What’s in this week’s box?

Veggies:

Broccoli

Kale

Swiss Chard

Snow Peas

Head of Lettuce

Spring Mix, including: Arugula, Baby Red  and Green Leaf,  Baby Red and Green Romaine

Rhubarb

Fruit:

Strawberries- “All-Star”, “Wendy”, “Nor’Easter”, “Evangeline”, “Itasca” (Early Varieties)

 

Storage, handling and general cooking tips…

 

Broccoli

Storage-

Wrap broccoli loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the vegetable bin of your refrigerator.  Don’t use an airtight bag, because broccoli continures to respire after being harvested and needs some room to breather.  It keeps for over a week but is firmest and tastiest if used within a few days.

Handling–

Part of eating locally and sustainably involves tolerating a few bugs on your produce.  Broccoli in particular sometimes comes with innocuous friends tagging along in its depths.  Immediately before cooking, soak your broccoli, head down, in cold, salted water (1 teaspoon salt to 8 cups of water) for 5 minutes.  Any critters will float to the top. If you soak your broccoli in salt water and then store it, it will become too rubbery and wilted to enjoy.  So wait until the last minute to salt and soak it.

After cutting or breaking off the florets, don’t discard the stem.  Sliced stems are juicy, crunchy, and perfectly edible wherever the florets are called for.  If the skin on the stem is particularly thick, you can remove it with a paring knife or vegetable peeler before adding the stem to your dish.

 

Cooking Greens (Kale, Swiss Chard, Beet Greens, Bok Choi)

 Storage- Keep dry, unwashed greens in a sealed plastic bag in the refrigerator.  Thicker greens will keep up to two weeks, but tender ones like beet greens should be eaten within a week.

 Handling-  Just prior to use, swish leaves in a large basin of lukewarm water.  After any grit has settled to the bottom, life the leaves out carefully.  Additional rounds of washing may be necessary.  If the sink  has dirt in it or if you sample a leaf and it tastes gritty, the greens probably need to be rinsed again.

 How you prepare greens for cooking can make or break a dish.  It’s fine to leave the stems on small baby greens, but many greens (choi, chard,  kale) have thick stems that cook more slowly than the leaves.  If stems are not removed, you wind up with either soggy greens or raw stems.  Fold each leaf in half and slice out the stem De-stem several leaves, then stack them up and slice them diagonally into 1 inch-wide ribbons.  If you want to use the stems in your dish, slice them a quarter inch thick and begin cooking them before you add the greens.

 Culinary Tips-

-Saute greens until tender (with water still clinging to them from washing), in a covered pot or large saute pan with olive oil, a pinch of salt, and garlic or onion.

-Blanch greens until they wilt, 3 to 10 minutes depending on size, freshness, and type of green.  Thinly sliced kale blanches in 3 to 10 minutes; whole leaves blanch in 15 to 20 minutes.

-For richer, more lavish greens, dot the cooked greens with butter or cream and season with fresh herbs or salt and pepper.

-Serve cooked greens alone as a side dish or use them in soup or with pasta, beans, rice, or potatoes.

-Add a few sliced kale greens to soups and stews during the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking time.

-Use cooked spinach and chard in enchiladas, quesadillas, crepes, lasagna, and macaroni and cheese.

For breakfast, saute slivered greens and garlic in the frying pan before adding to eggs for scrambling.  Use leftover cooked greens in omelettes, quiches, or soups.

 

Salad Greens (Lettuce/Mesclun)

 

Storage- Store unwashed lettuce or mesclun in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To store lettuce or greens that you have already washed and dried, roll the leaves loosely in a kitchen towel, put the towel in a plastic bag, and place the package in the vegetable crisper bin.  Wet greens will spoil quickly, so make sure they are truly dry before refrigerating them.  If you have a salad spinner, wash and spin the greens before refrigerating them.  Eat mesclun mix within three or four days, and use lettuce within a week.

 Handling- Salad greens bruise easily, so be sure to handle them gently.  For lettuce, slice the head at its base with a sharp knife and let the leaves fall open.  Discard any damaged or leathery outer leaves and tear large leaves into bite sized pieces.  Both lettuce and mesclun mix can be washed by swishing them around in a basin of cold water.  If a lot of dirt collects in the water, wash them a second time.  Dry the greens in a salad spinner, or if you don’t have one, place them loosely in a mesh bag or thin towel, then go outside and swing them around your head.

 

Strawberries:

Storage and Handling– Use your strawberries as soon as possible (this usually isn’t a problem for me) as they stop ripening as soon as they’re picked.  Don’t wash your strawberries until you’re ready to use them, as moisture causes them to spoil more quickly.  Leave the caps on and store your strawberries in an uncovered container in the fridge. Take them out of the fridge about an hour before you’re ready to use them, as they tend to have the best flavor and texture at room temperature. Rinse your strawberries gently in cold water and then pat them dry with a towel.  Finally, remove the tops with a paring knife or with a slight twist of the wrist, and they’re ready to eat or use in your favorite strawberry recipe.

Lettuce, Salad Greens and Mesclun:

Storage- Store unwashed lettuce, greens or mesclun in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. To store lettuce or greens that you have already washed and dried, roll the leaves loosely in a kitchen towel, put the towel in a plastic bag, and place the package in the vegetable crisper bin. Wet greens will wilt quickly, so make sure they are good and dry before refrigerating them. If you have a salad spinner, wash and spin the greens before refrigerating them. Eat mesclun mix within three or four days, and use lettuce within a week.

Handling- Salad greens are fragile, so make sure to be gentle with them.  For lettuce, slice the head at the base to allow the leaves to separate from each other.  Tear your leaves into smaller more manageable pieces for use.  Lettuce, greens and mesclun mix can be washed by swishing them around in a basin of cold water.  If you see a lot of dirt settling in the water, wash them again, until they’re nice and clean.  The best way to dry your greens is in a salad spinner if you’ve got one, or if not, you can always pat them dry with a towel.

Cook Tips- Salad greens taste great lightly braised or stir-fried, but keep an eye on them, as they cook very quickly.

Try adding salad greens into sandwiches, tacos, burritos, omelets, or whatever else you can think of!

Salad greens are a great addition to quiches, lasagna, and other baked dishes, wanna green up your pizza? It’s great on top, right after you pull it out of the oven.

 

Rhubarb:

Store-Place stalks in a plastic bag to retain moisture and place in the fridge’s crisper drawer. It should keep for about a week. Rhubarb can also be frozen; to do this cut stalks in to 1 inch chunk and place in an airtight plastic bag. Frozen rhubarb should be able to keep for up to a year.

Handling- To prepare , remove all the leaves (they are toxic), rinse and pat dry. Trim the ends and cut into 1 inch chunks. Remove tough strings as you would with celery. String will usually break down during the cooking process.

Cook tips- Stew or bake with a little water and plenty of sugar to combat the tartness. Rhubarb can quickly cook into a syrupy liquid, so keep an eye on it, you need it to retain some texture for specific recipes.  Generally, the redder the stalk, the sweeter the end product will be.

 

Recipes of the Week!

Broccoli and Kale Slaw

Adapted from Peace Love Shea

Here’s what you will need:

1 head of Broccoli

1 bunch of Kale
1/2 red onion
1 carrot
sunflower seeds
cranberries or raisins

Chop carrot and onion. Rinse and chop broccoli florets. Rinse and chop kale leaves into strips.

To make broccoli slaw: cut off woody bottoms of stems and peel any dried areas. Cut them to fit in the chute of the food processor.(use the blade with the holes in it). It works amazingly well. Chop the florets by hand since they don’t work well in the processor. Chop as much as you like in the salad. Leftover crowns can be used for another meal.

For the dressing mix together:

Juice of 2 lemons (about 1/4 cup)
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey or agave nectar
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced or use garlic press

Put everything in a large bowl and drizzle on some dressing. Mix. Add salt and cracked pepper taste.

You could also add any type of nuts you like. Or serve over rice with grilled chicken for a complete meal. This makes about 4 servings.

 

“Best Broccoli of your Life”

from Amateur Gourmet

Adam Roberts, the Amateur Gourmet states “Normally, broccoli gets squishy when you cook it. Not this broccoli; it develops an amazing brown crust in spots. Then you toss it with lemon juice, lemon zest, and Parmesan cheese and you’re in heaven.”

Ingredients:

Bunch of broccoli

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425.

Take  broccoli , cut into florets (but relatively big ones.) Dry them THOROUGHLY. That is, if you wash them. I didn’t wash my broccoli; I wanted it to get crispy and brown. If you’re nervous, though, just wash and dry it obsessively.

Now, it’s easy. Put the broccoli on a cookie sheet. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. (Recipe says 5 Tbs olive oil, 1 1/2 tsps kosher salt, 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper, but you can just eyeballed it.) Now add 3-4 garlic cloves that are peeled and sliced and toss them in too.

Roast in the oven 20 to 25 minutes, until “crisp-tender and the tips of some of the florets are browned.”

When it’s done, take it out of the oven–and here’s where it gets really good–zest a lemon over the broccoli, squeeze the lemon juice over the broccoli, add 1.5 Tbs more olive oil, and 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Toss together and enjoy.

Roasted Garlic Kale and Quinoa Salad

from Food Republic

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Line a rimmed baking pan with parchment paper. Place cranberries and garlic on pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Salt and pepper. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, until cranberries are wrinkled. Cool slightly.
3. Peel and chop garlic. Combine chia seeds and water and set aside for 10 minutes. (Skip this step if you are using olive oil for the dressing.)
4. In a medium jar combine chia gel or olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper. Shake well. Pour dressing over kale and massage. Allow kale to sit for 10 minutes.
5. Add quinoa, fennel, walnuts, red pepper, onion, cranberries, and chopped garlic. Toss. Taste. If your cranberries are extremely tart, drizzle with another teaspoon or two of maple syrup and toss again. (You don’t want the salad to be sweet; this is just to cut the tartness.)

Rhubarb Crumble with Rosemary & Lemon

from CSA Member JoLynne Johnson, Thank You!

For the Crumble Topping

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup oats

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes

1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and cut with a pastry cutter or two forks, or use your hands to pinch the butter with the other ingredients. Cut or pinch until the butter is all the size of small peas. Chill.

 

For the Filling

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, chopped

1/3 cup strawberries, chopped

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar

1. Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly butter a medium-sized baking dish and pour in the the rhubarb mixture. Level it out with a spoon. Spoon on top the crumble mixture and spread out evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until top has browned a bit and the juices bubbles up the sides. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Serve.

 

Strawberries and Cream Ice Pops

from Saveur

INGREDIENTS:

1 quart hulled strawberries
⅓ cup sugar
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Purée strawberries in a blender. Set a fine strainer over a bowl; strain strawberry purée, discarding solids. Whisk in sugar, heavy cream, and lemon juice until sugar dissolves. Pour strawberry mixture into four 3–oz. ice-pop molds (go to www.centralchef.com for a source).

2. Transfer molds to the freezer and freeze until slushy, about 1 hour. Insert a Popsicle stick into each mold and freeze until pops are solid, about 3 hours more. To release ice pops from molds, run the bottom of the molds briefly under warm water.

 

As a reminder, part of the fun of being a member of a CSA is collaborating with your community, so always feel free to post cooking suggestions or feedback on recipes that we post, or favorite recipes of your own that you’d like to share.