Storage Tips and Recipes
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: Lots of good fresh greens! We pre-wash it but recommend giving your baby greens a nice rinse before eating.
Ramps: Purple bag members receive a bunch of ramps this week! These ramps come from a local forager who has sustainably gathered these wild treats for you to enjoy this week from his family's land in Hardwick. Ramps can be chopped like scallions and taste great sautéed and used in place of onions or leeks, added to scrambled eggs, or even sprinkled raw over salads. You can use both the white bulb and the leaves. The leaves are much milder in flavor but make a nice green addition to lots of meals.
Romaine Lettuce: Thick Romaine leaves make a great salad or add some crunch to a sandwich. Store it in the fridge in a large plastic tub with a piece of paper towel to absorb excess moisture and condensation. If you store wet lettuce in a produce bag, it will likely only last a couple days.
Pac Choi: This variety of pac choi this week is called Joi Choi, distinguished by it's long, white stem. Use exactly like you would other pac choi (aka bok choy). Part of the cabbage family, both these Asian greens pack in nutrition with high scores for vitamins A and C and calcium. Mild enough to be chopped up for a salad, particularly if you give it a quick wilt in a hot pan, they're also great in stir-fries and sautes and in Asian soups (and other soups too). As leaves become more mature they are more often served cooked. Store loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.
Rainbow Carrots: These multi-colored carrots can add a burst of color to your salads or roasted veggies. They can even be the centerpiece of your salad if you shave them into long skinny ribbons using a vegetable peeler, then toss them in dressing.
European Cucumbers - These long, skinny cukes taste like a burst of summer. In an ideal world they like to be kept at about 50 degrees or they may go soft in a couple days. I keep mine bagged and toss them in the crisper drawer and they keep a few days longer than that. But this time of year, they get eaten too fast and storage isn't an issue. This is our first crop of them - enjoy!!
Russet Potatoes - Russet potatoes, also known as Idaho or baking potatoes, are in the class of starchy potatoes, as opposed to waxy varieties like red and fingerling. They are high in vitamin C and B6, as well as natural sugars. Russets make great baking potatoes, and are ideal for mashing and roasting. Store potatoes in a cool dark place, away from onions.
Recipes
Roasted Turnip and Ramp Salad
1 pound turnips (or substitute with 1 lb rutabaga, potatoes, or any root vegetable you have on hand) - trimmed, peeled, and cut into even 1/2-inch chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
sea salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon paprika
3-5 ramps, cleaned and chopped
1/4 cup aioli or mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives, oregano, or thyme
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
On a rimmed baking sheet, toss turnips with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle on sea salt, pepper, and paprika. Roast for 20 - 30 minutes, flipping turnips once halfway through cook time.
In a small bowl, combine the aioli, lemon zest and juice, and prepared horseradish.
Toss warm turnips with the ramps, and then fold in the aioli mixture. Add the herbs. Taste, and adjust salt or acid levels as needed.
Scalloped Turnips
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
4 cups peeled, thinly sliced turnips
2 Tbsp flour
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup cream
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 1-quart casserole. Melt 1 Tbsp butter and lightly sauté onions until just wilted.
2 Layer a third of the sliced turnips in the casserole dish; top with a third of the onion; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons of flour, 1/3 teaspoon of salt, and one grind of pepper; pat with dollops from 1 tablespoon of butter. Repeat this layering twice.
3 Mix milk and cream together and pour over the turnips. Cover and bake in a 350°F oven for 30 minutes, then remove cover and bake for another 30-45 minutes, or until tender and bubbly.
Bok Choy Salad with Sesame-Almond Crunch
If you've got chard instead of pac choi (bok choy), you can swap it in here!
topping:
1 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup sesame seeds
dressing:
3 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1½ pounds bok choy
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread slivered almonds in a single layer on a baking sheet, and bake for 7 to 10 minutes, until golden brown. Set aside.
Sprinkle 2 tablespoons sugar in an even layer over the bottom of a saucepan set over medium heat. The moment the sugar is completely liquefied, add almonds, stirring briskly to coat, then sesame seeds, stirring until evenly distributed. Do this quickly, so that the mixture does not burn. Immediately transfer nut mixture to a plate and let cool.
In the same saucepan, bring the dressing ingredients to a boil: sugar, oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and whisk until sugar is dissolved. Add sliced green onions and remove from heat. Dressing can be used while warm or cool.
Meanwhile, slice the bok choy crosswise into ½-inch pieces. Bits of dirt can lodge themselves in the greens’ numerous crevices, so thoroughly wash and dry the greens after you’ve chopped them. Place bok choy in a large bowl, and toss with dressing. Just before serving, add the nut mixture and toss well.
Indian Carrot and Yogurt Salad
* adapted from “Quick & Easy Indian Cooking” by Madhur Jaffrey
1 c. plain yogurt, beaten lightly with a fork
2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
½ tsp. sugar
salt & cayenne pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. sunflower, safflower, or canola oil
¼ tsp. whole cumin seeds (or ground if that’s all you’ve got)
¼ tsp. whole black or yellow mustard seeds
3 Tbsp. raisins
Mix yogurt, carrots, sugar, salt, & cayenne. In a small frying pan, heat oil over medium high heat.
Add cumin & mustard seeds.
Stir a few times & as soon as they start to pop add raisins.
Stir once & empty contents into yogurt-carrot mixture & mix.
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