We recently joined a CSA in my neighborhood, and had our first pick up on Sunday.

For those of you not familiar with CSAs (community supported agriculture), it’s like having a subscription to a farm. You subscribe for the growing season (in this case, from the end of June through October) and receive a package of the farm’s goods each week. It’s a way of getting the freshest local produce at a great price — since you’re cutting out the middle man — while supporting the local farmers in your area.  A win-win for everyone!

Our farmer is Upper Meadows Farm, an organic farm in New Jersey. And they do their weekly drop-offs to us CSA members in my local Park Slope farmers market on Sundays.

This week’s goodies included the following exotic greens and treats:

-Lambs Quarters, Amaranth, Sorrel, Siberian Kale, Baby Purple Onions, and Cardoons (!)

Not sure what to do with some of those unfamiliar greens, I ended up sauteeing them and putting them into an easy, delicious fritatta that I easily whipped up to fabulous results (using local eggs to boot!). Enjoy the recipe below and let me know what you think. The whole cooking experience took me about 30 minutes but looked very impressive — my husband remarked on what a “fancy” dinner I had made! You certainly don’t need the exact greens listed below to make this. Simply use whatever greens and herbs you have in the house, change or skip the cheese if you want to, and use your imagination and cooking creativity to make it your own. Still working on figuring out while I’ll do with those funky cardoons…

Sauteed Greens Fritatta with Cheddar and Basil

*  2 tablespoons olive oil
* large bunch of greens, cut into smaller pieces if large (I used a combination of amaranth greens and lambs quarters)
* 4 cloves of garlic, sliced relatively thick (about 1/4 inch)
* 6 large eggs, beaten to blend
* grated or thinly sliced cheddar cheese
* sea salt, fresh ground pepper
* torn or sliced basil leaves

Preparation

Preheat broiler. Heat oil in medium broilerproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add greens and garlic; stir until greens wilted and tender, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Pour eggs over greens; stir to blend. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover skillet; cook until frittata is almost set but top is still runny. Remove lid and place skillet under broiler. Broil until top is set and cheese bubbles. Cut around frittata to loosen. Slide out onto plate. (Mine needed extra prodding so I gently worked a spatula underneath the fritatta to coax it out.) Garnish with torn basil leaves. Serves 2-3, depending on what else you’re serving!