Whole Farm CSA - Week of April 4th
Full share: chard, spinach, little gem lettuce, sage, 2 radish bunches, scallions, 2 hakurai turnips, micros
Half share: chard, little gem lettuce, sage, 1 radish bunch, scallions, micros
Hello CSA friends!
This is a very exciting week for our CSA boxes. Today we say goodbye to our hearty, reliable storage crops — our beautiful squash, cabbages, parsnips (still available in the market stand while supplies last!) — and welcome the first true Spring box! We have fresh flowering sage and little gem lettuce heads, radishes and turnips with their greens ready to twist off and add to a stir fry, scallions, leafy greens and microgreens all coming together for a box overflowing with chlorophyll to brighten up your fridge. Feel free to take pictures of your bounty to share with and inspire friends who are considering a Summer CSA - we still have open slots!
Next Sunday is Easter! All of our CSA members will receive extra eggs next week in preparation for easter festivities. Use the blue and green eggs from our Ameraucana and Olive Eggers for a hunt and whip up a post-hunt quiche or frittata stuffed with next week’s CSA goodies.
As for this week’s CSA, the possibilities are endless. Since we’re moving into a new season full of new crops, I’ve been consulting a book written by my friends over at Potomac Vegetable Farms in Virginia to find the best uses and tips and I’m going to be sharing a few with you today! They created a produce guide a while back that I always have on hand in my kitchen to learn how to get the most out of what I have. More of this to come over the rest of the season.
Sage: Added fresh to a dish, a little (just a tablespoon fresh chopped) goes a long way. But if you fry the leaves and sprinkle with a little salt, they entice like potato chips: Deep fry the leaves in plain oil until just translucent. Strain with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel, season with salt. Use these to top a pasta or meat dish or just eat them plain! The leaves melt in your mouth.
Swiss Chard: Superb silky texture makes it one of the finest of all cooking greens. Best to cook the stems, chopped, longer than the leaves. You can add them to your cooking vessel about one minute before the leaves.
Turnips: Tender and outstanding roasted, braised or simmered. Very nice raw, sliced thin and dipped in soy sauce or a vegetable dip. Tops may be washed and sauteed or braised as you would Swiss chard, and are supposedly higher in calcium and potassium than other cooking greens. Hakurei have a sweet slightly earthy flavor and are wonderful raw or lightly cooked.
Beautiful radishes! So many possibilities! Find some tips about these guys and more on our instagram @gallatinvalleybotanical.
With the rest of your box, I’d combine the little gem lettuce heads with microgreens and maybe some sliced radishes (for more of a kick) or hakurei turnips (if you’re keeping to a more buttery theme) for a spring salad. Add leftover roasted chicken (it’s chicken week!) to make it a full meal. Radishes can be a bit peppery for some when eaten raw, roasting them tames that and creates a delicious side dish using just butter, soy sauce, and a little lemon juice.
Preheat oven to 375.
Trim the fuzzy hair and leaves from radishes. Wash and cut into quarters.
Heat an oven proof skillet over medium high. Add 1 tablespoon butter and when melted, add the radishes. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and put the pan in the oven.
Roast for about five minutes. Just before serving, squeeze a little lemon juice on top.
Or, try one of these dips for your raw radishes. For each of these, simply combine the ingredients and keep in the fridge for up to 14 days:
Curry dip: ¼ plain yogurt or sour cream. 1tsp curry powder. 1 tbsp minced raw onion. ¼ tsp salt. 1tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice. Cayenne and/or ground cumin to taste.
Sesame soy sauce dip: ¼ cup mayonnaise. 1 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted and cooled. 1-2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce.
Spicy salsa dip: ¼ cup plain yogurt or sour cream. 2 tbsp of your favorite salsa. Hot sauce to taste. 1 tbsp chopped cilantro (microgreens could substitute).
That’s all I have for you today! I hope you enjoy these springy boxes and I can’t wait to hear what everyone makes when you come to pick up your boxes next week.
Sasha