CSA Thursday
Yesterday was my first day with a CSA share, or half of one, to be precise. I was lucky enough to inherit a few weeks of veggies last summer; the freshness and variety convinced me to invest this year. Today’s box included the following. After some research, I’ve added storage tips and probable recipes.
Spinach: Surprise! Don’t wash right away. Keep in loose bag till ready to use, then stem and clean. I’ll make Tofu with Spinach Sauce.
Kohlrabi: remove greens and store unwashed in loose bag till ready to use. Store bulb in vegetable drawer (cold and moist). Peel and cut up bulb raw to use in salads. I’ll use greens with chard and bok choy in Pan-Cooked Greens with Tofu and Garlic*.
Arugula: wash, dry, and store in plastic bag with paper towel to absorb extra moisture. I’ll make Tuscan-Style Steak with Arugula and Parmesan.
Radishes with greens: Remove greens, wash and store like arugula. I’ll use radishes in Tabbouleh*.
Broccoli: cut off bottom of stem. Store upright in shallow water. I’ll make Stir Fried Beans with Broccoli*.
Bok Choy: Don’t wash till ready to use. Keep in loose bag till ready to use, then wash and dry stalks. For Pan-Cooked Greens with Tofu and Garlic*.
Swiss Chard: Like spinach. When ready to use, trim stems, then remove leaves from them with a sharp knife under running water, letting the leaves fall into a bowl; rinse off additional dirt from leaves and dry. Roughly chop stems, then add to recipe a minute or two before adding leaves. For Pan-Cooked Greens with Tofu and Garlic*, and More Vegetable Than Egg Frittata*.
*From Food Matters by Mark Bittman.
June 12th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
Jealous! I’ve been told that out here (Portland, OR) there are waiting lists of more than a year to get involved in CSAs. It never would’ve occurred to me that “too popular” would be a problem.
June 12th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
I think it is Kholrabi that can be used raw: peel and slice it into rounds. Get out a bit of salt and chomp.
June 13th, 2009 at 7:35 am
Ours starts Tuesday! We have a lot of different farms–some have waiting lists of a year or more (MSU’s organic, year-round CSA), and others don’t. I just scoped out the farmer’s market till I found one I liked with no waiting list. This is our third year, and I find myself at a loss when it’s finished.
June 13th, 2009 at 7:55 am
Isn’t that what I wrote, about the bulb after removing the greens?
June 13th, 2009 at 8:01 am
It’s taken me this long to commit to a CSA (I think I’ve considered it for six or seven summers previously) because I’m still able to get awesome produce from our farmer’s market and grocery cooperative, and thus have more control over what comes in that I need to manage. It’s a fair amount of work, for me at least, to wash what needs to be washed and use things up before they go bad. If I hadn’t had a trial summer by getting a few half boxes for a few weeks last summer when friends went out of town, I probably would have passed again. I’ll see how things go. You’ll notice how many of this week’s items would appeal to a 5yo and 3yo boy: zip. So G and I will be eating lots of greens on our own this week.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:11 am
here’s a fantastic way to use kohlrabi, should you find yourself in possession again:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/kohlrabi-radish-slaw-cumin-cilantro.aspx