From our farm to your table this
week…
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Item
|
How to Store it
|
How long will it last?
|
|
fresh peas
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washed or unwashed in refrigerator
|
1-2 weeks
|
|
radishes
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washed or unwashed in refrigerator
|
several weeks
|
|
turnips
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washed or unwashed in refrigerator
|
several weeks
|
|
|
|
|
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Greens (mustard OR kale OR Swiss chard OR tatsoi )
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washed & thoroughly
dried (my preference) or unwashed, in fridge, sealed in container or plastic
bag
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1-2 weeks
|
|
thyme (Saturday delivery only)
sweet potatoes (Thursday delivery only)
|
washed & thoroughly
dried (my preference) or unwashed, in fridge, sealed in container or plastic
bag
cool, dry, dark
place
|
~2 weeks
~2-4 more weeks, they’ve
been in storage all winter
|
|
tomatoes
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at room temp
|
~1 week
|
More information…
Fresh
peas
Sugar snap peas can be enjoyed many ways. From salads to soups and stir fries, they are crisp and delicious uncooked or lightly steamed. There never seem to be enough of them around for me to want them any way other than fresh and raw as a light, crisp snack. Serve them alongside sandwiches or as a standalone afternoon snack with a creamy dip or hummus.
Just rinse , peel the strings, and enjoy! Finley’s favorite method involves carefully opening each pod and extracting the big round peas!
Sugar snap peas can be enjoyed many ways. From salads to soups and stir fries, they are crisp and delicious uncooked or lightly steamed. There never seem to be enough of them around for me to want them any way other than fresh and raw as a light, crisp snack. Serve them alongside sandwiches or as a standalone afternoon snack with a creamy dip or hummus.
Just rinse , peel the strings, and enjoy! Finley’s favorite method involves carefully opening each pod and extracting the big round peas!
Radishes
The first year we farmed
together here in Laurel County, we were blessed with a bumper crop of
radishes. I don’t know about you, but
the extent of my radish eating until that time consisted primarily of a few
pink and white slivers in a salad and an occasional flower-shaped carving that
remained untouched on the side of a serving dish. Well, you can imagine those approaches don’t
go very far in using up a vegetable crisper full of radishes. ….so, the search began for radish recipes
and, believe it or not, there are a lot of great recipes out there. Thinly sliced, radishes are excellent in
salads, pair well with fresh sugar snap peas and they are also delicious
layered on top of cream cheese in a light sandwich. Only in the last year or so, did I venture
out into the world of cooked radishes when I found this recipe from Martha
Steward Living – Glazed
Radishes. It was a big hit in our
home so, if you don’t love raw radishes, give it a try.
Turnips
Last year we shared a recipe with you for Sorghum Glazed Turnips and, I must say, it remains my favorite. The small, mostly white turnips you’ll find in your share this week are intended to be harvested small while the flavor is pleasant and mild. They’re great as a raw snack, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you try the glazed version above. Like the radishes, it softens the texture slightly and makes the unique flavor of the vegetable more interesting.
Greens
I wish I could be more specific with you about the exact variety of greens you will receive but at this time of year, when the coolness of spring fades into the heat of summer, we never know exactly when tender greens will go through a process called “bolting.” It’s the plants response to the stress of heat. In an effort to produce flowers and seeds before it’s too late, the plant undergoes a sharp change in flavor, producing bitter, rather than mellow leaves.
In general, the strongest tasting greens are mustard and turnip greens, followed by the Asian greens bok choy and tatsoi, and then Swiss chard and kale. In the images below you’ll see an example of the leaves of each. Most folks in this area boil mustard and turnip greens vigorously, discard the boiling water and cook for a long time with a bit of meat for flavoring. It is a delicious southern method for preparing greens that have a strong flavor. They’re great with soup beans or creamy mashed potatoes. The milder greens – kale, Swiss chard and Asian greens don’t require such extensive cooking and are best fresh or only lightly boiled or steamed. Kale is also excellent in green smoothies!
Last year we shared a recipe with you for Sorghum Glazed Turnips and, I must say, it remains my favorite. The small, mostly white turnips you’ll find in your share this week are intended to be harvested small while the flavor is pleasant and mild. They’re great as a raw snack, but I don’t think you’ll be disappointed if you try the glazed version above. Like the radishes, it softens the texture slightly and makes the unique flavor of the vegetable more interesting.
Greens
I wish I could be more specific with you about the exact variety of greens you will receive but at this time of year, when the coolness of spring fades into the heat of summer, we never know exactly when tender greens will go through a process called “bolting.” It’s the plants response to the stress of heat. In an effort to produce flowers and seeds before it’s too late, the plant undergoes a sharp change in flavor, producing bitter, rather than mellow leaves.
In general, the strongest tasting greens are mustard and turnip greens, followed by the Asian greens bok choy and tatsoi, and then Swiss chard and kale. In the images below you’ll see an example of the leaves of each. Most folks in this area boil mustard and turnip greens vigorously, discard the boiling water and cook for a long time with a bit of meat for flavoring. It is a delicious southern method for preparing greens that have a strong flavor. They’re great with soup beans or creamy mashed potatoes. The milder greens – kale, Swiss chard and Asian greens don’t require such extensive cooking and are best fresh or only lightly boiled or steamed. Kale is also excellent in green smoothies!
Thyme
Thyme is a lovely, versatile herb that adds a nice, subtle fresh flavor to almost any dish. It’s a great addition to rubs for roasting meat but it’s also great in salads and pasta. Get creative and enjoy adding a little thyme to a variety of your meals this week and see which ones you like best!
Thyme is a lovely, versatile herb that adds a nice, subtle fresh flavor to almost any dish. It’s a great addition to rubs for roasting meat but it’s also great in salads and pasta. Get creative and enjoy adding a little thyme to a variety of your meals this week and see which ones you like best!
Sweet potatoes
Well, I was wrong last week! A few of you WILL be receiving sweet potatoes (in place of thyme) this week because the heavy rains made the thyme too wet for harvesting. We hope you don’t mind the substation and enjoy one last sweet potato dish this week.
Tomatoes
Well, I was wrong last week! A few of you WILL be receiving sweet potatoes (in place of thyme) this week because the heavy rains made the thyme too wet for harvesting. We hope you don’t mind the substation and enjoy one last sweet potato dish this week.
Tomatoes
I’m still
basking in the joy of eating fresh tomatoes so I haven’t begun cooking with
them, but if you’re interested in something beyond slices or diced tomatoes, there
are LOTS of great recipes for savory tomato pies, tarts, stuffed tomatoes and
more. I’ll be sure to post some of our
favorite warm tomato dishes later this year.
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
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