July 9, 2020 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Amaranth!

Cooking With This Week's Box

Amaranth: Chinese Amaranth & Garlic Soup (see below); Summer Amaranth & Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas (see below)

Green Scallions: Summer Amaranth & Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas (see below); Creamy Charred Scallion Dip; Skillet Chicken and Zucchini with Charred Onion Salsa

Fresh Porcelain Garlic: Chinese Amaranth & Garlic Soup (see below); Summer Amaranth & Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas (see below); Beet Green Pesto

Cauliflower: Cauliflower Rice; Cauliflower Buns

Green and/or Italian Zucchini: Skillet Chicken and Zucchini with Charred Onion Salsa; Fudgy Zucchini Brownies; Flourless Almond Butter Zucchini Bars; Spiralized Zucchini with Beet Balls

Green and/or Silver Slicer Cucumbers: Cucumber Water; Cucumber Mint & Basil Soda

Green Top Beets: Beet Green Pesto; Spiralized Zucchini with Beet Balls; Last Week’s Vegetable Feature Article

Fennel: Fennel Orange Muffins; Fennel Vegetable Feature Article

Green and/or Yellow Beans: Summer Amaranth & Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas (see below); Stove Top Green Bean “Casserole”

Beautiful amaranth greens on their way to becoming dinner!

I don’t know what it is about amaranth that makes me so happy, but I have to admit—I love this vegetable!  Maybe it’s the stunning color or perhaps it’s the nutrition nerd coming out in me.  There’s just something about eating a beautiful vegetable that I know is benefiting my health.  To all the naysayers who think “healthy” food doesn’t taste good—quite the opposite.  So lets jump into this week’s box starting with amaranth.  This week I’m sharing two simple recipes with you.  The first is a Chinese Amaranth & Garlic Soup (see below).  You might be thinking, “Seriously Andrea, soup in July?”  I couldn’t help it—it’s such a simple recipe I had to see if it was good.  When I first tasted it, I actually said out load “Wow, this is really good!”  The key is making sure you have good quality vegetables (check—you do) and a good quality stock or broth.  If you have these things along with about 15 minutes you can make this simple, nourishing soup.  Serve it with steamed rice or perhaps the Soy-Pickled Eggs that were part of the recipe for Spicy Pork & Turnip Soup featured back in May.  Don’t be afraid to eat this soup for breakfast too.  I know this might seem odd to some of you, but I actually do like to eat soup for breakfast, especially nourishing ones like this.  It is a good way to get a nutrient boost to start your day without weighing you down.  The second recipe is for Summer Amaranth & Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas (see below).  The ingredient list is a little long, but don’t let that intimidate you.  There are several components to this recipe, but once you have everything prepped it comes together quickly.  The point of this recipe is to let the simple flavor of the vegetables come out.  If you want more flavor, you could add some ground cumin or coriander or serve it with a bit of hot sauce.  The quinoa and chickpeas contribute additional protein, so this can be served alone as a main dish salad or you could serve a smaller portion as a side dish.  This is also a good “prep in advance” salad that you can make on the weekend and then pull out during the week for a quick dinner.  You could also make it in advance and portion it into containers that will make a quick “grab-n-go” lunch option to take with you to work (if you’re going to work) or for a picnic!

Creamy Charred Scallion Dip
photo from kitchenstories.com

We’re nearing the end of our spring-planted scallions, maybe just one more week before we move into the next onion selection.  While scallions are often used in smaller quantities to accent a dish, you can also use them as more of a main, featured item.  Check out this recipe for Creamy Charred Scallion Dip.  This would be another good item to take on a picnic or enjoy on the patio for an evening snack with a cold beverage.  I also want to try this recipe for Skillet Chicken and Zucchini with Charred Onion Salsa.

Since I mentioned zucchini, we might as well check out a few more zucchini recipes such as Fudgy Zucchini Brownies or Flourless Almond Butter Zucchini Bars.  Life is too short to not indulge in dessert now and again. 

Spiralized Zucchini with Beet Balls
photo from veggiedesserts.com

What shall we do with this week’s beets?  How about Spiralized Zucchini with Beet Balls.  This is a vegan recipe utilizing zucchini as a “noodle” tossed with pesto and served with little baked beet balls on top.  The recipe just calls for pesto, so you could go with a standard basil pesto or consider using the beet greens to make this Beet Green Pesto, which is also vegan.  If you’re looking for another use for beet greens, check out this Red Lentil Soup with Beet Greens.  If you’re not into pesto and beet balls this week, refer back to Last Week’s Vegetable Feature Article about beets for more recipe suggestions!

The first cauliflower of the season is finally ready!  I have to admit, I’ve never made Cauliflower Rice, so this might be the week to give it a try!  So here’s a new use for cauliflower I never would’ve dreamed up on my own.  Cauliflower Buns!  That’s right, this recipe uses cauliflower as one of the main ingredients to make gluten free buns, or bagels if you want to shape them differently.  This is one of those “Really, does this work” kind of recipes that I just have to try.  If you beat me to it, post your results in our Facebook Group!

Cucumber Mint & Basil Soda
photo from bonappetit.com

Moving on, lets talk about cucumbers….which are coming out of our ears this week (figuratively)!  Cucumbers are nature’s hydration vegetable.  Check out this article featuring Cucumber Water.  The article talks about the health benefits of adding cucumbers to your water, especially in the heat of the summer.  There’s also a recipe at the end of the article.  You can jazz up a basic recipe by adding other ingredients such as herbs or fruit.  I also want to try this refreshing recipe for Cucumber Mint & Basil Soda.  This might just be the “cold beverage” to enjoy on the patio with a bowl of that Creamy Charred Scallion Dip!

We’re nearing the end of this week’s box, but we have a few more items to play with!  Last week in the Facebook Group there were quite a few good recipe suggestions including Fennel Orange Muffins.  This recipe comes from the Fairshare CSA coalition’s cookbook, From Asparagus to Zucchini.  If you’re looking for more fennel recipes, I’ll refer you to last year’s Fennel Vegetable Feature Article on our blog.  Go to the end of the article and you’ll find a long list of suggestions for utilizing all parts of the fennel!

Summer isn’t summer without fresh green beans!  Here’s a recipe for Stove Top Green Bean “Casserole,” a riff on a classic American recipe minus the canned onions and cream of mushroom soup.  Please note this recipe calls for 2 pounds of beans, but there is only 1 pound in your box so you’ll need to cut the recipe in half.

Ok, I think that’s a wrap for this week.  In case you’re wondering what’s coming next, I have my eyes on fresh, green top carrots and Richard’s been doing some test digs to decide when we can dig new potatoes!  I don’t know when we’ll be able to start picking, but tomatillos are almost ready and some of the tomatoes have set on fruit!  Have a great week!—Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Amaranth Greens

By Chef Andrea

This week’s featured vegetable is not only gorgeous, but it’s also packed with nutrition!  We’re talking about Amaranth Greens!  While this is a “green” type vegetable, the leaves on this beauty are actually a dark burgundy red color.  When you’re driving by the fields, the bed of bright red amaranth greens is a site to behold, and it makes it easy to find in the field!

Amaranth is thought to have originated in Central and/or South America, but has made its way around the globe.  It can be found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, which means there are many options for finding ways to use this vegetable.  Amaranth is used in Indian cuisine, paired with a variety of lentil and curry dishes.  It’s also used in the Carribean where it’s known as callaloo and is used in soups laced with coconut and chiles.  You’ll also find amaranth in Chinese cuisine, either lightly stir-fried with garlic, etc or incorporated into a simple soup such as the one featured in this week’s newsletter!  As I mentioned, amaranth is thought to have originated in Central and/or South America, so it also pairs well with flavor combinations from the cuisine of these regions.  One of the reasons we choose to include amaranth in our line-up of “CSA Vegetables” is because it thrives in the heat of the summer when other greens and lettuce really struggle.  As such, it goes well with all those other summer vegetables including zucchini, eggplant, peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, corn, onions and garlic.

Amaranth greens could be called one of our own “superfoods.”  While I’ve never sent a sample to the lab to test nutrient levels, we know “greens” in general are packed with nutrients and foods with vibrant colors are such because of antioxidants and phytochemicals in them.  Amaranth is thought to have high levels of iron, potassium, magnesium, vitamin C and vitamin E…to name just a few of its nutrient attributes.  Do yourself a favor and eat this vegetable if for no other reason than that it’s good for you!

The variety of amaranth we grow is referred to as “Polish Amaranth.”  We purchased the seed from Wild Garden Seeds (WGS), which is kind of funny because our own Farmer Richard is the one who actually gave them the seed originally!  For those of you who haven’t heard the story, it goes like this: One day Richard was driving to LaCrosse, WI and saw this beautiful red amaranth growing in a garden along the way.  He stopped and asked the people who lived there about this plant.  They said their Aunt May brought the seed with her from Poland and they were happy to share it with Richard.  So Richard collected some seed and started growing it, mostly as a baby green to mix into his gourmet salad mix.  It didn’t do so well as a salad mix ingredient, but in later years we found success growing it as a mid-summer bunching green used for cooking.  Since we aren’t in the business of seed production, Richard passed the seed onto Frank Morton at WGS and he has been maintaining this variety of amaranth.   Thanks Frank!

Spicy Amaranth with Zucchini & Black-eyed Peas

While amaranth may be eaten raw, at this stage where it is more mature we recommend enjoying it as a cooking green for optimal flavor.  The stems are often tender enough to be eaten as well. The stems will need just a little extra cooking time so I like to separate the stems and leaves.  Cut off about one inch of the lower portion of the stem and then finely chop them.  When cooking, add the stems to the pan a few minutes ahead of the leaves.  Amaranth can be simply boiled, steamed or sautéed with garlic and onions for a super-simple preparation.  You can also wilt it into soups, grain dishes, curries, and bean dishes.  Many of the nutrients in amaranth, including the phytochemical that gives it its pink color, are water soluble.  Thus, you’ll notice when you cook amaranth the leaves will often turn green and the cooking liquid or other ingredients you’re cooking with the amaranth will turn pink!  Always try to use any cooking liquid (eg if you choose to simmer or boil amaranth) so you retain the nutrients.  I almost forgot to tell you what it tastes like!  Amaranth is similar in flavor to spinach, except it’s even better!

Store amaranth greens in the refrigerator loosely wrapped in a plastic bag or a storage container with a lid.  If you want to enjoy their beauty before you eat them, you can also put them in a vase and leave them at room temperature where you can see them!  Be sure to change the water daily.  Enjoy!

Chinese Amaranth & Garlic Soup

Yield:  4-6 servings

1 bunch amaranth greens

3 small or 1-2 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly

2 Tbsp peanut or sunflower oil

32 oz chicken stock

16 oz water (optional)

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Freshly ground white pepper, to taste (optional)

1. Separate the amaranth leaves from the stems.  Cut the amaranth leaves into thin strips.  Cut the bottom one inch off the stems and then chop finely.

2. Heat a wok or 2-3 quart saucepot over medium heat.  Add the oil and once it shimmers, add the garlic.  Stir carefully and cook until the garlic is very fragrant and even turning just a little golden brown.  Add the amaranth stems and cook an additional 1-2 minutes.  

3. Stir in the amaranth greens and continue to stir-fry just until the greens have wilted.

4. Add the chicken stock and additional water if needed (if the stock or broth you are using is concentrated, you may want to use additional water).  Season with a bit of salt, black pepper and white pepper (optional).  Bring the soup to a simmer.  

5. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, just until the broth is pink and the amaranth is tender.

6. Remove from heat and adjust the seasoning to your liking with additional salt and pepper as needed.  Serve hot.

Recipe adapted from www.thehongkongcookery.com.

Summer Amaranth & Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

Yield:  5-6 servings

1 ½ cups quinoa

3 cups water

1 ½ tsp salt, plus more to taste

1 tsp ground turmeric

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

¼ cup raisins

2 cups cut fresh green beans

1 bunch amaranth, leaves and stems separated

1 Tbsp sunflower or olive oil

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp honey

1 tsp Dijon mustard

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas

1 cup finely sliced scallions (green tops and bottoms)

1. In a medium sized pot, combine quinoa, water, 1 tsp salt, turmeric and ¼ tsp black pepper.  Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.  Reduce the temperature to medium, enough to maintain a gentle simmer.  Cover the pan and simmer for 13-15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed and the quinoa is tender.  Remove the pan from the heat, add the raisins and gently stir the quinoa with a fork to release some of the steam.  Place a clean dish towel over the pan and put the lid back on.  Set aside for 8-10 minutes.  The towel will absorb excess steam as the quinoa begins to cool.

2. Place the cooked quinoa in a large mixing bowl and set aside to cool to room temperature.

3. While the quinoa is cooking, prepare the green beans and amaranth.  Remove the stem end from the green beans and cut into ½-inch pieces.  Separate the stems and leaves of amaranth.  Roughly chop the amaranth leaves into bite-sized pieces.  Set aside.  Cut the lower 1 inch of stem off and discard it.  Finely chop the remaining stem.

4. In a medium sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp sunflower or olive oil over medium to medium-high heat.  Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and saute until fragrant.  Add the cut green beans and ½ tsp salt to the pan.  Stir to combine, then continue to sauté just until the green beans turn bright green.  Add the amaranth stems and sauté an additional 1-2 minutes, then add the leaves to the pan, cover and allow the leaves to wilt.  This will take 3-4 minutes.

5. Once the greens are wilted, remove the lid and continue to cook until all the moisture is gone and the leaves are fully wilted and tender.  Remove from heat and set aside.

6. In a small mixing bowl, combine lemon juice, honey and Dijon mustard.  Drizzle in ¼ cup olive oil while continuing to stir.  

7. Now it’s time to compile all the salad ingredients.  To the bowl containing quinoa, add the chickpeas, amaranth and green bean mixture and scallions.  Drizzle the lemon vinaigrette over everything and stir gently to combine.  Let set for 5-10 minutes and then taste it.  Adjust the seasoning with additional salt, pepper and/or lemon juice as needed.  Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled if you prefer.

Additional Notes: Don’t be afraid to add to this recipe if you are inclined to do so.  Serve it with a little hot sauce or stir in a large handful of coarsely chopped fresh herbs (mint, basil, parsley, or cilantro) if you wish.

Recipe by Chef Andrea Yoder

July 12, 2018 - This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Red Amaranth

Cooking With This Week’s Box: 

This Week’s Summary of Recipes and the Vegetables They Utilize:

Purple Cipollini or Sierra Blanca Onions: Black Beans with Amaranth (see below); Detox Summer Slaw

Fresh Porcelain Garlic: Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Rice

Zucchini: Zucchini & Summer Squash Soup with Oregano & Chickpeas; Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Rice

Cucumbers: Sweet Turmeric Pickles

Green & Yellow Beans: Green Bean Satay

Red Amaranth: Black Beans with Amaranth (see below)

Green Top Carrots: Carrot Top Chimichurri; Sweet Rice with Carrots & Nuts

   

Broccoli: Broccoli Slaw

Green Top Red Beets: Creamed Beets with Greens

Sweetheart Cabbage:  Detox Summer Slaw

Basil:  Basil French 75 Cocktail

This week’s box has some colorful new vegetable selections, starting with the gorgeous Red Amaranth!  This has become one of our favorite, and most striking, summer vegetables.  We’ve been growing this vegetable for several years, so you’ll find the most diverse recipe collection for this vegetable on our website in our searchable recipe database.  There are a few recipes popping up here and there on the internet, including the recipe we’re featuring this week.  This recipe for Black Beans with Amaranth (see below) was originally featured at Cooking.nytimes.com.  Several years ago one of our market customers brought me a copy of this recipe and raved about how good it is.  The next year, I had another market customer recommend this recipe, followed by yet another.  Needless to say, this recipe came highly recommended by several other members as well as one of my colleagues so I figured it must be a winner!  Serve these flavorful beans along with rice, meat or grilled vegetables to make it a full meal.

The other most colorful vegetable in this week’s box is the bunch of green top red beets!  You’ll want to utilize both the root and the greens, which is the reason I created this simple recipe for Creamed Beets with Greens.  This is one of Richard’s favorite recipes for preparing beets.  It’s a simple recipe that comes together very quickly and makes a nice side dish for grilled or roasted meat.

Sweet Rice with Carrots & Nuts
Photo from food52

If you haven’t noticed, we encourage our members to make full use of the vegetables in the boxes by utilizing the green tops attached to selections such as the beets and carrots in this week’s box.  So, this week I’m going to turn those carrot tops into Carrot Top Chimichurri.  It’s a great condiment to enjoy with grilled flank steak.  This recipe will also make use of some of the fresh herbs in your herb garden including parsley and oregano.  As for the tender, sweet carrots, use them to make this interesting Persian dish of Sweet Rice with Carrots & Nuts.  This dish features jasmine rice seasoned with cinnamon, cardamom and turmeric with a touch of honey and the sweetness of shredded carrots.  You also add some fragrant orange zest along with pistachio nuts and almonds.  The author of this recipe recommends serving this with roasted chicken.

Detox Summer Slaw
Photo from with food + love

This week’s “salad green” is sweetheart cabbage, a variety of cabbage specifically grown to be eaten raw as a salad.  This recipe for Detox Summer Slaw is a simple way to use the sweetheart cabbage.  I’m not a fan of the name of this recipe, but I like the simplicity of it.  You combine shredded cabbage with green onions (use thinly sliced onion tops), fresh parsley and slices of fresh peaches (I’ll substitute nectarines from this week’s fruit share) tossed with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.  Garnish the slaw with sunflower seeds and avocado—that’s it!  Serve this salad for dinner with a piece of grilled or broiled salmon.  If you have leftover slaw, take it for your lunch the next day wrapped in a tortilla along with some shredded roasted chicken and a touch of mayonnaise.

Zucchini & Summer Squash Soup with Oregano & Chickpeas
Photo from with food + love

I know it’s the middle of summer and soup may not be at the top of your list, but this simple recipe for Zucchini & Summer Squash Soup with Oregano & Chickpeas looks like a great way to use some of the zucchini in your box along with more fresh herbs from your herb garden and some of the fresh garlic.  This soup will come together quickly if you need a quick dinner option, and the author suggests freezing it as well.  So, perhaps you want to make a double batch and freeze part of it to enjoy later in the year.  This soup can also be pureed and served chilled.

If you have some zucchini remaining after the soup, consider using it to make this Cheesy Garlic Zucchini Rice.  This dish could stand alone for dinner served with this Broccoli Slaw or serve it as a side dish with grilled sirloin steak or Grilled Portobello mushrooms.  The broccoli slaw I mentioned will make use of both the florets and stems of your broccoli.  This recipe also calls for dried cranberries and sliced almonds for some crunch.

Green Bean Satay
Picture from Create kids club

I have to admit I ate a lot of overcooked green beans as a kid, so green beans have never been one of my favorite vegetables.  However, I do really like properly cooked, fresh green beans and was happy to find this recipe for  Green Bean Satay. You make a simple peanut sauce to serve over sautéed green beans.  The author specializes in tasty, nutritious recipes that are attractive to kids and per her report, this recipe is a winner!

Kelly made some delicious refrigerator pickles with turmeric over the weekend.  Pickles are often considered a condiment, but if you slice them thin, you can use this concept to make a tasty cucumber salad. Here’s a recipe for Sweet Turmeric Pickles.  You can actually use this brine to pickle other vegetables too, such as zucchini or beets.

Well, that brings us to the end of the box.  The only thing remaining is a little bit of basil from the choice box.  Lets finish off this week with a little celebratory cocktail.  Here’s a recipe for a Basil French 75 Cocktail.  You make a basic basil simple syrup by blending fresh basil with honey and water in the blender.  Strain that out and combine it with gin, lemon juice and sparkling wine for a refreshing, light summer cocktail.  Until next week, Cheers! –Chef Andrea

Vegetable Feature: Red Amaranth 

Red Amaranth is a stunning “green” that actually has dark, burgundy colored leaves.  It is an ancient plant that was part of the diets of Aztec civilizations in Mexico up to 7,000 years ago.  It was also an important staple food for the Incas of South America and the people of the Himalayan region of Asia.  In these ancient cultures, amaranth was also used medicinally and in cultural rituals.  It was held as a symbol of immortality and means “never-fading flower” in Greek.  Like many other vegetables, amaranth was a multi-use vegetable.  The seeds were used as a winter staple and the young leaves were eaten as a fresh vegetable.  There are about 60 different varieties of amaranth, some grown to harvest seeds, others for the leaves, and several ornamental species.  The variety of amaranth we grow is referred to as “Polish Amaranth”….and there’s a story to go with this name.

We actually purchased the seed for this year’s crop from Wild Garden Seeds (WGS), which is kind of funny because Richard is the one who actually gave them the seed originally!  Some of you may have heard this story already, but for those of you who don’t know it the story goes like this.  One day Richard was driving to town and saw a beautiful red amaranth plant growing in a garden along the way.  He stopped and asked the people who lived there about this plant.  They said their Aunt May brought the seed with her from Poland and they were happy to share it with Richard.  So Richard collected some seed and started growing it, mostly as a baby green to mix into his gourmet salad mix.  It didn’t do so well as a salad mix ingredient, but in later years we found success growing it as a mid-summer bunching green used for cooking.  Since we aren’t in the business of seed production, Richard passed the seed onto Frank Morton at WGS and he has been maintaining this variety of amaranth.

Antonio S, Jose Luis, and Alfredo showing off the
amaranth they just harvested.

Amaranth greens have become an important part of our seasonal diet because of their ability to grow in the heat of the summer when other greens, spinach and lettuce do not thrive.  Amaranth is able to adapt to variable conditions with little impact from weather or disease.  It is able to survive in extreme heat or drought conditions because it is able to convert twice the amount of solar energy using the same amount of water as most other plants.

Nutritionally, amaranth is a power house.  The leaves of this plant are high in calcium, phosphorus, protein, vitamin C, carotene, iron, B vitamins, and trace elements including zinc and manganese.  Compared to spinach, amaranth leaves have three times more vitamin C, calcium and niacin!  Of course we know vegetables that have rich colors like the magenta leaves of amaranth are also packed with important phytonutrients and antioxidants.

Amaranth is similar in flavor to spinach, except better!  You can prepare it similarly to spinach or other cooking greens.  While amaranth may be eaten raw, the more mature leaves and stems are best when cooked.  The stems and leaves are both edible, however the stems might need a little longer cooking time so it’s best to separate the leaves from the stem.   Amaranth greens may be steamed, sautéed, added to soups, stews, wilted and stir-fried.  Amaranth pairs well with so many other summer crops including onions, fresh garlic, zucchini, peppers, corn, green beans, basil, oregano and tomatoes. 

Red Lentil Soup with Amaranth Greens, one of the
many amaranth recipes from our searchable recipe database.

Amaranth is thought to have originated in Central and/or South America, but has made its way around the globe.  It can be found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, which means there are many options for finding ways to use this vegetable.  Season it with cumin, coriander, oregano and serve it with black beans for more of a Mexican approach.  Stir-fry it with garlic, onion, ginger and a drizzle of sesame oil for more of a Chinese influence.  Mix it with pasta, tomatoes, oregano, basil and Parmesan for an Italian flair, or take it in more in the direction of Indian cuisine by choosing curry spices & lentils.  When I was first introduced to amaranth ten years ago, you could hardly find any recipes in cookbooks or on the internet.  That has changed a lot and now I’m confident you will be able to find at least one way to prepare amaranth that will become your “favorite” way to enjoy this vegetable.  We have some tasty recipes from previous newsletters available on our website as well.  We hope you enjoy this lovely green, for its aesthetics, nutrition, history and flavor!

Black Beans with Amaranth 

Yield: 6 servings

Photo from Cooking NY Times

1 pound black beans, washed, picked over and soaked for six hours or overnight in 2 quarts water

1 large onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

Salt to taste

2 to 4 Tbsp roughly chopped cilantro, or a few sprigs fresh epazote

1 bunch amaranth, leaves and stems separated

1. Drain and rinse the black beans, discarding the soaking water.  Put the beans in a large, heavy bottom soup pot or Dutch Oven.  Add fresh water to cover the beans by two inches.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and skim off any foam. Add the onion and half the garlic, and reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer one hour. 
2. Next, add the remaining garlic, the epazote (optional) and salt. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Add the cilantro and finely chopped amaranth stems.  Simmer for another 30 minutes, until the beans are tender and the broth aromatic.
3. While the beans are simmering, wash the amaranth leaves. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add the amaranth. Blanch for two minutes, and transfer to the ice water. Drain, squeeze out excess water (it will be a beautiful plum color) and chop coarsely.
4. Just before serving, taste the beans and adjust seasoning. Stir in the amaranth, simmer very gently for five to 10 minutes, and serve.

Author’s Note:  The beans will taste even better if you make them in advance, and they can be made up to three days ahead of serving. The blanched amaranth will keep for three days in the refrigerator. 

This recipe was adapted from Martha Rose Shulman’s original recipe featured at cooking.nytimes.com

July 6, 2017: This Week's Box Contents, Featuring Amaranth Greens

What’s In The Box?

Purple Scallions: It’s been an excellent onion year so far.  Cross your fingers that the tops will continue to remain healthy in the field and the onions will keep growing and multiplying as well as these purple scallions have! 

Fennel: Please refer to last week’s newsletter and blog post about fennel.  You’ll find two delicious recipes plus suggestions for other ways to use this unique vegetable.    

Fresh Italian Garlic: This garlic was just harvested, so the layers of skin surrounding the cloves are still very fresh and will need to be pulled away to expose the fresh, juicy cloves inside.

Green Top Gold Beets: If you profess to not like beets, this may be the beet for you.  Golden beets are more mild in flavor and sweeter than red beets….and as always, eat the greens too!

Sugar Snap OR Snow Peas: We still have one more planting of peas coming…they’re blooming right now.  Don’t forget that all of our peas have edible pods.  All you have to do is remove the string that runs on top of the pea and is connected to the stem.  

Italian & Green Zucchini: Our first crop of zucchini is producing much better this week now that we have had some warm days! The Italian variety is lighter green with stripes and ribs.  It is more firm and best for grilling.

Green OR Silver Slicer Cucumbers: Another heat-loving crop that really stepped up production with the heat this week!  The silver slicer cucumbers have pale yellow skin, are a little smaller than the green cucumbers, and have a crisp texture with a fruity flavor.

Green Top Carrots: These are an older European “nantes” variety called “Mokum” that is known for being an early carrot with a sweet juicy flavor.  The greens are edible too!  Read on for suggestions about using the carrot tops!

Broccoli: The stems of broccoli are edible too.  Just peel away a thin outer layer of skin and you’ll find a tender, juicy core that is delicious raw or cooked.

Amaranth Greens: Don’t be fooled…this is a cooking green, but the leaves are mostly deep burgundy red in color and sometimes have a touch of dark green!  See this week’s vegetable feature below for more information about this cool vegetable!

Cooking with This Week's Box!

I recently picked up another cookbook entitled Six Seasons:  A New Way With Vegetables by Joshua McFadden.  In his book he divides the summer season  into three different sections, early summer, midsummer and late summer.  According to his system for seasonal distinction, we are still in early summer, as we transition from the tail end of spring into the first part of summer.  Salad mix is done until fall and it’s time to switch to summer cooking greens and salads made with vegetables other than lettuce!  There is quite a selection in this week’s box so cooking and eating is going to be very interesting this week!

Lets start with this week’s featured vegetable, Amaranth.  If you’re new to this green, take a moment to read the vegetable feature in this week’s newsletter or on our blog.  Our featured recipe this week is Spicy Amaranth Greens with Zucchini and Black-Eyed Peas.  This dish is tasty on its own, or you can serve it over grits, polenta or rice.  If you’re not into black-eyed peas, substitute another bean of your choosing or leave them out as well!

We’re going to have amaranth in the box again within the next few weeks and when we do, I want to use it to make a recipe for Amaranth Leaves Rotti, an Indian flat bread.  In this recipe they recommend serving the Rotti with a pickle, so I want to use the fennel this week to make the Indian Spiced Fennel Pickles mentioned in last week’s vegetable feature about fennel.  This recipe makes 2 quarts, so I might cut the recipe in half so I can use some of the fennel for another use.  I think the fennel pickles might go well with the rotti and some dal and you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 months.  I admit I don’t have much experience cooking food from India, so if anyone has another suggestion for what to pair with the Rotti, please let me know.  Otherwise, I’m going to try my combo and we’ll see how it is!

The remainder of the fennel is going to be used to make the Fennel and Beet Salad with Honey LemonVinaigrette featured in our June 2007 newsletter.  This is a recipe I developed the first year I was at the farm because Richard convinced me that beets and fennel are a seasonal pairing and go together well.  I really hadn’t used fennel much before, but played around with it and came up with this salad which remains one of our annual favorites!  

We’re excited to be harvesting carrots again!  This week we are delivering the carrots with the green tops still attached to the root.  In the cookbook I mentioned earlier, McFadden likens cooking vegetables to the whole nose-to-tail movement with meat whereby the user is challenged and encouraged to use everything, leaf to root!  So, in the case of carrots and beets that still have their tops on, we’re challenged to find a use for the greens and the roots.  It’s actually like having two vegetables in one, so why throw away half the package?!  “Ok, great Andrea, but what am I supposed to do with these carrot tops?”  What else do we do with green things we’re not sure what to do with?  We make pesto of course!  At the Kitchn blog, there’s an article entitled “Not Just Rabbit Food:  5 Tasty Ways to Eat Carrot Tops.”  One of the recipes they link to is for a Grilled Cheese with Roasted Carrots andCarrot Top Pesto.  If you’re like Richard and appreciate meat, you could add some crispy pancetta or bacon to this sandwich, or I’m sure prosciutto would be tasty too.  If the grilled cheese sandwich concept isn’t grabbing your attention but you like the pesto idea, there’s another version of CarrotTop Pesto from one of our past newsletters. If you aren’t sold on pesto, then consider Roasted Carrot and Black Bean Tacos with Cilantro and Carrot Green Chimichurri. Chimichurri is another great way to utilize carrot tops.

So we have a use for the carrot tops, but what about the beet greens?  Fried eggs are my go-to “quick and easy but still good for you” dinner item and they go great with a wide variety of vegetable combos.  So this week my vegetable-egg creation started with some sautéed onion and garlic.  Once the onion and garlic were softened, add the chopped beet greens to the pan along with a few splashes of red wine vinegar a few pinches of salt and some freshly ground black pepper.  Put a lid on the pan and let the greens wilt down.  Once they are wilted, allow them to simmer briefly until nearly all the liquid is evaporated.  Push the greens to the side of the pan and add some butter to the pan to fry your egg in.  Put the beet greens on your plate and add some crumbled feta cheese.  The egg goes on top of the beet greens and then you eat the whole mess with a few olives on the side and a piece of buttered toast.  So delicious! 

Golden Beets are so sweet and delicious that even people who don’t usually like beets often like them!  If you don’t use your beets in the fennel and beet salad I mentioned, then consider preparing them in a super-simple preparation such as this recipe for Roasted Golden Beets with Rosemary and Garlic. Sometimes the most simple preparations are the best!

Fennel Cucumber Salsa - photo from allrecipes.com

Thank goodness it warmed up so we can actually feel like it’s summer and enjoy our zucchini and cucumbers!  How about a juicy burger on the grill (beef, turkey or veggie….your choice) served with Baked Parmesan Zucchini and a simple Chili-Cucumber Salad. If there are any cucumbers left over, they make a great snack with just a little salt or put them on toast with cream cheese and fresh herbs. You could also turn them into a salsa such as the one posted by one of our CSA members in our CSA Facebook Group.  It’s a recipe for Fennel-Cucumber Salsa to serve with fresh bread, tortillas, or with sautéed fish or chicken.  

Of course, we’ve nearly used up our onions and garlic by now, but we still have broccoli and sugar snap or snow peas remaining.  Lets turn these vegetables into a simple but delicious Beef, Broccoli and Snow Pea Stir-Fry.   You could throw a carrot or two into the mix for a little color if you like. 

Well, this week’s Cooking with the Box should give you at least 2-3 main entrées and 1 sandwich idea along with a few salad options and a few side dishes including a pickle to enjoy over the next few weeks.  Add a little protein to some of the salads and sides and you should be able to round out a pretty delicious week of eating out of your CSA box!  Of course, there will likely be some leftovers to enjoy in your lunch or repurpose into snacks or dinner for another night as well.

I hope you’ll stretch yourself a little this week and try something new….perhaps this will be the week you tackle those beet and carrot greens!  Let me know how your creations turn out, or post in our Facebook Group and inspire another member!—Chef Andrea

Featured Vegetable:  Amaranth Greens

 Amaranth is a stunning “green” that actually has dark, burgundy colored leaves.  It is an ancient plant that was part of the diets of Aztec civilizations in Mexico up to 7,000 years ago.  It was also an important staple food for the Incas of South America and the people of the Himalayan region of Asia.  In these ancient cultures, amaranth was also used medicinally and in cultural rituals.  It was held as a symbol of immortality and means “never –fading flower” in Greek.  Like many other vegetables, amaranth was a multi-use vegetable.  The seeds were used as a winter staple and the young leaves were eaten as a fresh vegetable.  There are about 60 different varieties of amaranth, some grown to harvest seeds, others for the leaves, and several ornamental species.  The variety of amaranth we grow is referred to as “Polish Amaranth”….and there’s a story to go with this name.

We actually purchased the seed for this year’s crop from Wild Garden Seeds (WGS), which is kind of funny because Richard is the one who actually gave them the seed originally!  Some of you may have heard this story already, but for those of you who don’t know it the story goes like this.  One day Richard was driving to town and saw a beautiful red amaranth plant growing in a garden along the way.  He stopped and asked the people who lived there about this plant.  They said their Aunt May brought the seed with her from Poland and they were happy to share it with Richard. So Richard collected some seed and started growing it, mostly as a baby green to mix into his gourmet salad mix. It didn’t do so well as a salad mix ingredient, but in later years we found success growing it as a mid-summer bunching green used for cooking.  Since we aren’t in the business of seed production, Richard passed the seed onto Frank Morton at WGS and he has been maintaining this variety of amaranth.   Thanks Frank! 

Amaranth greens have become an important part of our seasonal diet because of their ability to grow in the heat of the summer when other greens, spinach and lettuce do not thrive.  Amaranth is able to adapt to variable conditions with little impact from weather or disease.  It is able to survive in extreme heat or drought conditions because it is able to convert twice the amount of solar energy using the same amount of water as most other plants. 

While I’ve never sent a sample to the lab to test nutrient levels, I think we can add amaranth greens to our list of HVF “super-foods.”  The leaves of this plant are high in calcium, phosphorus, protein, vitamin C, carotene, iron, B vitamins, and trace elements including zinc and manganese.  Compared to spinach, amaranth leaves have three times more vitamin C, calcium and niacin!  Of course we know vegetables that have rich colors like the magenta leaves of amaranth are also packed with important phytonutrients and antioxidants. 

Ok, enough of the history and science of this vegetable.  Lets get serious and figure out how to use it!  Amaranth is similar in flavor to spinach, except better!  You can prepare it similarly to spinach or other cooking greens.  While amaranth may be eaten raw, the more mature leaves and stems are best when cooked.  The stems and leaves are both edible, however the stems might need a little longer cooking time so it’s best to separate the leaves from the stem.   Amaranth greens may be steamed, sautéed, added to soups, stews, wilted and stir-fried.  Amaranth pairs well with so many other summer crops including onions, fresh garlic, zucchini, peppers, corn, green beans, basil, oregano and tomatoes. 

Amaranth is thought to have originated in Central and/or South America, but has made its way around the globe.  It can be found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, which means there are many options for finding ways to use this vegetable.  Season it with cumin, coriander, oregano and serve it with black beans for more of a Mexican approach.  Stir-fry it with garlic, onion, ginger and a drizzle of sesame oil for more of a Chinese influence.  Mix it with pasta, tomatoes, oregano, basil and Parmesan for an Italian flair, or take it in more in the direction of Indian cuisine by choosing curry spices & lentils.  When I was first introduced to amaranth ten years ago, you could hardly find any recipes in cookbooks or on the internet.  That has changed a lot and now I’m confident you will be able to find at least one way to prepare amaranth that will become your “favorite” way to enjoy this vegetable.  We have some tasty recipes from previous newsletters available on our website as well.  We hope you enjoy this lovely green, for its aesthetics, nutrition, history and flavor!