Harmony Valley Farm: June 29, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Summer Salad Cabbage

We’re closing out the month of June and welcoming in July later this week! Vegetables are really growing now, and we’ll have more new items coming on very soon! Richard just brought a tomatillo in from the field this week from the first planting?! It won’t be long before we’re picking tomatoes, tomatillos and even sweet corn! But this week we are featuring Summer Salad Cabbage! The beauty of cabbage is that you can make a simple, nourishing summer vegetable salad with cabbage as the base. I have two simple recipes to share with you this week, both utilizing other vegetables from this week’s box or possibly last week’s box if you still have a few kohlrabies in your refrigerator! The first is for Sweet Sesame-Lime Cabbage Slaw (See Below). This original recipe called for carrots, but we don’t have those yet (coming soon!), so I thinly sliced sugar snap peas in their place and the slaw was beautiful and delicious! The other recipe is for Kohlrabi and Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing (See Below). If you have some kohlrabi remaining from last week, you can pair it with this week’s cabbage! If you don’t have any kohlrabi available, just substitute additional cabbage for the kohlrabi in this recipe.

Crispy Tofu & Zucchini Stir-Fry
Photo from www.washingtonpost.com

I also included links to some of my favorite summer cabbage recipes from past newsletters, many of which utilize other items from this week’s box. This recipe for the Simplest Cabbage Slaw is my go-to recipe when I need a creamy slaw. I often add other vegetables in as available and in season. This Summer Vietnamese Rice Noodle Salad is a great dish to make as a main entrée salad in the heat of the summer. In addition to all the vegetables, you add rice noodles and protein of your choosing (Chicken, Tofu, Shrimp, etc.) so it qualifies as a full meal. This is also a great picnic item! I also had to include the link to Cilantro Lime Slaw to put on top of Life-Changing Crispy Baked Fish Tacos. I mention this often because it is the best crispy fish taco recipe I’ve ever made at home—it’s really good!

If you still haven’t signed up to be part of our private Facebook Group, you’re missing out! There have been some great recipe shares in there over the past week or two, including a few zucchini recipes I’ve never seen before. If you like things spicy, try this Kung Pao Zucchini. Someone also shared this tasty recipe for Crispy Tofu & Zucchini Stir-Fry, a great vegetarian entrée. Lastly, use this week’s zucchini to make this very simple, but tasty, Zucchini Butter Spaghetti with Basil.

What are you going to do with two bunches of scallions this week? If you are looking for some inspiration, head over to Food52.com and check out these recipes: Scallion Egg Noodles, Taiwanese Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Scallions & Broccoli and Charred Scallion Dip.

Happy 4th of July to everyone! As you put together meals and picnics for your holiday celebrations, don’t forget about the vegetables hiding out in your kitchens and refrigerators! And of course, post your creations in the Facebook so we can cheer you on! I’ll see you back again next week with more new vegetables, including (most likely) fennel, carrots and fresh garlic!---Take care, Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Summer Salad Cabbage

by Andrea Yoder

We plant most of our cabbage for harvest in the fall as cabbage thrives and tastes better when it is grown in cooler temperatures. However, it’s nice to have fresh cabbage to use in summer vegetable salads, which is why we’ve selected two summer salad cabbage varieties that have the unique attribute of doing well as an early-season summer cabbage. Why do we call it “salad cabbage?” Well, the reason is that the leaves are tender enough to be eaten raw in salads and the flavor is mild and well-balanced. Another reason we grow this variety for summer harvest is that it gives us another option for a “salad green” during the part of the season when salad mix, and other more delicate salad greens are more challenging to grow. This year we have two different salad cabbage varieties. The first is a small, round, green cabbage that is called “Tiara.” The other one that we’ll be delivering in an upcoming box is called “Sweetheart” and it is a green cabbage that grows more upright into the shape of a cone! Both varieties are intended to be smaller in stature, but don’t be fooled by their size. These heads of cabbage have tightly wrapped leaves and are very dense. You’ll be surprised by how much cabbage you can get from one of these small heads!

Salad cabbage is most often eaten raw or lightly cooked. Lightly rinse the outer leaves before using. If you don’t use the entire cabbage for one preparation, wrap the remaining portion of cabbage and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. If you’re using it for vegetable slaws or raw salads, slice it very thinly or shred it. If you choose to cook it, I’d recommend a quick cooking method such as stir-frying or grilling and be careful not to overcook it!

Store salad cabbage loosely wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. While it’s not intended for long term storage, it will store for several weeks in the refrigerator. Just don’t forget about it!

Sweet Sesame-Lime Cabbage Salad

Yield: 4 servings

For the Salad:

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 cup additional vegetables, shredded or thinly sliced

(Carrots, sugar snap or snow peas, etc)

½ cup finely sliced scallions

1 cup chopped cilantro

Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish (optional)

For the Dressing:

¼ fresh lime juice, plus the zest of the lime(s)

2 Tbsp honey or maple syrup

1 tsp raw apple cider vinegar

1 garlic scape or 1 clove garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced or 1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

First, make the dressing. In a large bowl, combine the lime juice, honey, vinegar, garlic, ginger, salt, and sesame oil. Whisk well to combine.
Next, add the shredded cabbage, additional vegetables of your choosing, scallions, and cilantro. Toss to coat all of the vegetables with the dressing. Set aside and let the ingredients marinate for about 15 minutes.
Taste the salad and adjust the seasoning to your liking by adding more sweetener, lime juice or salt as needed. Stir in the toasted sesame seeds and serve either chilled or at room temperature.
Leftovers may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Recipe borrowed from Megan Gilmore at www.detoxinista.com/sweet-sesame-lime-cabbage-salad.

Kohlrabi & Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing

Yield: 6-8 servings

Photo from thekitchn.com

3 small to medium kohlrabi

4 cups shredded cabbage

¼ cup dried cherries

¼ cup sunflower seeds

¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh dill

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 Tbsp pure maple syrup

Zest of 1 lemon

Juice of 2 lemons

1 garlic clove, minced

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Using a sharp knife, remove the long stems and greens from the kohlrabi. Reserve for another use. Using a peeler or paring knife, peel away the outer skin. Shred the kohlrabi in a box grater or using a food processor.
In a large serving bowl, combine the kohlrabi, cabbage, cherries, sunflower seeds, and dill. Toss to combine.
In a small jar with a tight-fitting lid, combine the olive oil, maple syrup, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Shake to thoroughly combine. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss to coat well. Let set for about 20 minutes before serving.

Recipe sourced from www.thekitchn.com, however it was originally published in The Modern Menu by Kim Kushner.

Wednesday, June 28, 2023

June 29, 2023 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Summer Salad Cabbage

Cooking With This Week's Box

Vegetable Feature: Summer Salad Cabbage

Sweet Sesame-Lime Cabbage Salad

Kohlrabi & Cabbage Salad with Maple Lemon Dressing

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