Harmony Valley Farm: May 2021

Welcome to another week of Cooking With the Box! This week our focus is still on looking for more ways to utilize greens, especially the greens on this week’s baby white turnips. This week’s featured recipe for Vegetarian Carbonara with Baby White Turnips & Greens is a vegetarian take on the traditional Italian pasta dish called Carbonara. Carbonara is a pasta dish that utilized beaten eggs and cheese along with lemon juice to create a sauce that lightly coats pasta. Traditionally it also includes some type of cured meat such as pancetta or bacon, which adds significant richness to the dish. While I really like traditional carbonara, I feel like it can be a very heavy dish. This is why I was intrigued by the bacon-free version I came across at alexandracooks.com. I used her base recipe and adapted the recipe to include turnips, mushrooms, and smoked paprika. I like to use smoked paprika in dishes where I want a little bit of smoky richness without using smoked pork products. If you have greens building up in your refrigerator or if you are not sure what to do with the tops on the turnips and radishes, this is a great recipe. You’ll turn a big pile of greens into hardly anything!

We’re excited to welcome rhubarb into our spring line up this week! While it’s most commonly used to make rhubarb pie, it can be used in a whole host of other applications, both savory and sweet. In addition to the lentil dish I provided a link for, rhubarb can also be used in stir-frys, barbecue sauce and so much more! You’ll find some of these types of recipes if you visit our searchable recipe database. Rhubarb is also an easy vegetable to preserve, so if you aren’t in the mood to use it this week, consider checking out the link for how to freeze it.

Cannellini Beans with Spinach
photo by Eva Kolenko for epicurious.com

We continue this week with our greens-rich selections. If you didn’t have a chance to read last week’s article entitled “It’s Time To Eat Your Greens!” I would encourage you to do so this week. Greens are packed with nutrients and give us energy and vitality. In this article I share some tips and tricks for how you can include them in your meals and diet. Last week we also featured a simple recipe for Greens & Green Garlic Pesto that we used to make a pasta dish. This base pesto is very tasty, especially the second day. Last week I used it throughout the week as a spread on our sandwiches for lunch, in scrambled eggs for breakfast, and just spread on crackers!

I hope you enjoy another tasty week of spring cooking. It won’t be long before we start moving into some of our late spring/early summer selections. Last Sunday we picked the first (and only) slightly pink strawberry. Depending upon the weather, there’s a chance we’ll be picking strawberries within the next week or two. We also have our eye on more head lettuce, cilantro, garlic scapes and spring scallions. If you have not yet joined our private CSA Facebook Group, I encourage you to do so now! So far this year there have been some excellent posts with great ideas for recipes and how to use all the items in the box. It’s also a great place to ask questions and get input on recipes and cooking ideas.

Ok, that’s a wrap for this week! Have a good week and I’ll see you again soon!---Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Baby White Turnips

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Description: Baby white turnips are a classy little vegetable we often describe as being “pristine.” They are classified as a salad turnip and are tender with a sweet, mild flavor. Both the roots and the green tops are edible and may be eaten raw or lightly cooked. Compared to the common purple top turnip or other storage turnips we grow in the fall, salad turnips are much more mild and subtle in both flavor and texture. So if you think you don’t like turnips, at least give these a try!

Preparation & Use: To prepare baby white turnips for use, separate the roots from the greens and wash both well to remove any dirt. Salad turnips have such a thin exterior layer, they do not need to be peeled. They are delicious eaten raw in a salad, or just munch on them with dip or hummus. You can also cook these turnips, but remember to keep the cooking time short as it doesn’t take much to cook them to fork tender. You can simply sauté them in butter, stir-fry or roast them. The greens may be added to raw salads, or lightly sauté or wilt them in a little butter.

Storage: To prolong the shelf life, separate the greens from the roots with a knife and store separately in plastic bags in your refrigerator.

Growing Information: We plant baby white turnips for harvest early in the spring and again in the fall when the growing conditions are cooler. We harvest them while they are still small and tender, when the sweet flavor matches their delicate appearance. The other turnips we grow in the fall are meant for storage purposes and have a thicker skin compared to the thin skin of a salad turnip. Baby white turnips also mature much faster than beets, carrots and fennel, etc. so they are a very important part of our spring menus until the other root vegetables are ready for harvest.

Vegetarian Carbonara with Baby White Turnips & Greens

Yield: 4 servings

12 ounces pasta (fettucine, papparadelle, linguini, or any small pasta that holds sauce well)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 ½ cups baby white turnips, medium dice

1 ½ cups cremini or white button mushrooms, medium dice

½ cup thinly sliced green garlic

½ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

½ tsp smoked paprika

8-10 cups greens, roughly chopped*

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 large eggs

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1-2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

Boil a large pot of salted water and cook pasta to al dente according to package instructions. When the pasta is cooked, remove 1 cup of the pasta water and set it aside before you drain the pasta.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the turnips, mushrooms and green garlic. Sauté for 5-7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender but not completely cooked. Add the red pepper flakes and smoked paprika. Stir to combine and sauté an additional 30 seconds.
Add the chopped greens to the pan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Continue to cook over medium to medium-high heat until the greens wilt down. Use tongs to flip the greens around periodically to help them wilt.
While the greens are cooking down, prepare the carbonara sauce. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs, then whisk in the parmesan and 1 Tbsp lemon juice. Slowly whisk in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water.
Once the greens are wilted down, reduce the heat to low and add the drained pasta to the pan. It’s important to reduce the heat before adding the egg mixture. If the pan is too hot the eggs will scramble instead of making a nice, smooth sauce.
Pour the egg mixture over the pasta and vegetable mixture. Stir to combine and simmer, stirring frequently for 5-7 minutes or until the eggs and cheese have formed a light sauce that evenly coats the pasta. Taste and adjust the seasoning with additional lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper. You may also wish to add a little more pasta cooking liquid if the sauce seems too “tight” or thick.
Once seasoned to your liking, serve warm with grated Parmesan as desired.

*Note: You may use any greens you have available. I suggest using the green tops from the turnips along with spinach, radish tops, hon tsai tai, bok choi or sauté mix. Basically, anything that will wilt down into this pasta dish will work! It will seem like there are a lot of greens, but once they wilt down the quantity will be appropriate for this dish.

Recipe based on “Weeknight Carbonara: No Bacon, Loaded with Greens” from alexandracooks.com.

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

It's Time To Eat Your Greens!

Gorgeous Red Swiss Chard

By Chef Andrea Yoder

“Cooking with whole foods simply means choosing foods that are in their natural state or as close to it as possible. When it comes to finding the motivation to get into the kitchen and cook, what could be more inspiring than seasonal, fresh ingredients from a bunch of newly picked deep green kale or a rich orange winter squash …..These beautiful foods don’t need much preparation to turn them into a nourishing, flavorful meal….Real whole foods are brimming with flavor and vitality and the innate intelligence to improve your health.”—Amy Chaplin from Whole Food Cooking Every Day

Sometimes in life, it’s best to keep things simple, and simplicity is the approach I like to take when talking about “greens.” I didn’t grow up eating “greens.” That term, in my world, referred to the bunches of collard, mustard and turnip greens that held this foreign space at the end of the produce wet rack at the Kroger’s grocery store where my mom did all her shopping. Those were things other people (although I wasn’t sure who those “other people” were) purchased, not us. As far as “leafy greens” went, we stuck to the safe things like iceberg lettuce, cabbage and the occasional bag of spinach. When I went to culinary school I was exposed to a few more “greens.” Well, actually not that many more, but I did actually learn how to cook those collard greens! It really wasn’t until I came to Harmony Valley Farm that my world of leafy greens exploded! Now I can’t imagine living a year without hon tsai tai, bok choi, nettles or overwintered spinach. My body craves greens in the spring and throughout the year. One of my favorite leafy greens is Swiss Chard. I swear I can feel my body incorporating all of this green’s nutrient density into my cells as soon as I eat it! While I can easily navigate leafy greens now, after many years of exposure, I do remember when I was intimidated by all these different greens and as I looked at them I didn’t see anything simple about them. What part do I eat? Do I eat them raw or cook them? Do they need a long cooking time or a shorter time? How do I incorporate them into my meals and recipes? If you have some of these same questions or find the bunches and bags of greens getting pushed to the back of the refrigerator every week, then I hope you find some value in this article along with some tools to empower you to more fully utilize the greens in your CSA box this year. If you’ve been eating greens for years, but are in a rut and looking for some new ways to incorporate them into your meals, I hope you’ll find a few ideas in this article to spark your creativity and expand your repertoire.

Richard in a beautiful
field of collards

First of all, why is it even important for us to eat “greens?!” I could answer that question with a very simple “Because they are good for you!” That is a true statement, but I’ll expand just a bit on that thought. Leafy greens are nutrient powerhouses and contain a whole host of vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytochemicals and antioxidants. Simply put, the nutrients contained in leafy greens give us vitality, energy and are incorporated into all parts of our bodies where they contribute to our vision, enhance bone health, protect our hearts, impact our brain function, prevent cell damage, decrease inflammation, minimize the effects of aging, contribute to healthy skin, hair and nails, and the list goes on! If you would like me to write a more detailed article about all the specific nutrients contained in leafy greens and their health benefits, please send me an email and let me know. For the sake of this article, though, I think you get the point that this class of leafy green vegetables are very important for our health, wellness and vitality.

Leafy greens also serve a unique role in a seasonal midwestern diet, especially during the spring! Our early season boxes are loaded with greens ranging from spinach and baby arugula to unique perennials like sorrel and nettles. We are fortunate enough to have some type of green available for most of the growing season. Salad mix and spinach in the spring and fall, chard and amaranth in the summer along with carrot and beet tops and kale. In the cool of the fall, we welcome savoyed cabbages, tat soi rosettes, and radicchio! I’ve only touched the very tip of the iceberg for the number of different “greens” we grow, eat and share with you throughout the CSA season!

Red Radicchio late in the Fall

Not only are “greens” good for you, but they are also versatile, interchangeable, flavorful, and most of them could be considered, in my words, to be nature’s fast food! So lets transition now into using greens. What are you going to do with all these greens?! Salads, that is the typical answer, and not a bad one. Salads are an appropriate use for greens that are tender and more delicate such as head lettuce, salad mix, baby bok choi and anything else that fits this profile. Some greens such as kale and collards may also be used in raw salads, but their leaves are a bit more thick and really should be massaged or made in advance of eating so the leaves can be softened by the acidity and fat in the dressing. I like to keep a bottle of salad dressing in the refrigerator. If I need a quick lunch or dinner, I’ll put whatever salad greens I have in a bowl along with any other season vegetables I can eat raw. I toss it with dressing and add a little protein such as hard-boiled eggs, leftover chicken, nuts, etc. This literally takes me just a few minutes to assemble and I feel so good knowing I didn’t trade my health and well-being for the convenience of eating a processed, ready-made meal.

Want to know how to make a big pile of greens disappear in just a few minutes? Cook them! I like to add handfuls of greens to hot pasta dishes, stir them into fried rice or vegetable stir-fry. You can also add them into scrambled eggs and egg casseroles. A big fluffy pile of greens will wilt down into a small handful when you add heat. You can steam greens, sauté them in a touch of oil, or just let them wilt in the heat of hot pasta, rice, beans, lentils, etc. Greens that have tender leaves will cook down in just a few minutes. Thicker leaves will need a little more time to become tender. So if your supply of greens is starting to build up, this is the way to make them disappear quickly without throwing them out!

Red Lentils with Winter Squash and Greens

Another method I like to use to incorporate greens into our meals is to turn them into pesto. Yes, I know that pesto is traditionally made out of basil, pine nuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. While traditional pesto is good, it’s ok to steal that concept and apply it to other fluffy green vegetables. You can make pesto out of nearly any green or leafy herb. As for the pine nuts in traditional pesto, you can easily substitute almonds, sunflower seeds or another similar item in place of the pine nuts. You can also very the type of oil and cheese you use. Once you have a bowl of pesto, you can tuck it away in the fridge and use it to create a lot of things throughout the week including pasta dishes, spread it on sandwiches, wraps, etc or use it as a dip or condiment to accompany grilled steak, sautéed fish or roasted vegetables.

Wilted greens can be incorporated into a lot of other cooked recipes such as meatballs & casseroles. Now this isn’t a way to “hide” vegetables, but rather a way to kick up the nutrient density of a meal by working the greens into other things! You can also blend them into smoothies, drinks and soups.

Pistachio Kale Pesto

When I’m super short on time and need to get dinner on the table in 10-15 minutes or less, I turn to greens because they are quick-cooking, versatile, yet nourishing. So, never feel like you need to trade your well-being for convenience. You can still make nutrient dense meals in a tiny bit of time. Some of my go-to methods include scrambled eggs or egg casseroles to which I add a lot of wilted greens. I also like to make veggie wraps, quesadillas and toasted sandwiches. With just a few simple ingredients like slices of cheese, leftover chicken, deli ham and spreads like pesto or salsa, I can throw together some pretty tasty creations packed with greens and other vegetables. Don’t be afraid to cook without a recipe, just follow your intuition, keep it simple and use what you have!

Don’t be afraid to use convenience items from time to time as well. While I prefer to cook with whole foods and make everything from scratch, there are some days when I really benefit from a little bit of added convenience. For that reason I keep a few frozen pizzas, some frozen tortellini and boxed mac-n-cheese available. If we’re really pressed for time, I can pull out one of these convenience items and augment them with other vegetables. I’ve never been big on boxed mac-n-cheese, but I have to admit I kind of like it with wilted greens, diced salad turnips, sweet peppers, etc added to it. I load up frozen pizzas with wilted greens, dollops of greens pesto and other vegetables. There are ways to eat well even in the busiest of times!

I hope these ideas will help to get your own creative ideas flowing and spur you on to turn to leafy greens as a base ingredient in your diet. I invite you to share your tips, tricks and strategies for incorporating greens into your diet in our private Facebook Group where we can all learn from each other. This is an exciting class of vegetables to explore and your body will thank you for it!

How To Grow, Care For & Use Your Culinary Herb Packs!

By Chef Andrea

Fresh herbs bring a fragrant vitality to your kitchen as well as adding beauty to your landscape or patio if your garden space is limited to potted plants. Back in our early days of CSA, we used to include more herbs in the CSA shares. We wanted to give members fresh herbs to cook with, however we heard frequently from members that they were not using all of the herbs in a bunch before they went bad. We brought this issue up at a meeting with our members and one member suggested we send the herbs as plants that they can plant themselves. What a great idea and an even better way to accomplish the overall goal of making fresh herbs available for CSA members to incorporate in their meals! When you need a fresh herb, you simply cut it from your plant—it doesn’t get any fresher than that!

You can plant your herbs in a garden space or in pots to keep on your patio, porch or kitchen window sill if you’re limited on space. Choose good, loose garden soil mixed with lots of compost (up to 1” mixed into the soil if you’re planting into a garden space). The plants will do best in well-drained soil with full sun. If you don’t have a space with full sun exposure, partial sun will be ok too. If you have rabbits or other little herb-loving critters in your yard, you might need to fence your herbs to protect them.

If you need help identifying the herbs in your pack, please refer to this diagram as well as the pictures that follow. (Note: We had trouble sourcing Winter Savory seed this year, and we were not able to get enough seed for all packs. Thus some packs will have a basil plant in place of the Winter Savory)

OREGANO

SAGE

THYME

SAVORY

There are four perennial herbs in your pack: Oregano, Sage, Thyme and Savory. These herbs can survive the winter and will consistently come back year after year, so consider where you’d like to establish these herbs in your garden. Sage and oregano will get quite large, so it is best to give them about 2 square feet of space in the area you plant them in. Each year we cut off all the old wood from our sage plant to make room for the new growth. Thyme and savory are a bit smaller and only need about 1 square foot of space.

ITALIAN BASIL

ITALIAN PARSLEY

CURLY PARSLEY

CHERVIL

The remaining plants in your pack are annuals and include Italian Basil, Italian Parsley, Curly Parsley and Chervil. Annuals will only produce for this season and will not survive the winter outdoors. Italian basil and chervil need to be cut back regularly to delay flower and seed formation so they continue to produce usable leaves. If you see even the earliest sign of flowering in either of these plants, cut them back to keep them vegetative. Parsley will continue to produce throughout the season, so don’t be afraid to cut these plants back too. If you can’t use your herbs as fast as they are growing, cut the extra herbs anyway and preserve them. There is more information about that below. When harvesting your herbs, use a sharp knife or scissors so you can make a clean cut.

Herbs are a great way to add flavor and nutrition to your cooking. Sometimes herbs are used to provide a background flavor, such as when you add herbs to the pot when making stock, broth or braised dishes. Often the herbs are put in as whole stems or bundles, are left to impart flavor and then are removed before using or serving. Other times herbs are used as a garnish, added just before serving with the purpose of complementing the dish. Examples of this include adding a little fresh parsley to a bowl of chicken soup or a plate of pasta or perhaps you add a little fresh basil to a pizza after it comes out of the oven. Fresh herbs should be cut as close to serving as possible and with a sharp knife so you don’t bruise the leaves. The flavor and aroma from herbs comes from the oils in the herb and will lessen over time. This is also why you usually add fresh herbs to a dish at the end of cooking or shortly before serving. In contrast, dried herbs need more time to develop the flavors that have been preserved in the process of drying. Dried herbs are added earlier in the cooking process to give them time to develop and come together with the other ingredients in the dish. In culinary school, we were taught to strip the leaves from the stems on fresh herbs and either discard the stem or use it in stock. If the stem is tough or more like a stick, you will want to do this. However, some herb stems are tender, flavorful, juicy and totally usable! I often chop the leaf and the stem when I’m using fresh thyme, parsley, chervil and sometimes young basil stems. Sage, savory and oregano stems are sometimes a bit more coarse and not as usable.

There are some classic preparations from around the world that feature herbs not as a garnish, but rather as the main ingredient. When your plants are really producing and you have a lot of fresh herbs available, consider using them more as a main ingredient in some of these preparations. Pesto is a great example of this and is traditionally made with fresh basil. Gremolata is an Italian condiment made from fresh parsley, lemon and garlic. It is traditionally served with osso bucco, an Italian dish of braised veal shank, but can also be served with lamb, beef, chicken or bean dishes. Chermoula is a Morroccan herb condiment made with fresh herbs including parsley and cilantro. It is often served with fish and seafood dishes. Chimichurri is another parsley based condiment originating in Argentina. It also includes garlic and parsley as the main ingredients, but also often includes fresh oregano, red pepper flakes and red wine vinegar. Salsa Verde is another fresh herb sauce, different from the salsa verde made from tomatillos. The herbal version of Salsa Verde is a simple herb sauce, similar in some ways to a coarse pesto. It’s often made with parsley, but you could make it with any fresh herbs.

There are also some traditional salads that feature fresh herbs. Tabbouleh, a Lebanese salad, is a combination of bulgur, tomatoes and lots of fresh parsley and mint. The Italian Caprese salad is another delicious salad built on simple ingredients of fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella and a little olive oil. You can also make your own simple vegetable and herb dishes with a few simple ingredients. In the middle of the summer I like to make a salad with whatever fresh vegetables are available. It could be something as simple as chopped peppers, shredded carrots, cucumbers and or tomatoes. Put them in a bowl and toss them with salt, pepper, olive oil and handfuls of whatever fresh herbs are available! These types of fresh vegetable salads make a delicious, fresh accompaniment to simple summer dinners which may be nothing more than a simple piece of grilled fish, a plate of fresh pasta or some good bread and cheese.

If you do have more herbs than you can use fresh, cut them back and preserve them. Some herbs, such as basil and parsley, can be pureed with a little oil and frozen in ice cube trays or muffin tins. Other herbs such as parsley, sage, oregano, thyme and savory are good as dried herbs. After you harvest them, give them a quick rinse and then dry them in a low-heat oven or in a food dehydrator. The other option is to bundle the herbs in small bundles and hang them in a dry place with good air flow and let them air dry. If you do this, make sure the herbs are more on the dry side when you bundle them and don’t put too many stems in a bundle or they may mold or take longer to dry. I hung bundles of herbs in my kitchen last year and they dried beautifully. Once your herbs are dried, strip them off the stem and put them in a glass jar.

We hope you enjoy growing your own herbs and find interesting and delicious ways to make use of them throughout the year. They really are a simple way to brighten up your landscape as well as your meals and the benefits they offer go beyond the flavor.

May 20, 2021 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Hon Tsai Tai!

Cooking With This Week's Box

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Chives:

Chive Cream Cheese

Garlic Bread Except with Chives!

Green Garlic:

Greens and Green Garlic Pesto (See Below)

Savory Greens Pancakes

Asparagus:

20 Asparagus Recipes to Make Right Now

Roasted Asparagus with Balsamic and Parmesan

Baby Arugula:

Roasted Asparagus and Arugula Pizza

Grilled Chicken with Arugula and Warm Chickpeas

Green Top Red & Purple Radishes:

Mediterranean Tuna & Radish Salad

Mustard Crusted Salmon with Dill Radishes and Asparagus

Sorrel:

Sorrel-Lime Cooler

Armenian Cold Yogurt & Sorrel Soup

Sauté Mix:

Sesame Noodles with Wilted Greens and a Fried Egg

Mixed Greens Salad with Mandarins, Toasted Almonds and Sesame Ginger Vinaigrette

Hon Tsai Tai:

Spring Greens Pasta with Greens & Green Garlic Pesto (See Below)

Sesame Soy Hon Tsai Tai Salad with Chicken

Baby White Turnips:

Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens

Turnip Greens Pesto Pizza

Baby Bok Choi:

Bok Choi Salad with Sesame Almond Crunch

Bok Choi Stir-Fry with Crispy Tofu

This week’s box is packed with leafy greens, which is the focus of our articles and recipes! Spring greens are an important part of a seasonal midwestern diet and we’ve got you covered this week! Hon tsai tai is a specialty green we plant two times early in the season and is the featured vegetable this week. While it’s related to baby bok choi, it’s special in its own right and stands out with its purple stems and yellow edible flowers. You really can use it anywhere you would use baby bok choi, but this week you could use it to make the Spring Greens Pasta with Greens & Green Garlic Pesto (See Below). I also included a link to Sesame Soy Hon Tsai Tai Salad with Chicken which has been a popular member recipe in past years.

Green Garlic Pancakes

Throughout the season I will continue to encourage you to eat the green tops on pretty much every vegetable that has an edible top! Don’t be afraid to use your greens and green topped vegetables interchangeably in recipes such as the featured pesto recipe this week as well as Savory Greens Pancakes. Of course, you can always keep the greens with the roots, especially when we’re talking about the darling baby white turnips in this week’s box! I included two of my favorite turnip recipes from past newsletters, but there are more on our website too!

Make sure you get your fill of asparagus as the season is never long enough! This week I included another pizza recipe to couple asparagus and arugula, but I also found a nice article featuring 20 Asparagus Recipes to Make Right Now. Of course, there are some times when I just like to keep it simple and sauté asparagus with a little butter or toss it with olive oil and roast it.

Creamy Turnip Grits & Greens

This is our final week for chives. Next week we’ll start harvesting our spring potato onions which are a very savory, delicious multiplier onion. We also have a pretty crop of mini red romaine head lettuce that should be ready to harvest next week. We’re also hoping to harvest our first spring-planted spinach crop and possibly some salad mix. You can also look forward to rhubarb in next week’s boxes, so get your favorite rhubarb recipes ready!

Have fun in the kitchen, eat your greens every day and have an invigorating week until we check in again!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Hon Tsai Tai

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Description: Hon tsai tai is in a group of plants referred to as “flowering brassicas” and has a mild mustard flavor. It is a Chinese specialty green also sometimes called Kailaan. While it is related to such vegetables as mustard greens and bok choi, what sets it apart is that it has beautiful purple stems that produce a sweet, delicate, edible yellow flower. The sweetness of the buds and flowers is the part we love the most! While other vegetables in the brassica family also produce flowers, they do so towards the end of their life cycle and at that point there are often undesirable flavor changes in the edible portion of the plant. Hon tsai tai is unique in that it produces the flower early in its life when all the parts of the plant still taste good.

Preparation & Use: The entire plant is edible and may be eaten raw or cooked. The thin purple stems are more tender when the plant is young. While still flavorful, they may become more coarse as the plant matures, so should be cut very finely at this stage. Hon tsai tai is delicious in stir-fries or lightly steamed or sautéed, but also makes a stunning and flavorful addition to raw salads. A common preparation in Chinese cuisine is to quickly stir-fry hon tsai tai with garlic, onions, and ginger, then add oyster sauce.

Storage: Store hon tsai tai loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator until ready for use.

Nutrition: Hon tsai tai has specifically been studied to evaluate its antioxidant potential in the body. In comparison to other vegetables in this family, some studies have shown that hon tsai tai has more antioxidant effect and may be effective in retarding the effects of aging. Just one more reason to make sure you eat hon tsai tai and other vegetables in this family when available!

(Chen J, Zhang J, Xiang Y, Xiang L, Liu Y, He X, Zhou X, Liu X, Huang Z. Extracts of Tsai Tai (Brassica chinensis): enhanced antioxidant activity and anti-aging effects both in vitro and in Caenorhabditis elegans. Food Funct. 2016 Feb;7(2):943-52. doi: 10.1039/c5fo01241d. PMID: 26726147.)

Greens & Green Garlic Pesto

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Photo from www.brooklynsupper.com

Yield: 2 cups

2-4 stalks green garlic (Greens and white portion)

½ cup toasted hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas) or almonds

2 cups chopped leafy greens, roughly chopped*

½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

½ cup olive oil (or other flavorful oil)

¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Zest of 1 lemon

2-3 Tbsp lemon juice

Cut the green garlic into approximate 1-inch pieces. Place in the bowl of a food processor along with the pepitas or almonds, leafy greens, salt and black pepper. Pulse to break down the ingredients into a coarse mixture.
With the food processor running, drizzle in the oil and mix just until combined. Stop the food processor, remove the lid and add parmesan cheese, lemon zest and 2 Tbsp lemon juice.
Blend until fully combined. You want the mixture to still have some texture, so do not try to blend it to be totally smooth. Taste and adjust to your liking by adding more lemon juice, salt and black pepper as needed.
Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

*Note: For “leafy greens” you may use nearly anything you have available! Radish & turnip tops, spinach, arugula, mustard, sauté greens, etc are all appropriate. Get creative!

Serving Suggestions: This pesto can be used in a variety of ways. Toss it with pasta or stir it into rice or other cooked grains. You can also mix a spoonful into scrambled eggs, spread it on toast or use it as a spread for a wrap or on sandwiches. Mix it with cream cheese and spread it on crackers. Serve it on fish, chicken or grilled steak. Toss it with roasted potatoes or other vegetables. As you can see, once you make this basic recipe there are a lot of options for how to put it to use!

Recipe adapted from www.brooklynsupper.com.

Spring Greens Pasta with Greens & Green Garlic Pesto

Yield: 3-4 servings

8 oz spaghetti noodles

4 oz bacon, sliced thinly (optional)

1 bunch hon tsai tai, or 2-4 cups of other “greens”

1-1½ cups Greens & Green Garlic Pesto (see recipe above)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving

Olive oil, for serving

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti per package instructions. When cooked to al dente, drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.
In a medium sauté pan over medium to medium high heat, cook bacon until crispy. You want about 1 Tbsp of fat in the pan once the bacon is cooked. If it looks like there is more oil than that, remove some with a spoon. If there is not enough fat, add a little olive oil.
Wash the hon tsai tai or whatever greens you are using. Shake off excess water, but note that it’s ok if they are not totally dry as you need some moisture to help them wilt down. Roughly chop them into bite-sized pieces.
Reduce the heat to medium and carefully add them to the pan with the bacon, if using, or to a pan with a little olive oil if you are not using the bacon. Be careful when doing so as the addition of moist greens to the pan with hot oil can cause spattering. After adding the greens to the pan, immediately put a lid on the pan and wilt the greens down for about 1-2 minutes.
Add the spaghetti to the pan along with about 1 cup of pesto. Stir to combine. Add more pesto to your liking.
When pasta is thoroughly heated through, taste and adjust to your liking with salt and pepper.
Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and grated Parmesan cheese.

Note from Chef Andrea: This is a very basic recipe for pasta tossed with greens and pesto. The beauty of this dish is that you can build upon this base by adding other ingredients of your choosing. Don’t limit yourself, rather use the ingredients you have available and turn this into whatever you want it to be!

If you don’t wish to use bacon, substitute another meat of your choosing (chunks of chicken, steak, or fish) or eliminate meat totally. Of course, you can add as many vegetables to this recipe as you wish! Just sauté any non-leafy green vegetables in a touch of oil before you add the spaghetti and leafy greens. Baby white turnips, asparagus and mushrooms would be tasty additions this time of year.

Wednesday, May 12, 2021

May 13, 2021 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Sorrel!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Sorrel:

Sorrel and Blue Cheese Smørbrød (Engsyresmørbrød med Blåmuggost)

Frosty Sorrel & Banana Smoothie

Sorrel Hummus

Sorrel-Lime Cooler

Nettles:

Nettle & Honey Cake

Nettle Risotto with Goat Cheese

Spiced Lentils with Nettles & Sorrel Yogurt Sauce

Green Garlic:

Mini Potato Pancakes with Green Garlic & Chives

Herb-Roasted Chicken with Asparagus & Green Garlic

Fried Rice with Green Garlic

Asparagus:

Bruschetta with Shaved Asparagus, Fresh Goat Cheese & Chive-Infused Oil

Penne with Asparagus Butter and Almonds

Baby Arugula:

No Chop Chickpea Salad with Arugula

Prosciutto & Arugula Pizza

Green Top Red & Diana Radishes:

Radish “Mock Potato” Salad

Sheet Pan Dill Radishes with Salmon

Radish Greens Pesto Pasta

Overwintered Parsnips:

Cardamom-Spiced Parsnip & Date Muffins with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

White Bean Stew with Parsnips & Bacon

Overwintered Sunchokes:

Chili & Lime Sunchoke Salsa

Garlicky Sunchoke Salad with Dill & Feta

Chives:

Chive Pesto

Chive Infused Oil

How To Dry Chives

Radish "Mock-Potato" Salad
photo from itsavegworldafterall.com

Welcome to Week 2 of Cooking Out of the Box! For those of you who are just joining us for the first week, I’m Chef Andrea and you’ll find me here every week! The purpose of this article is to provide you with a few ideas for how you might use each item in your CSA box each week. This week we’re featuring Sorrel, a tangy spring green that we grow as a perennial crop. In this week’s newsletter I shared two of our most popular recipes for sorrel that we have published in past newsletters, Frosty Sorrel & Banana Smoothie as well as Sorrel Hummus. If you don’t look any further than these recipes this week and make one or both of these, I guarantee you will not be disappointed! I also shared a new recipe I found for Sorrel and Blue Cheese Smørbrød (Engsyresmørbrød med Blåmuggost) which is super easy to make. All you need is good bread, good butter, good cheese and some good honey paired with this week’s sorrel. Assemble and enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!

This week’s collection of recipes also includes several ideas for how to use the generous bunch of chives! Don’t let them go to waste when you can easily turn them into preparations that can be frozen or are shelf stable so you can use them later! We’re happy to be sharing baby arugula and the first of our fresh green top radishes with you this week! If you were planning to cut the radishes off the tops and throw the tops away, DON’T! The tops are edible and packed with valuable nutrients! Turn them into a tasty Radish Top Pesto and toss it with pasta!

Nettle & Honey Cake
photo from northwildkitchen.com

This will be our final week for nettles. I stumbled across a few new recipes including nettles including a tasty risotto as well as nettle cake. That’s right, bake those greens right into a cake! Part of the fun with cooking out of a CSA box is trying new ways of preparing vegetables. I wasn’t so sure about putting greens into baked goods, but it works and is a great way for those who don’t typically like green vegetables to enjoy them!

I hope you have fun with this week’s box and don’t forget to share your cooking adventures in our Facebook group! Looking ahead to next week, we’re hoping the Baby White Turnips will be ready and we’re planning to include the beautiful Hon Tsai Tai as the cooking green! Have a great week!---Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Sorrel

By: Chef Andrea Yoder

Description: Sorrel is a unique perennial plant we look forward to every spring and is amongst the first greens of the season. It belongs to the Knotweed family of plants, which also includes such plants as rhubarb and buckwheat. Sorrel leaves have a pointy, arrow shape and are thick in texture and bright green in color with pinkish stems. You’ll recognize sorrel by its tart and citrus-like flavor if you nibble on a raw leaf. It has a bright flavor that will call your taste buds to attention!

Preparation & Use: Sorrel may be used in a wide variety of preparations and may be eaten either raw or cooked. Raw sorrel can be tannic and leave your mouth with a dry feeling, similar to drinking a tannic full-bodied red wine. Therefore, sorrel in its raw form is often used more as a seasoning or to compliment other ingredients. Raw sorrel can brighten any salad and is excellent when blended into cold sauces, vinaigrettes, dressings or dips. When cooked, sorrel behaves in a very interesting way. First, its color changes from bright green to a drab olive green almost immediately. Don’t worry, this happens to everyone and it’s just the way it is with sorrel! The other unusual thing about sorrel is how it “melts” when added to hot liquids. The leaves will almost immediately change color and then start to soften. The longer it’s cooked, the more the leaves break apart and you can stir it into a coarse sauce. This is one of the reasons it’s often used in soups and sauces.

Pasta with Sorrel Butter & Nettles

The tart, citrus-like flavor of sorrel pairs well with many other spring vegetables such as ramps, asparagus, spinach, sunchokes, and parsnips. The acidity of sorrel makes it a natural companion to more rich foods such as cream, butter, sour cream, yogurt, duck, and fatty fish (salmon & mackerel). Additionally, it pairs well with more “earthy” foods such as lentils, rice, buckwheat, mushrooms and potatoes. As with many other spring vegetables, sorrel pairs well with eggs and is often used in quiche, scrambled eggs, custard, etc. Don’t be afraid to think “outside of the box” and incorporate this green into beverages too!

Storage: Store sorrel in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. Wash well in cold water and dry it well before using it.

Frosty Sorrel & Banana Smoothie

Yield: 2 servings, 14-16 oz each

¾ cup plain yogurt

1 cup milk

1 frozen banana, peeled and cut into chunks

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

7-8 ice cubes

½ bunch sorrel (approximately 3 oz), leaves and stems roughly chopped

Put all ingredients in a blender in the order listed above. Put the cover on the blender and, with the blender on low speed, turn it on. Gradually increase the speed of the blender and blend until the mixture is smooth and bright green.
Serve immediately in a chilled glass.

Note: While this smoothie is best served immediately while it’s frosty, you can store it in the refrigerator for a day or so and it will still be delicious. It may separate a little bit, but it will come together again if you just give it a good shake before you drink it.

Recipe by: Chef Andrea Yoder, Harmony Valley Farm. This recipe was previously published, however it is one of the most popular sorrel recipes so we’re sharing it again!

Sorrel Hummus

Yield: 1 ½ cups

2 garlic cloves

1 ½ oz sorrel leaves, roughly chopped (approximately 1 cup)

1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (one-15 oz can)

¼ cup tahini

Grated zest of 1 organic lemon

1 ½ Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ tsp sea salt, plus more if desired

1 ½ tsp raw honey or pure maple syrup

¼ cup water

Cold-pressed olive oil, for serving*

Put the garlic in a food processor and pulse to mince. Add the sorrel, chickpeas, tahini, lemon zest and juice, salt, honey, and ¼ cup water, and blend on the highest setting until smooth. Season with more salt if needed.
Transfer the hummus to a serving bowl, drizzle olive oil over the top, and serve. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.

Note: If you are using the hummus as a spread, add 1 ½ tsp olive oil to the food processor and blend it into the hummus.

Serving Suggestions: This sorrel hummus is delicious served with pita bread, corn chips or fresh vegetables as an appetizer or snack. You can also use it as a spread for sandwiches, flat bread or wraps. When we tested this recipe, we chose to spread the sorrel hummus on a tortilla and stuffed it with fresh spinach and diced raw asparagus tossed with a little drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper. The hummus is bright and lemony and in Farmer Richard’s words.... “also rich & creamy. I like the contrast of the crispy asparagus with the creamy hummus.” This spread goes well with any spring vegetable including radishes, green onions, blanched nettles, baby white turnips and more!

Recipe Source: This recipe was borrowed from Sarah Britton’s beautiful cookbook, My New Roots. This book was just released 10 2015 and it’s packed full of nourishing plant-based recipes organized by the season. Sarah also has a blog by the same name, My New Roots ( www.mynewroots.org). Her recipes are vegetarian and often vegan friendly, although they are also adaptable to include in meals for meat-eaters as well. Another bonus of both her book and her blog…..the gorgeous pictures!

This recipe was previously published, however it is one of the most popular sorrel recipes so we’re sharing it again!

Sorrel & Blue Cheese Smørbrød (Engsyresmørbrød med Blåmuggost)

Medium-dark, hearty bread

A handful of sorrel leaves, rinsed

Firm blue cheese

Handful of walnuts, roughly chopped

Runny Honey

Butter, for spreading

Slice the bread. Spread each slice with butter, then top with a couple of sorrel leaves, some blue cheese, a couple of walnuts and then drizzle the top with a good honey. You can also serve these as appetizers.

Recipe from www.northwildkitchen.com