I spent last Saturday evening in the company of good friends. My CSA partners, Greg and Ann, invited the husband and I over for dinner, along with our mutual friends Mike and Linda. The menu preparation began on Wednesday when Greg and I picked up our CSA share from Toby of Bayberry Farm.

How awesome is Toby’s truck? That’s Greg talking to Toby.

What started as bags of mustard greens, kale, lettuce, garlic scapes and cucumbers ended in a feast fit for a spoiled locavore. I took the scapes and cucumbers so I could contribute a cucumber salad to the meal. The scapes ended up in a very delicious wrap and rap (which I’m not ashamed to admit I didn’t share with anyone).  Greg headed over to Herman’s Meat Shop in Newark to see what was good and local. He decided on rock fish, which came from Rhode Island, not completely local but definitely regional. And delicious!

Asian inspired rock fish and greens.

This rock fish needed a close up

Accompanied by sautéed mustard greens, kale and jasmine rice, the rock fish was the star of the show. Firm but flakey, meaty and moist.

My contribution to the meal was a light cucumber salad. I used local Pequea Valley Farm plain yogurt to make the dressing. This is the same dressing I use on everything, even chicken salad.

Cucumber salad looking pretty in its fancy bowl

To top it all off, Greg and Ann even served local wine with dinner. Smartly packaged in a box, both the red and white wine from Terrapin Station Winery in Elkton, MD were balanced and smooth. In all my local travels, I never crossed paths with this very local winery. It’s on my list of places to visit now.

For dessert what could be more simple and refreshing than mixed berries, especially if those berries include mulberries from our CSA? The miniscule berries remind me of dwarfed blackberries; they are sweet and surprisingly juicy. Thanks to the brilliant Ann, freshly whipped cinnamon cream topped each delectable bite (recipe to follow, which you must make).

As always when I’m enjoying myself I forget about taking pictures. I wish I had photos of the beautiful berries, Ann’s beautiful place settings (complete with napkin rings!), and the relaxing fire pit we enjoyed until late in the night.

Ann’s Brilliant Cinnamon Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

I’m not exactly sure how Ann made hers, but I would pour the cream into a chilled glass bowl and whip with a hand mixer on high until stiff peeks form. Then add the sugar and cinnamon slowly. Voila! A delectable treat to serve with fruit. Or to eat straight from the bowl.

Thanks, Greg and Ann, for a lovely, local evening!