We continue to segue from spring crops into summer as we wait for the summer crops to come in. The next 15 weeks will be very intense as we try to keep the weeds at bay with constant vigilant cultivation while moving into the harvest season. The upcoming weeks will make the intensely of the spring planting season look like child’s play. We are planning on bringing on a couple new folks to help with all this work and keep burn out at bay. Also so I don’t get behind on the blog which I apoligze for this week.
Thanks to all CSA members! I have heard lots of good things about the boxes, trying new produce items and the recipes I post. Again this weeks boxes were full of lots of green leafy things. To clarify things: the Swiss chard is the smooth leafy bunched greens. You can break it into smaller pieces and mix Swiss chard into your salad or cook it. (See recipes below) You can also substitute Swiss chard for spinach in any recipe. Kale is the curly, thicker green. I generally don’t eat kale raw, though I did this week. It was really good and made me feel very stout. Check out the kale recipes posted the last couple weeks. A few people commented to me about the kale chips. We will try not to inundated you with kale. CSAs have gotten a bad rap by putting too much kale in the boxes. Also this week everyone got baby beets with tops. The beet greens are super delicious. They can also be mixed with your salad or cooked in combination or substituted for Swiss chard. The other items in the boxes were all over the place as the some items are just coming on. We keep track of who gets what so for instance if snap peas were not in your box this week they should be in them next week. There will be more continuity in the boxes as the harvest comes in in the upcoming weeks.
I still have room for flower shares if anyone is interested. Call or e-mail me if you are interested.
SwissChard with Garbanzo Beans and Tomatoes
Ingredients
2
tablespoons olive oil
- 1
shallot, chopped - 2
green onions, chopped - 1/2
cup garbanzo beans, drained - salt
and pepper to taste - 1
bunch red Swiss chard, rinsed and chopped - 1
tomato, sliced - 1/2
lemon, juiced
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Stir in shallot and green
onions; cook and stir for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft and fragrant. Stir in
garbanzo beans, and season with salt and pepper; heat through. Place chard in
pan, and cook until wilted. Add tomato slices, squeeze lemon juice over greens,
and heat through. Plate, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Colcannon Recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minute
For a variation, sub out half of the potatoes with parsnips. Can
add chives, leeks, or bacon too.
Ingredients
4 russet potatoes (2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into large
chunks
- Salt
- 5-6 Tbsp unsalted butter (with more butter for serving)
- 3 lightly packed cups of chopped kale, cabbage, chard, or other
leafy green - 3 green onions (including the green onion greens), minced (about
1/2 cup) - 1 cup milk or cream
Method
1 Put the potatoes in a
medium pot and cover with cold water by at least an inch. Add 2 tablespoons of
salt, and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender (15 to 20
minutes). Drain in a colander.
2 Return the pot to the
stove and set over medium-high heat. Melt the butter in the pot and once it’s
hot, add the greens. Cook the greens for 3-4 minutes, or until they are wilted
and have given off some of their water. Add the green onions and cook 1 minute
more.
3 Pour in the milk or
cream, mix well, and add the potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium. Use a fork or
potato masher and mash the potatoes, mixing them up with the greens. Add salt
to taste and serve hot, with a knob of butter in the center.
Sautéed Greens with Pine
Nuts and Raisins Recipe
Collards and kale lose less of their volume when cooked than do
spinach or turnip greens, so if cooking them, chop them a bit smaller than you
would the spinach or turnip greens.
Ingredients
1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1 bunch kale, chard, collards, or turnip greens, etc., about 1
pound, tough stem centers removed (if any) and discarded, greens chopped - 1/2 to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Roughly 1/2 cup dry white wine or water
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1 Heat a large sauté pan
hot on medium-high heat and add the pine nuts. Toast them until they are
fragrant and begin to brown. Pay attention as pine nuts burn easily. Stir or
toss the nuts frequently. Once they are toasted, remove from pan and set aside.
2 Add the olive oil to the
pan and swirl it around. Add the garlic and sauté for 30 seconds; the pan
should already be hot, so it won’t take long for the garlic to begin to brown.
Add back the pine nuts, add the raisins and the greens and mix well. Sauté,
stirring often, until the greens wilt and begin to give up some of their water,
anywhere from 1-2 minutes for spinach to 4-5 minutes for collards or kale.
3 Sprinkle a little salt
and red pepper flakes on the greens. Add the white wine (can substitute
water)—use a little more wine if you are cooking collards, a little less if you
are cooking spinach. Toss to combine and let the liquid boil away. Once the
liquid boils off, remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.