2024 Summer | Week 2
We’re going to need a bigger table!
Diakon radish, golden beets, a Beet Brownie and flowers from Studio Charlotte, and, wait for it…a first-of-the-season Tomato sampler! Farmer Matt is off this week, so Peter and Charlotte have been tending, picking, washing, packing, and, most importantly, watering this week. Charlotte has been out in the fields first thing each morning, giving almost everything a daily drink to try and hold off the heat. So far, everything is hanging in there. Let's all hope for cooler weather soon.
What's in Your Crate this Week?
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Here’s what Johnny’s says about this mix:A specially designed blend based on two years of trial research to make your salad mix stand out from the crowd. Selected varieties yield darker reds and greens even under low-light conditions. Ruffled edges and unique leaf shapes provide loft, interesting texture, good shelf life, and fancy appearance. Includes green oakleaf, red oakleaf, green romaine, red romaine, lollo rossa, and red leaf lettuces.
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BEETS 101—Beets are healthy, versatile, taste amazing, and look beautiful. One of the best things about them is that they keep well before and after cooking, and every part is edible and delicious. Beets can be broiled, steamed, grilled, or roasted, our favorite. (We like cut beets roasted in olive oil and salt and pepper the best!)
EAT NOW—Roots: Just before cooking, scrub the beets well and remove any scraggly leaves and rootlets. If your recipe calls for raw beets, peel them with a knife or a veggie peeler, then grate or cut them according to the recipe. To remove the skins, roast them in foil or boil them, and the peels will slip right off.
Beet greens: Wash the leaves in a basin of lukewarm water to remove grit. Remove the thicker stems. Depending on use, cut the greens into appropriately sized pieces.
OR LATER - To Freeze: Beet Roots: Boil or bake beets until done. Cool them in ice water or let them come to room temperature. Remove peels. Trim the beets into 1/4-inch slices or keep them whole (if they are small). Place in a freezer bag and remove as much air as possible. Seal and freeze. Beet greens: Blanch wash beet greens for 2-3 minutes in hot boiling water. Immediately dunk in ice water to stop the cooking process. Then drain and pack into airtight containers. Freeze them in “balls” on a cookie sheet, then pop them into a freezer bag for the perfect portion.
DON’T TOSS THOSE BEET GREENS! - Beet greens are delicious! Here are some simple ways to use them: Use them for making vegetable stock, toss them into a salad — especially the smaller leaves, braised with a bit of olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes, toss in a smoothie, add them to an omelet, frittata, or quiche, stir them into a pasta sauce in the final stages, add to a soup, like you would kale or spinach, turn them into a pesto
RECIPES
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BROCCOLI 101 - You can eat all parts of the broccoli plant - leaves, stems and florets. You can cook it in a variety of ways– roasted all by itself, in a casserole or thrown into a stir fry. Broccoli leaves can be prepared the same ways as kale, Swiss chard or collard and mustard greens. Delicious in salads, soups, sandwiches, or even blended into a smoothie. The leaves are highest in cell-protecting antioxidants, vitamins E and K, and calcium. Who knew?
EAT NOW - First, strip off any leaves - they can be prepared like kale or collards. Break the head into florets. Cut the stock into smaller pieces - they’ll need extra cooking time.
OR LATER - Wrap loosely in a plastic bag and keep it in the crisper drawer in your refrigerator. it will keep for a week, but like most veggies, there’re best when enjoyed as soon as possible so eat them NOW.
RECIPES
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GREEN BEANS 101 - Turning a vibrant, beautiful green when cooked, string beans are versatile and delicious. Easy to prepare, string beans are great sautéed, roasted, grilled, or in stir-fry – we even like snacking on them while we cook! We believe simple is almost always better and like them best with a little of our 1808 Olive Oil, salt, and pepper. If you’re feeling spicy, try adding red pepper flakes.
EAT NOW - Rinse beans in cool water and pat dry. Snap off stem and any damaged parts before use. Can be eaten raw or cooked in a variety of delicious ways!
OR LATER - Store unwashed beans in a perforated plastic bag in the veggie bin of your fridge for up to 1 week. Rejuvenate limp beans by soaking them in ice water for 30 min. To freeze, blanch, dry well, and pack into airtight containers.
To blanch, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. While you wait for boil, prepare an ice bath. Once boiling, drop veggies into water - water should return to boil within a minute otherwise you have too much veg for the water. Once boil has returned, cook for 1-5 min until veg has a vibrant color. Immediately put into ice bath to stop cooking.
RECIPIES
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SNAP PEAS 101 - Another item that should be eaten as soon as possible, peas are rich in vitamins A and C, thiamine, riboflavin and potassium. When raw, they make a delicious and healthy snack on their own, or can be added to salads. They can also be added to stir-fry or soup in the last stages of cooking. Steamed peas (til just tender-crisp) are great tossed with butter, olive oil, vinaigrette, or pesto!
EAT NOW - Snap peas need stringing. To do this, snap off stem tip toward the flat side of pod and pull down-ward. Fresh snap peas are delicious both raw and cooked.
OR LATER - Refrigerate in perforated plastic bag in the crisper drawer for 4-5 days. To keep longer, pea pods can be frozen. Blanch your peas, then freeze on a baking sheet (prevents clumping). Place in a plastic bag in the freezer up to 8 mo.
RECIPE
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SWISS CHARD 101 - A member of the Beet family, Swiss chard can be eaten raw or cooked. A longer cooking time is best as it brings out the sweetness in the green. Extremely high in vitamin K and vitamin A, this nutrient-dense green can help combat cancer and reduce blood pressure! Chard can be used interchangeably with: collards, turnip greens, beet greens, broccoli raab, mustard greens, dandelion, spinach and kale.
EAT NOW - Wash leaves in lukewarm water. If your greens have thick stems, remove them by folding each leaf in half and slicing out the stem. Then, stack the leaves up and slice diagonally into 1” wide strips.
OR LATER - Wrap unwashed chard in a sealed plastic bag in the crisper drawer of the fridge. Best used very fresh, but may last for a week. To freeze, blanch washed greens, rinse in cold ice water, drain, and pack into airtight containers.
RECIPES
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RADISHES 101 - Our radishes are delicious when raw, with a sprinkle of salt or butter. The spicy, raw flavor is a wonderful addition to slaws and salads, or you can sauté and roast radishes to bring out a more subtle earthly flavor. You can even try them grilled!
EAT NOW - Scrub radishes well to remove dirt, then trim stem and rootlets. Slice, chop, mince or leave them whole. Delicious raw and cooked.
OR LATER - Remove leaves and store unwashed greens in loosely wrapped plastic bag in crisper. Store unwashed roots in plastic bag in fridge for up to 1 week.
RECIPES