CSA Week 3

In your share week 3:

Baby Turnips
Carrots
Cabbage (Tuesday pickup)
Green Onion
Kale
Baby Bok Choy
Sugar Snap Peas

Half shares only:
Lettuce
Zucchini or Cucumber

Full shares only:

Salad Mix
Broccoli
Kohlrabi

[spacer height=”20px”]We’ve taken a sudden jump in share size this week, and we could barely fit the full shares into the bags!  I wasn’t really planning on giving you all the vegetables, but then we had a lot of broccoli, and more peas than I expected, and we finally had enough carrots and I knew you’d all revolt if I didn’t get them in the shares soon.  So the result is lovely abundant shares for everyone!

[spacer height=”20px”]New today are our carrots, which most of you already know and love.  Nelson, our long time carrot variety, got discontinued last year, and we spent the whole summer trying to find a replacement.  We only found one that rivaled Nelson for flavor, so that’s become our main carrot this year.  But it grows a little slower than Nelson and is less consistent in size and shape, so we’re starting late and won’t have quite as many as we have in the past.  We’re still trying out a few other varieties to see if we can find something better, or at least fill in some of the gaps for our new carrots.  But in the mean time, these are sweet, tender, and delicious.  I never bother to peel them, and while I don’t usually eat the greens some folks like to make them into pesto, roast them in with other veggies, or add them to a salad.  Carrots (and all roots) keep best with the tops removed in a plastic bag in the fridge.

[spacer height=”20px”]Also new are baby turnips, which have become one of our most popular vegetables.  These aren’t your grandma’s turnips: also called salad turnips, these are sweet and creamy rather than spicy and starchy.  I mostly eat them raw, with hummous or on a salad.  They’re also delicious roasted or in soup.  Turnip greens are especially delicious and especially nutritious, and can be used like spinach.  I prefer them cooked, especially lightly steamed or sauteed with a little white wine and garlic, but they can also be added raw to salads and sandwiches.

[spacer height=”20px”]Tuesday folks get a beautiful head of heirloom cabbage (coming soon for Thursday shares).  This is a particularly tender, sweet cabbage, but the dense head will hold well for several weeks in the fridge if you can’t get to it right away.  It makes a great slaw or taco filling, and cooks up beautifully in braises, soups, and stir fries.  If you want to preserve it longer, try fermenting your own sauerkraut (you could probably include the kohlrabi greens too).  I’m not a big ferment fan, so I’ve never done it, but I know lots of people who do and they say it’s easy.  There are lots of recipes and instructions online.

[spacer height=”20px”] This is the first week we’ve given you a LOT of food, but try not to feel overwhelmed!  The carrots, peas, turnips, and kohlrabi can all be eaten raw, if you take a little time to separate them from their tops and cut them up into spears now, you’ll have easy snacks all week right in the fridge.  The broccoli, bok choy, and green onions can all be grilled or stir fried together, and there’s got to be at least one day you’ll be making rice or eggs and you can just throw the kale in with it.  If you have some kind of sauce on hand (peanut, tahini, pesto, chimichurri) that makes for easy flavoring and dipping.  Make a salad or two with the lettuce and some of those raw veggies you cut up earlier in the week, and make sauerkraut or do a roast with the cabbage.

Alice Waters’ Turnip and Turnip Greens Soup

Baby turnips are a wonderful cool-season treat. They have a delightful creamy texture and just a little bite. The greens are also both delicious and nutritious. I usually just use them raw on salad, but found this recipe in Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food to share with you. Serves 4 to 6.

Remove the greens from:

            2 bunches young turnips with greens

Trim and discard the stems from the greens and cut into ½ inch strips.

Slice the turnips thinly.

Heat 3 Tbsp butter or olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat and Add:

            1 onion, sliced thin

Cook until soft, about 12 minutes. Add the sliced turnips with:

1 bay leaf

            2 thyme sprigs

            salt

            2 strips bacon or prosciutto, chopped (optional)

Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cover with:

            6 c chicken or vegetable stock

Bring to a boil, the reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Add the turnip greens and cook for another 10 minutes or until the greens are tender.

Kale and Cabbage Slaw With Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette

By Diana Rattray for The Spruce Eats.  Still have parsley, cilantro, or fennel from last week’s share?  Throw that in too![spacer height=”20px”]

4-6 medium leaves kale (lacinato)
1/2 medium head cabbage (green)
1/4 cup walnuts (pecans, or slivered or sliced almonds)
Salt to taste (kosher)
Pepper to taste (freshly ground)

[spacer height=”20px”]For the Dijon Mustard Dressing:
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (grainy, or more, to taste)
1 clove garlic (minced)
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or white wine vinegar)
1/3 cup olive oil (good quality extra virgin)

1. Toast the nuts, if desired. Arrange the nuts in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake whole, chopped, or slivered nuts in a preheated 350 F oven for about 8 to 10 minutes, checking and turning them frequently. Sliced almonds will take about half the time. Watch closely.
2. Cut the middle rib out of each lacinato kale leaf. Roll the leaves up into a tight roll and slice them chiffonade-style into thin strips. Put the strips of kale in a large bowl. You should have about 2 to 3 cups.
3. Cut the core out of the cabbage half and shred or chop the cabbage. Transfer the cabbage to the bowl with the kale.
4. Toss the chopped nuts with the kale and cabbage.

Prepare the Dressing

1. In a canning jar or bowl, combine the Dijon mustard, minced garlic, vinegar, and olive oil. Whisk or shake well. Add a dash of salt and some freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
2. Drizzle 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Dijon mustard vinaigrette over the salad. Toss the salad. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
3. Serve with the extra dressing on the side.

Variations:

• A cabbage salad benefits from an hour or so in the refrigerator. The extra time adds flavor and moisture.
• Add some thinly sliced fennel to the salad, if desired.
• For extra color and flavor, add finely shredded carrot or Italian parsley to the salad.
• Cook a few strips of bacon until crisp. Drain and add to the salad along with the nuts. Toss and dress the salad.