Food & Drank jumped on the CSA bandwagon this week to bring you recipes for each month of the summer season, based on the produce you might find in your CSA box. We suggest searching the Internet for all sorts of recipes using the produce you receive from your CSA—there are tons of creative options for even the most intimidating greens.

May: Mint

Mint Ice Cubes

• 36 fresh mint leaves
• 2 cups boiling water, or as needed

Place 2 to 3 mint leaves into each cell of
a heatproof ice cube tray. Fill the cells with the boiling water, then let stand for 10 minutes remove the leaves if desired. Freeze the ice cube tray until solid.

June: Rhubarb

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Crust:

• 3 1/2 cups (about 1 1/2 pounds, untrimmed) rhubarb, in 1/2-inch thick slices
• 3 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) strawberries, hulled and sliced if big, halved if tiny
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small
  pieces
• 1 large egg yolk beaten to blend with 1 teaspoon water (for glaze)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a well-floured counter, roll half of pie dough into a 12-inch circle and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie plate.

Stir together rhubarb, strawberries, sugars, lemon, salt and tapioca in a large bowl. Mound filling inside bottom of pie crust and dot with bits of unsalted butter. Roll second half of pie dough into an 11-inch circle and cut decorative slits in it. Transfer it to center over the pie filling. Trim top and bottom pie dough so that their overhang beyond the pie plate lip is only 1/2-inch. Tuck the rim of dough underneath itself and crimp it decoratively.

Transfer pie to a baking sheet and brush egg yolk mixture over dough. Bake for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until the pie is golden and the juices visibly bubble.

Transfer pie to wire rack to cool. When fully cooled (several hours later) the juices gel.

July: Tomatoes and Spinach

Spinach, Tomato & Goat Cheese Pasta

• 1 bunch (12 oz.) fresh spinach, stemmed and washed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound fresh tomatoes peeled, seeded and finely chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 pound farfalle or fusilli
• 2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Heat water in a pot. Wash spinach, wilt in batches over high heat. Rinse with cold water in colander and squeeze dry. Coarsely chop.

Put olive oil in pan at medium heat. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds to a minute. Stir in tomatoes, cook at medium high heat. Season to taste. Stir in basil and spinach.

When pasta water boils, salt and add pasta. Cook until al dente. Add ladleful of pasta water to pan with spinach and tomatoes. Drain pasta and toss quickly with tomato-spinach mix. Add goat cheese and serve immediately.

August: Berries

Frozen Berries in white chocolate

• 2 pints fresh raspberries
• 1 pint fresh blueberries
• 1 pint fresh strawberries, stemmed and sliced thickly
• 1 pint blackberries
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, scrapped
• 10 oz. good white chocolate, chopped

Serves 6.

Spread (washed and dried) berries on a large baking sheet in a single layer to prevent sticking, and place in a freezer until frozen – about 2 hours. As soon as they have frozen, transfer them to ziplock bags to prevent them from absorbing flavors from your freezer. When ready to serve, distribute berries between 6 dessert plates in a single layer and allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes to defrost slightly while making the melted chocolate mixture. To make the chocolate mixture, heat the cream, white chocolate and vanilla bean seeds in a bowl over simmering water (double boiler style) until melted and hot—do not boil! Pour evenly over each plate of berries and serve immediately.