From our farm to your table this week …
Broccoli
Green onions
Kale
Lettuce
Swiss chard
Green onions
Kale
Lettuce
Swiss chard
Tatsoi
Tomatoes
Tips for using and/or preserving your produce…
Green OnionsGreen onions add flavor to anything and everything. From salads, to enchiladas, to soup beans and steamed green beans, their delicate flavor and crisp texture say “springtime” to your taste buds. Back in the early days of our marriage before Ford knew how to grow buckets full of leafy greens and before I learned how to prepare them in ways that we really enjoyed, green onions were usually the very first green thing in our garden. In keeping with my Appalachian heritage, when we gathered our first handful of green onions I cooked up a big batch of soup beans, baked some cornbread and we feasted on bowls of beans topped with sliced green onions. I always place one small onion, intact, on the side of the bowl for looks and dipping into the soup beans the way my grandma use to.
Tomatoes
Tips for using and/or preserving your produce…
Green OnionsGreen onions add flavor to anything and everything. From salads, to enchiladas, to soup beans and steamed green beans, their delicate flavor and crisp texture say “springtime” to your taste buds. Back in the early days of our marriage before Ford knew how to grow buckets full of leafy greens and before I learned how to prepare them in ways that we really enjoyed, green onions were usually the very first green thing in our garden. In keeping with my Appalachian heritage, when we gathered our first handful of green onions I cooked up a big batch of soup beans, baked some cornbread and we feasted on bowls of beans topped with sliced green onions. I always place one small onion, intact, on the side of the bowl for looks and dipping into the soup beans the way my grandma use to.
KalePerhaps you’ve heard of the “Dirty Dozen” (not the movie)? It’s a list of 12 fruits and vegetables compiled by an organization known as the Environmental Working Group. Fruits and veggies make the list by having the highest levels of pesticide residue in annual testing by the Environmental Protection Agency. Believe it or not, conventionally grown kale and other leafy greens make this list. Good for you and your family for “going organic!” Today for lunch I had a wonderful new salad made mostly of raw kale and avocado. There are several versions online with slight variations. I like the one in the box on the right.
Lettuce
Like kale, leafy lettuces are also on the “Dirty Dozen” list. We hope you continue to enjoy our delicious lettuces in cold salads throughout the harvest season. If you need a break from cold salads this week, perhaps you’d enjoy stirring raw or lightly steamed lettuce into a light spring soup. Be careful not to overcook - your goal is a bright green color and tender, not soggy, texture.
Like kale, leafy lettuces are also on the “Dirty Dozen” list. We hope you continue to enjoy our delicious lettuces in cold salads throughout the harvest season. If you need a break from cold salads this week, perhaps you’d enjoy stirring raw or lightly steamed lettuce into a light spring soup. Be careful not to overcook - your goal is a bright green color and tender, not soggy, texture.
Swiss chard
Swiss chard is in the beet family. If you’re a lover of beets, snap off the colorful, raw stem and take a bite. You’ll find a sweet, crisp, earthy taste that will surely remind you of a juicy beet! Last year my mother-in-law, in typical Janet fashion, gave me a thoughtful gift perfectly suited to my needs and interests. The gift was a book called Serving Up the Harvest: Celebrating the Goodness of Fresh Vegetables by Andrea Chesman. I highly recommend this one to anyone who, like you dear CSA member, is committed to eating fresh, locally grown foods. We all know that you have to get creative to enjoy things that are abundant for several weeks at a time. In this book I found numerous interesting facts about all kinds of veggies, helpful kitchen tips for using/preserving them and our absolute favorite recipe for Swiss chard. We hope you enjoy Swiss Chard Gratin this week.
Tatsoi
Tatsoi
You’ll find tatsoi once more this week but it may be the last time you see those lovely leaves until fall. You’re practically a pro at using this green by now, but just in case you need a little reminder, it has small, oval leaves that are dark green and glossy. The stems are long, slender and white. If you’ve tried something really interesting and tasty with tatsoi this spring, please share it with us so that we can share it with other CSA members!
Tomatoes
That’s right, fresh, ripe, red, juicy, delicious (can you tell I like tomatoes) TOMATOES! We’ve been enjoying these all week in salads, on sandwiches and I have gobbled up several of these beauties while standing in front of the kitchen sink, salt shaker in-hand. Tomatoes are one of my all-time favorite foods. Raw, sautéed, broiled, baked, stuffed or cooked into a rich sauce, tomatoes are the best. The tomatoes you’ll enjoy this week came from plants that Ford planted in the floor of our greenhouse in the winter. I’ll be the first to admit to you that they do not have the robust flavor of those we will harvest from the fields in another 6 weeks. They are, however, every bit as good as or better than the tomatoes you will find in the supermarket AND they are grown free of chemical fertilizers and pesticides right here in Laurel county by my very favorite farmer. Later on, when you have more tomatoes than you can “shake a stick at” I’ll offer up some tomato recipes but for now, just enjoy them however the spirit moves you.
As always, please feel free to contact me for clarification, further information, or to share your own adventures in cooking local, USDA certified organic produce. amanda.waterstrat@gmail.com
Raw Kale -Avocado Salad ~ 4-5 servings
-4 cups finely chopped or shredded kale, raw (washed, stems removed)
-½ avocado
-1-2 Tbsp olive oil
-juice from 1 small lime (or lemon if you prefer but I like lime juice!)
-Salt, to taste
-cayenne pepper to taste (start with about 1/8 tsp) optional toppings: – grated carrots, finely diced tomato, salsa, nuts,
feta or finely grated parmesan
-4 cups finely chopped or shredded kale, raw (washed, stems removed)
-½ avocado
-1-2 Tbsp olive oil
-juice from 1 small lime (or lemon if you prefer but I like lime juice!)
-Salt, to taste
-cayenne pepper to taste (start with about 1/8 tsp) optional toppings: – grated carrots, finely diced tomato, salsa, nuts,
feta or finely grated parmesan
Prepare kale and set aside.
In another bowl, use a fork to mash avocado into a paste. Stir in all remaining ingredients (except toppings) into avocado paste then thoroughly mix into the kale until evenly distributed. The kale will become tender after a few minutes in the oil/lime juice dressing.
If you’re not a big fan of cayenne pepper that’s okay, but it really adds some depth to this simple salad.
Serve after about 10 minutes OR chill for about 1 hour. Top as you wish.
I topped mine with freshly diced tomatoes and it was WONDERFUL!*Beware – if you’re not accustomed to eating large quantities of raw greens, don’t eat more than a cup or two the first time you make it.
Swiss Chard Gratin serves 6; from Serving Up the Harvest
-2 pounds (12-16 stems with leaves) chard, stems sliced & leaves
cut into 1-inch ribbons *hint – it’s easier to get the “ribbons” if you stack the leaves ,
roll them up jelly-roll style, then slice down the roll perpendicular
to the long side
-4 Tbsp butter
-1 onion, halved & sliced
-¼ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
-2 cups milk
-1 cup grated Gruyere or parmesan cheese
-salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
-1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (optional; it’s great without)
Boil large pot of salted water. Add chard stems and cook 2 minutes. Add leaves and cook 1 additional minute. Drain well.
Preheat oven to 350oF & grease 1.5 quart casserole or 9x13 inch baking dish with butter.
Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Whisk in flour to form a paste. Now whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and fold in chard.
Transfer chard mixture to prepared dish & sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake 25-35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. Serve hot.
cut into 1-inch ribbons *hint – it’s easier to get the “ribbons” if you stack the leaves ,
roll them up jelly-roll style, then slice down the roll perpendicular
to the long side
-4 Tbsp butter
-1 onion, halved & sliced
-¼ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
-2 cups milk
-1 cup grated Gruyere or parmesan cheese
-salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
-1/4 cup dried bread crumbs (optional; it’s great without)
Boil large pot of salted water. Add chard stems and cook 2 minutes. Add leaves and cook 1 additional minute. Drain well.
Preheat oven to 350oF & grease 1.5 quart casserole or 9x13 inch baking dish with butter.
Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Add onion and sauté until soft, about 3 minutes. Whisk in flour to form a paste. Now whisk in milk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper.
Remove from heat and fold in chard.
Transfer chard mixture to prepared dish & sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Bake 25-35 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the top is browned. Serve hot.
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