2025 Season | Week 4
The Rain Makes Romaine
Our first romaine heads are finally ready. We should have these for the next few weeks and they’ll get larger and larger as time goes but they are at their height of flavor this week so make a Caesar salad, lettuce wraps or top a sandwich. Scallions are also first of the season so add those to your dishes as well. And sprinkle a few micogreens for good measure. Enjoy the week.
Here’s what’s in your crate this week.
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BOK CHOY 101 - As far as cabbage goes, bok choy stands apart. With a crunchy, celery-like texture when cooking times are short, to a unique, creamy texture when left in the pan a little longer. You can steam, stir fry, broil, sauté or eat it raw by mixing it in a salad or slaw (so good it makes us rhyme!). Check out our blog for one of our favorite bok choy recipes!
EAT NOW - Wash bok choy by swishing in a bowl of water to remove dirt between stalks. Baby bok choy can be cooked whole or by halving. For larger varieties, separate leaves from stalk to prevent overcooking.
EAT LATER - Store unwashed bok choy in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 3-5 days. To freeze, blanch, then remove excess water and store them in an airtight bag. Good for up to 10 mo.
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.
RECIPES
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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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KALE 101 - 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.
EAT NOW - Wrap unwashed chard or kale 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.
OR LATER - Swiss chard or kale can both be eaten raw or cooked. A longer cooking time is best as it brings out the sweetness in the greens. Extremely high in vitamin K and vitamin A, these nutrient-dense greens can help combat cancer and reduce blood pressure! Chard and kale can be used interchangeably with: collards, turnip greens, beet greens, broccoli raab, mustard greens, dandelion, and spinach.
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Microgreens 101—Before use, rinse gently in cool (not hot or cold) water to remove excess dirt. Pat or spin dry, and you’re good to go! Pat or spin dry your greens to remove excess moisture (moisture = mush!). Place loosely in a plastic bag or container and put in the fridge. They will keep for up to one week.
Eat These Immediately!
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NAPA CABBAGE 101 - Napa Cabbage has many uses, as well as great storage capacity when chilled. Use leaves for soups and noodles, the crunchy rib for stir-fry or fermented kimchi, the crisp outer layer is great for salads and wraps, while the inner layer is best for steaming or poaching - we recommend trying it all!
EAT NOW - Remove any floppy or yellowed outer leaves, then chop off stem and halve. Remove core (V cut) and separate leaves. Rinse, dry, then chop or shred.
EAT LATER - Store dry, unwashed cabbage in the veggie bin of your fridge for months. Once cut, wrap in sealed plastic bag and continue to refrigerate for several weeks.
RECIPES -
yankeestreetfarm.com/ blog/grilled-slaw-withginger- and-sesame
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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, or mince or leave them whole. Delicious raw or 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
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ROMAINE 101 - Romaine lettuce belongs to the lettuce family, Asteraceae, and it is characterized by its elongated, sturdy leaves and crisp texture. It is a nutritious vegetable, rich in vitamins and minerals. Romaine lettuce is an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin K, folate, and fiber.. If you’re looking for low carb options, try using the large leaves as a wrap with your favorite fillings. Or, whip together a crisp and delicious salad by mixing with other greens and your favorite fruits, nuts, or cheeses!
EAT NOW - Slice the head of your lettuce at the base with a knife and let the leaves fall open. Remove any damaged or leathery leaves, then tear remaining into bitesize pieces. Wash in a basin of cold water and spin dry.
OR LATER - Store unwashed lettuce in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. If you’ve already washed and dried it, place in a plastic bag with a dry paper towel in the bag as well and place in the vegetable crisper of your refrigerator.
RECIPES
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SCALLIONS 101 - Did you know scallions, spring onions and green onions are all the same plant? Scallions are picked early, before a bulb forms, while spring onion and green onion are picked when more mature. Spring onions are sweeter and mellower than regular onions, but the greens are more intense in flavor than scallions. The bulbs can be red or white, depending on the variety, and while they can be used in much the same way as regular bulb onions, they are great grilled, roasted whole, or used like pearl onions. Scallions and spring onions are great raw in a marinade or salad dressing, or lightly cooked. You can even add it to your “freezer scrap bag” for a great veggie stock.
EAT NOW - Rinse onions in cold water and snip off the roots and anything that’s floppy or dried out. The minced greens are less pungent than the bulb and make a good substitute for chives. Use spring onion in almost any recipe calling for onions, raw or cooked, for a more subtle, less intense onion flavor. They are excellent in soups and stews. Try brushing onions with sesame oil, salt, and pepper and put them on the grill. You can also use any part of the onion for your freezer bag of vegetable stock ingredients!
OR LATER - Cut the top quarter off and stand (with root) in 1” of water. Cover loosely with ziplock and place in the fridge or keep on counter, refresh the water every three days. To freeze, chop and put in a freezer bag.