Last week, I’m sorry to say, we missed out on our CSA completely. But I’m also not sorry, because the reason we missed it was to go on one incredibly fun trip to Portland, and last week’s veggies, while missed by me, were thoroughly enjoyed by a friend. It all worked out.

But I’ve got to say, it’s also good to be back home with my veggies this week. Per usual, lots of good things are gracing our CSA boxes, and I also made a trip to the downtown farmer’s market specifically for apples (and then ended up buying way too many other things too). Our garden is continuing to produce in full force, with lots of peppers and carrots being harvested this week as well. In fact, this year has been the best carrot harvest to date. It’s a good time of year, guys. A very good time indeed. Here’s what we’re cooking with this week:

I was wildly excited to see Leeks in this week’s CSA box, because, well they’re just great. Especially in the form of this Chicken, Leek, and Wild Rice Casserole, which is essentially comfort food at its finest.

Potatoes are always, always welcome in our house. My first order of business with this batch is probably going to be this Potato and Leek Frittata, provided I still have any leeks left. Otherwise, they’re getting sliced thin and roasted until crispy with plenty of olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.

Can we please keep getting a big bag of Tomatoes every week? I realize these weeks of all of the tomatoes will soon end, so I’m thinking we need to make the most of them. Part of me wants to preserve some of these beauties for some summery snacking in colder weather by doing things like oven drying and freezing them. The other part of me just wants to eat them all immediately, as in the Leek and the Carrot’s Ricotta Cherry Tomato Pie.

Confession: The first thing I did when I saw all of the beautiful Red Peppers in our CSA box and harvested from the garden was to make Smitten Kitchen’s Piri Piri Chicken, and it was marvelous. Oh, and she recommends serving it with roasted potatoes, and a simple tomato salad, both of which were also beyond easy to make happen with the contents of our CSA box. I call that a win.

As someone who’s completely obsessed with all thing spicy, I’m happy to report that the hot peppers have started arriving in the CSA box. Both Jalapeño Peppers (and we’re picking tons of these from the garden too!) and Thai Chiles. For the jalapeños, I’m thinking The First Mess’s Cozy & Spicy Breakfast Skillet with Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce. And after last week’s trip to Pok Pok, I’ve been inspired to make Thai food, so the Thai Chiles are a godsend. I’m thinking their Stir Fried Chicken with Hot Basil is likely in order, mainly because I also picked up some Thai Basil at the farmer’s market.

Lots of Beans this week, both of the Green and Dragon Tongue varieties, which is good, because I’ve been meaning to make this Cherry Tomato, Green Bean, and Wax Bean Salad with Herbed Bread Crumbs from Serious Eats.

Shallots are good for so many things, but one of my favorites is to make them into a simple vinaigrette, like this one from Bon Appetit. It’s good on salads and roasted veggies of all kinds, making it kindof perfect for this time of year.

You know me. When it comes to Radishes, I like to keep it simple - butter, salt, and some crusty bread. But if one were to decide to branch out a bit, I suppose this Radish Salad with Curry Orange Dressing from Food52 would be the thing to try.

We harvested the Carrots from our garden this week, and what a carrot harvest we had! Our dog strangely loves carrots, and in the past, any I’ve managed to grow have been dug up and eaten by him. This year, we got creative with the fencing around the garden and have managed to keep him out, resulting in lots and lots of carrots for us humans. We’re celebrating by making up a big batch of Curried Carrot Soup.

This past weekend, we hit up the farmer’s market and realized that we are seriously into Apple season. I bought a bunch, in several varieties. As the first apples of the season, most will just be eaten outright, but those that remain will go great in this Apple, Brie, and Prosciutto Pizza.

We also picked up some Baby Ginger and Plums at the market, which means one thing - Spiced Plum Chutney.

Pears and Peaches are in season now too. It’s really the best time of year. They’re so ripe and delicious, I know our desserts and snacks for the week are covered. But if I’m feeling in the mood for some baking, this Ginger Pear Cake or this Peach and Toasted Almond Crumble may be making an appearance.