Harmony Valley Farm: June 22, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Baby Bok Choi

As we continue our journey through the seasons, our spring greens are winding down and we are transitioning into summer greens. Last week we had our first kale, but this week we’ve included rainbow chard and baby bok choi. So, let’s start with our featured vegetable, baby bok choi. This week’s recipes are very simple, which is just the style I like for putting quick and easy meals on the table during the busy summer months! The first recipe for Sesame Ginger Grilled Bok Choi (See Below) left me wondering why I have not grilled bok choi before! This recipe is simply putting halved bok choi on a grill and then tossing it with a super simple vinaigrette. You can serve this with anything, but I ate it with steamed rice, ground pork with thinly sliced red radishes and sesame seeds to garnish. You could serve it alongside steamed or grilled fish, with rice and a fried egg, or just enjoy it on its own. The second recipe for Summer Bok Choi Salad with Sesame -Soy Vinaigrette (See Below) is also very easy. Basically, cut the bok choi very finely, along with other summer vegetables you have, and toss it with this easy Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette. Garnish the salad with toasted sesame seeds and that’s it!

It's a big zucchini week! If you haven’t pulled out your favorite zucchini recipes, or if you don’t have any favorite zucchini recipes, I can help. This collection of 30 Best Zucchini Recipes has some good selections to choose from. Personally, I’m feeling a bit of a sweet tooth this week and these recipes for Zucchini Brownies and Zucchini Donuts are calling my name!

As zucchini is ramping up, we’re nearing the end of strawberries. While they’re still available, consider making this Pesto Strawberry Caprese Salad for a light lunch salad. You could also add these Strawberries and Cream Biscuits to your breakfast or brunch menu!

I’m excited to have fresh beets again as I’ve been waiting to use them to make this Roasted Beet Salad with Kale and Maple-Candied Nuts. This is a recipe we published several years ago, and it is very delicious. I also included two of my favorite kohlrabi recipes from past newsletters. This recipe for creamy Kohlrabi Custard was a recommendation from a longtime CSA member and friend of the farm. It’s quite tasty and a different way to use kohlrabi. I also really like this recipe for Kohlrabi & Chickpea Salad, courtesy of Andrea Bemis from www.disghingupthedirt.

As I sign off for today, I want to extend our gratitude to the individuals who came to the farm this past Sunday for our Strawberry Day celebration! It was so lovely to see your faces again and we enjoyed the conversations we were able to have with you. While the rainstorm was not part of our plan, we did need the rain and are grateful to all of you for making that happen just at the time we were heading to the strawberry field! While it was a bit ironic, it was also very welcomed! Despite the rain, nearly 270 pounds of berries were picked, and everyone had a chance to enjoy a cup of custom-made gelato from Magpie Gelato shop in Viroqua.

Have a great week and I’ll see you back next week for more summer recipes!! Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Baby Bok Choi

by Andrea Yoder

Baby bok choi is one of our “bread and butter” crops that we grow not only to include in your CSA boxes, but also to support our wholesale and retail partners. Last year we did 19 plantings of baby bok choi from late April through early September that totaled 4.07 acres. From that acreage we were able to harvest 80,000 pounds of baby bok choi! That’s a lot of bok choi and as you can see, it’s a very important crop for our farm! While we used to grow full-sized bok choi, we have found these baby bok choi varieties are better suited to our needs. The varieties we grow are naturally this small stature, even at full maturity. Baby Bok Choi is a mild-flavored Asian green that is related to tat soi and hon tsai tai. It is tender enough to be eaten both raw in salads and lightly cooked. I consider it to be one of nature’s fast foods as it only takes a few minutes at most to stir-fry, sauté or steam it. I usually slice the stems of baby bok choi separate from the leaves. If cooking, I give them a few additional minutes of cooking time before adding the leaves. Bok choi may be added to seasonal stir-fries, lightly steamed, or sautéed and eaten alongside steamed rice and fish or meat. It is also often added to ramen or noodle bowls and a variety of soup concepts in various cuisines throughout Asia. It is small enough that it may be chopped or just cooked whole or halved. I mentioned that bok choi may also be eaten raw in a salad, which is a great way to take advantage of its crispy, crunchy attributes. Since it grows through the entire summer, it’s also a nice alternative to lettuce and spinach which are more difficult to grow in summer heat. Bok choi salads are best simply dressed with a light vinaigrette.

Store baby bok choi in a plastic bag or in a closed container in the refrigerator to prevent dehydration until you’re ready to use them. Before using the bok choi you will need to take a moment to clean it. Fill a sink with cold water and trim the base of the bok choi to allow the leaves to separate from the main stem. Swish the leaves in the water, and then check the base of each leaf. You may need to wash a little dirt off the base of the stem. Alternatively, if you are cooking them whole or halved, be sure to run water through the base of the bok choi as this is the most likely place where soil from the field may be found. If you are going to sauté or grill bok choi, be sure to remove as much excess water from the bok choi as possible to avoid oil spattering while cooking. You’ll also want to pat or spin the greens dry if you’re using them in a salad.

Sesame Ginger Grilled Bok Choi

Yield: 4 servings

Photo from www.sweetcsdesign.com

1 pound baby bok choi

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground turmeric (optional)

1 Tbsp sesame seeds, toasted (optional garnish)

Preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat. If not already seasoned, brush grill with oil prior to heating.
Halve and rinse baby bok choi well. Lay out on a clean dish towel, cut side down. Pat leaves to remove excess moisture.
In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and turmeric (if using). Once well combined, set aside.
When grill is hot, lay bok choi on the grill, cut side down. Grill until the bok choi has nice grill marks and is starting to soften. Turn pieces of bok choi over and grill on the other side. It will likely take 4-5 minutes per side to yield a finished product that still has some crunch to it. If you like it softer, move the bok choi to a part of the grill with less intense flame and let it cook a little longer. Once cooked to your liking, remove from the grill, and put the bok choi in the bowl with the vinaigrette.
Using tongs, toss the hot bok choi in the vinaigrette to coat all pieces well. Serve hot or at room temperature, garnished with toasted sesame seeds if desired.

Recipe adapted slightly from www.sweetcsdesigns.com/sesame-ginger-grilled-bok-choy.

Chef Andrea Note: This is a very simple, but tasty, vegetable side dish to make. Serve it with steamed rice and grilled chicken, beef, or pork for a quick dinner. For a vegetarian option, serve with a fried egg or grilled tofu in place of meat.

Summer Bok Choi Salad

Yield: 4 Servings

Photo from www.thecozyapron.com

Salad Ingredients:

1 pound baby bok choi

½ cup shredded carrot, kohlrabi or thinly sliced snap peas

4-6 red radishes, sliced thinly into matchsticks

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette:

2 cloves fresh garlic or garlic scapes, finely minced

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp rice vinegar

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

3 Tbsp avocado or other neutral oil

First, wash and pat dry all baby bok choi. Thinly slice bok choi and place in a medium bowl along with carrots (or other vegetable of your choosing), and radishes. Set aside
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients for sesame-soy vinaigrette. Whisk well to combine.
When you are ready to serve the salad, drizzle the dressing over the vegetables and, using salad tongs, toss to thoroughly combine the salad. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds and serve.

Note: It is best to put the vinaigrette on the salad just before using. If you do not plan to eat the entire salad at once, separate a portion of the vegetables you plan to eat and only put vinaigrette on this portion, reserving the remaining vegetables and vinaigrette for another day.

Recipe adapted slightly from www.thecozyapron.com/bok-choy-salad.

Wednesday, June 21, 2023

June 22, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Baby Bok Choi

Cooking With This Week's Box

Vegetable Feature: Baby Bok Choi

Sesame Ginger Grilled Bok Choi

Summer Bok Choi Salad

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