CSA 2016 - Week #2
Clockwise from top: Spinach, Green Kale, Baby Arugula, Cilantro, Red Boston Lettuce, Garlic Scapes, Green Boston Lettuce.
Green Curly Kale - This is a great variety for soups or for making Kale Chips. (Recipe below) The key to enjoying kale is to REMOVE & DISCARD THE STEM! Fine Cooking has an excellent photo tutorial and video to teach you how to easily do this.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Baked (Chips) Cooked (Best in Soups) or JuicedWhen to use: Within 5 days
Spinach - Farmer Matt grows the most delicious spinach you'll ever eat! I saute this gently in a pan (until just wilted) and top with butter and salt & pepper. Simple preparation lets the flavor shine through.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Wilted gently or Raw in a salad. When to use: Right away! Within 3 days
Cilantro - It's one of those "love it or hate it" greens. I happen to love it! Here's an idea... Use the leaves in salads or in salsa or guacamole. The stems are delicious thrown into a pot of black beans for flavor. And when in doubt, make cilantro pesto which is super delicious! (Recipe below)
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best RawWhen to use: Right away! Within 2-3 days
Garlic Scapes - This is the top of the garlic plant and it's a rare delicacy only harvested during a short window in June. We remove this part of the plant to encourage the garlic bulbs to thicken up. You eat the whole scape, but remove the flower bud (the small bulge on the thin end). They can be used in place of garlic in recipes, but they're also delicious cooked in usual ways - like grilled until tender, roasted in the oven until tender, or thrown into the food processor and made into pesto! You could combine the scapes with the cilantro and make cilantro & garlic scape pesto. You're only getting 2 scapes, because there is only 1 scape per plant! We don't grow very much garlic these days because organic garlic seed is hard to find and extremely expensive. Enjoy!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Raw, Grilled, RoastedWhen to use: Within 1 week
Green Boston Lettuce - Boston lettuce, again? This particular variety grows so well in the early season (and not again all year) that we aim to harvest it for you twice in June. Enjoy the texture of the buttery leaves now, because hot weather lettuce is crunchy, not soft. Part of the CSA experience is savoring the bounty as it's in season, so enjoy this now before it's gone until next June...
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw When to use: Within 5 days.
Red Boston Lettuce - A pretty red-leafed variety.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw When to use: Within 5 days.
Baby Arugula - One more week of this beautiful, tender green. It has already been washed once, but we recommend washing it once more when you get home. Just be gentle and don't let it soak in water for more than 30 seconds. Try a light vinaigrette (recipe below). The leaves are so tender that they will bruise very easily and a heavy dressing will overpower its delicate flavor.
Storage: In the bag it comes in. Uses: Best RawWhen to use: Right away! Within 3 days
A NOTE ON STRAWBERRIES - We are just starting to harvest our beautiful, organic strawberries! They are extremely labor intensive to pick, so we don't have enough time to harvest them for every single member in a given week. Instead, we will rotate through the groups so that everyone will receive them over the course of a few weeks. Please don't worry - we keep careful track of who gets what so that everyone receives their fair, equal share at the end of the season. If you don't receive strawberries this week, you will most likely receive them next week.
U-PICK STRAWBERRIES - Our priority is to harvest berries for all of our members first, and then open up our fields to members for U-Pick. We sent out a separate e-mail earlier this afternoon with more information about making U-Pick reservations. We do need to limit the amount of U-Pick so that we can guarantee that we have enough to harvest for each member's box. Thank you for your understanding!
STORAGE NOTE
The baby greens can be stored in the bags they come in. You should eat them first, before the head lettuce which will hold up in the fridge for a longer period of time. In general, greens should be stored in an airtight plastic bag or container. They "go bad" when they dehydrate, so never put them straight in your fridge. If you find that they have gone "limp", a tell-tale sigh of dehydration, you can try soaking them in a bowl of cold water for a period of time. Often they will perk right back up again!
Recipes
Foolproof Kale Chips - From OhSheGlows Blog
White Bean & Kale Soup - A family favorite
Cilantro Pesto - Wonderful on crackers, sandwiches & more
Garlic Scape Recipe Ideas - The Crisper Whisperer