Every week we'll send you snapshots of veggies in your share. You can always find more recipes and storage info on our
blog and
website.
Mesclun: This fall blend has fresh lettuce, baby cress, red mustard, spinach, arugula, and two types of baby kale. We recommend giving a good rinse before eating. Store in your fridge for a few days.
Sweet Salad Turnips: These turnips are a raw, tasty treat. Slice them and mix in with your salad greens, or dip them in dressing and eat them on their own. The turnip greens did not survive the early winter weather, so we've removed them for you, but the turnips are only sweeter for the cold! They can be kept loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the fridge.
Squash: The small size of the Sugar Dumpling squash in the share this week makes them perfect for stuffing with peppers and onions and roasting in the oven. But these squash are also unbelievably sweet so just roasting and then adding a little butter and (yum) maple syrup and it's hard to improve upon. Winter squash stores best in a cool, dry, dark place with good ventilation. Once cut, you can wrap the leftovers in plastic and store in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
Kale: The kale bunches going out this week are a mix of red Russian or red kale- you will receive one of the two. You can use different types of kale interchangeably in recipes, but red curly kale is great pan-cooked to bring out a new dimension of its flavor. Red Russian is more tender. Keep kale loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Strip the leaves from the stems and wash them well before chopping and cooking.
Cress: This upland cress has a deep pungency with a unique twist between arugula and horseradish, pledging its allegience to the mustard family. Below the Mason Dixon line, upland cress is known as "creasy greens" and when stewed with ham hocks, is as loved a dish as black-eyed peas or cornbread. Traditionally gathered by foragers in the Appalachian Mountains who started looking out for the hearty winter leaves while there was still snow on the ground, the leaves were believed to have medicinal benefits and used in many folk recipes to help heal wounds. Those claims may not be entirely far-fetched as the cress is indeed rich in vitamin C, vitamin A, iron, and calcium.
Use cress the same way you would watercress. Left raw, the leaves can be chopped and mixed into a salad, tucked into a sandwich, or tossed over broiled fish as a garnish. Use a food processor to blend a handful of cress with a cup of creme fraiche or sour cream and a few garlic cloves for a zesty side to grilled meats or blend into soups. Store in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer for 1-2 weeks.
Edamame: Soybean varieties grown for eating the beans from the pod are called edamame. Long common in the Japanese diet, in recent years edamame has been gaining popularity in the US and now I see kids in daycare with their little containers of beans for lunch. And no wonder because it's incredibly easy to prepare, the beans are delicious, and they pack a lot of nutrition into a very small package. A half cup of shelled edamame (from approx 1.25 cups of pods) contains 9 g fiber, 11 g protein, and a good amount of Vitas A and C. Edamame freezes really well too. Just blanch pods in boiling water for 2-3 mins, drain and cool in ice water, and freeze in a single layer, then bag. Edamame should not sit in the fridge for days before you get around to eating it. Like all beans they are better the fresher they are. If you won't eat them in the next few days, freeze them!
Red Beets: Big beets again this week.
Featured Recipes
Easy Braised Creasy Greens
This beloved southern dish is packed with the nutrients inherent in your upland cress, including vitamin C! Serve with cornbread or corn muffins.
1-2 tablespoons olive oil, coconut oil or meat drippings (bacon, sausage, steak etc)
1 bunch fresh cress, about 4 cups, washed, de-spined and coarsely chopped. You can also sub kale, collards, mustard or turnip greens, or a mixture of winter greens.
1 clove garlic, chopped and/or 1 Tbs ginger, julienned
1/2 onion, diced
1/8 cup water or vegetable or chicken broth or stock
Sea salt and coarse grind pepper
Optional seasonings: add a shake of Sesame oil, apple cider vinegar, tamari, Braggs Liquid Aminos, Chinese 5 spice, or cayenne pepper
Optional toppings: toasted sesame seeds, chopped almonds or walnuts, toasted pumpkin seeds
Heat oil or drippings in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add greens and garlic/ginger and onion, stirring to coat with oil. Stir occasionally until greens are barely wilted and still have a green color, just a few minutes.
Add vegetable broth or water and stir, allowing greens to steam until barely tender. Salt to taste.
Add seasonings and toppings as desired and serve.
Carrot Zucchini Bread
You've heard of zucchini bread, and carrot cake, but this recipe combines these two concepts into a moist, slightly sweet loaf that is great for breakfast or dessert. Make sure to squeeze out any excess water from your thawed zucchini before using in this recipe.
1 large egg
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup liquid-state coconut oil (canola or vegetable may be substituted)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
pinch salt, optional and to taste
1 cup grated carrots, laid loosely in cup and not packed (about 1 large/2 medium peeled and trimmed carrots)
1 cup grated zucchini, laid loosely in cup and not packed(about 1 medium/large trimmed zucchini)
1/2 cup walnuts, raisins, etc., optional
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour one 9x5-inch loaf pan; set aside.
In a large bowl, add the the first seven ingredients, through cinnamon, and whisk to combine.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, optional salt, and fold with spatula or stir gently with a spoon until just combined; don't overmix.
Add the carrots, zucchini, optional walnuts or raisins, and fold gently to combine.
Turn batter out into the prepared pan (it's quite thick, this is what you want), smoothing the top lightly with a spatula.
Bake for about 50 to 60 minutes or until the top is golden, the center is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs, but no batter.
Allow bread to cool in pan for about 15 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Bread will keep airtight at room temperature for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Serve sliced with cultured butter or on its own.
Roasted Beets and Carrots with Rosemary Garlic Butter
You can make a big bach of this recipe and use the leftovers to add color and flavor to a green salad, or serve with eggs for a healthy breakfast!
3 cups cubed peeled red beets
2 cups cubed peeled carrots
3 tablespoons butter or ghee
3 garlic cloves, mashed
½ teaspoon dried rosemary
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place the beets in a large mixing bowl, and the carrots in a 9 inch by 13 inch glass baking dish. (Mixing the roots separately keeps the carrots from turning pink from beet juice.)
Place the butter or ghee in a microwave-safe coffee mug and add the garlic. Microwave until the butter is melted. Stir in the dried rosemary.
Pour half of the melted butter mixture over the beets, and pour half over the carrots. Sprinkle generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Toss each of the root vegetables to coat them with the butter mixture.
Transfer the beets into the baking dish with the carrots.
Roast for 55 minutes, stirring halfway through. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Young Turnip and Apricot Salad with Toasted Nuts
Here's one from the recipe archives. Adapted from Farmer John's Cookbook. Serves 4.
1/2 cup walnut pieces
1 bunch salad turnips, greens washed, spun dry and set aside
1/2 cup finely sliced dried apricots
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley or cilantro
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup minced sweet onion
1 small hot pepper, minced, or to taste
1 clove garlic
1 tsp dry mustard
scant tbsp grated horseradish
1 tsp tamari
salt
pepper
salad greens (mesclun or arugula would work fine here)
Toast walnuts in a dry heavy skillet stirring constantly until lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer to a dishtowel to cool.
Wash turnips and cut into thin matchsticks. Combine with apricots and walnuts in a large bowl.
Coarsely chop turnip greens. Put the parsley, chopped turnip greens, oils, vinegar and yogurt into a blender; process briefly, until the ingredients are just combined. Add the onion, hot pepper, garlic, mustard, horseradish, and soy sauce; process until thick and creamy.
Pour the dressing over the turnip mixture; toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Line individual plates with a generous amount of salad greens; spoon the turnip salad on top. Serve immediately.
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