the quoted furnaces and the SEER ratings for the quoted air conditioners? (Note: For furnaces, the higher the AFUE rating, the better, with a maximum rating of 100. For air conditioners, the higher the SEER rating, the better. The standard range is currently between 13.0 and 16.0 rating.)
• Is there an installation checklist, such as the Manual J, that will be used during the installation process?
  
• Is the quoted unit correct sized for my home? (Sizing has a direct correlation with unit efficiency. A unit too big or too small for your home will decrease its energy efficiency.)
• Be sure to walk away with a written quote with the suggested units' specifications.

Step 4:
After getting quotes for specific units, Google the unit model numbers that have been quoted to find out what other customers are saying. One bad review isn't worth noting, but numerous bad reviews may be.

What I Got:
After this whole process, I bet you're wondering what company/units I went with. Based on the conversations I had with the three companies I worked with (Hetter Heating & Cooling, Columbus Worthington Air and ML Heating & Air Conditioning), I made the decision to go with Hetter Heating & Cooling. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The company had a great Better Business Bureau rating. They had many of the HVAC certifications/licenses that I had researched. They quoted a good price and were interested in helping me find an energy efficient unit that I would be happy with.

• HVAC Company: Hetter Heating & Cooling
• Air Conditioning Unit: Trane XR15, 15-SEER rating (A 16-SEER unit was also quoted, but came with a significant price increase.)
  
• Furnace Unit: Trane XR95 (95 AFUE rating)

Overall, I felt very comfortable with my choice! I got to use the heater last week for the first time and the difference is remarkable. Here's to warm nights in my future!

CSA Diary: Week ???

Ok, confession time: I've had some recent CSA failures. A botched attempt at greening up some Campbell's tomato soup, a fake chicken noodle soup that had a lot of celery and not a lot else, some burned remakes of earlier concoctions...But here are a few of the not-so-bad inventions from the past couple of weeks.

What I Got

• Butternut squash
• Celery
• Edamame
  
• Radishes
• Turnips (with greens)

What I Made

• Edamame: I love to snack on edamame. Just boil them up for a few minutes and pop them out of their pods. It's important to note that the pods are not like snow pea or snap pea pods. They're tough and furry and don't feel too good going down!
• Rainbow Pasta: Chop and saute turnips, radishes, turnip greens, cherry tomatoes (that I grew!) and green onions* with olive oil until tender. Add pesto** and toss with spaghetti.
• Chimichurri Rice, Enhanced: Sauteed celery, turnips and radishes in olive oil. Added Trader Joe's chimchurri rice and Meijer organic kidney beans until warm. Topped with cheddar cheese.
  
• Pearsauce: Tried out a recipe that my sister has successfully made many times, Pear Soup. However, mine turned out more like a pear version of applesauce. Good, but not as good as Cath's! Used pears from Lynd's Fruit Farm, Wholesome Sweeteners' brown sugar from Raisin Rack and sage from Cath's garden.
• Apple Crisp: Used apples from Lynd's Fruit Farm and the Simple Apple Crisp recipe from Recipezaar, but added some rolled oats to give it some more crunch.
  

*From Clintonville Farmer's Market
**I made this pesto over a year ago. Took basil, garlic, lemon juice, almonds, olive oil and Parmesan cheese and blended in a food processor. Poured into an ice cube tray and froze. Once frozen, dumped the cubes into a plastic freezer bag and it's held up for the past year!