It’s hard to believe that it is already August! This week’s CSA shares include: Kale (full shares only), Candy Onions, Radishes with tops, New Potatoes, Leeks, Zucchini/ Yellow Squash, Sweet Pepper, Tomatoes
Kale: store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Try this Zuppa Tuscana soup (I usually add a can of tomatoes to this soup and sometimes kidney beans). Or, try this method of fixing kale:
Kale, Sausage and Beans
8 to 16 oz. smoked sausage (or omit and increase beans, for a vegetarian version), sliced
1 Onion, chopped
3 (or more) cloves garlic, finally chopped
1 can (or about 2 cups, peeled) tomatoes, with liquid
Kale, 7- 10 leaves, removed from stem and chopped
1 can drained (or about 2 Cups, cooked) white beans, like great northern or cannellini beans
Brown the sausage in a skillet and then remove sausage to a paper towel lined plate and drain off excess oil. Saute the onions in olive oil over medium heat, till soft and golden, 5- 10 minutes. Add chopped garlic and kale, stir to begin to wilt. Then add tomatoes and cover: lower heat and cook until kale is tender, about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in beans and sausage and season to taste (red pepper flakes are a good addition). Can be topped with shredded parmesan cheese.
Candy Onions: Store at cool room temperature. These candy onions turn very sweet when sautéed or caramelized.
New Potatoes: Store at cool room temperature, out of direct sunlight. New potatoes are most commonly boiled or roasted, and are normally cooked with their skin on. Basic cooking instructions (boil method): Wash potatoes and cut into uniform sized pieces (or leave smaller potatoes whole). Cover with cold water by 2 inches, add plenty of salt, bring to a boil and cook until just tender. Drain potatoes and top with melted butter and chopped herbs (such as parsley or rosemary). In addition to the boil method, new potatoes can be roasted, like this recipe for Roasted Potatoes.
Leeks: store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Leeks are a kind of onion and can be used in many recipes (quiches, tarts, soups) interchangeably with onions. These leeks are thinner than normal, so you may need to use more leeks or add an onion. Here is a recipe for Leek Potato Soup (I haven’t tried this exact soup, but one that is similar). Typically the white and light green sections are used, but the dark green leaf portions can be used to season vegetable or chicken stock. Leeks need to be washed well, since dirt can get in between the layers.
Tomato: Storage: Do NOT refrigerate, because cold temperatures (below 55) hurt the flavor of tomatoes, instead store at cool room temperature out of direct sunlight. Here is a website that gives many different Tomato Salad Ideas. This Roasted Tomato Tart recipe is a favorite of mine. Another favorite is baking thick slices with a cheese topping like these Parmesan Tomatoes (I made them without the spicy brown mustard, and really liked them). Perserve: you can freeze them by cutting out the core and any bad spots and putting them in a freezer bag. To use after freezing: thaw slightly in water and the tomato skin can be easily peeled off. The tomatoes can them be used in soup, sauces or other cooked tomato recipes (after freezing the tomatoes will be very soft, but still have good flavor). You can also dry (sliced) tomatoes in a dehydrator following your dehydrators instructions. Or roast tomatoes until desired dryness and then freeze.
Zucchini/ summer squash: store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Zucchini is great, sauteed, grilled, eaten raw, or baked into zucchini bread (my kids favorite way to eat zucchini!). Zucchini (sliced and broiled or pan fried) can take the place of pasta in lasagna. To grill: slice on the bias (diagonal, so the slices are larger) about 1/4″ thick, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and herbs of your choice, I use a rosemary garlic mix) and mix well to thoroughly coat the slices, and grill until tender. If you want more ideas, you can try Baked Zucchini Fries, or Zucchini Fritters (these were very good) or Chocolate Zucchini Bread
Sweet pepper: Store in plastic bag, in refrigerator. Meal idea: sauté sliced candy onions and sweet pepper for a tasty Philly Cheese Sandwich . This has become a family favorite!
Radishes: a new crop of radishes is ready for harvest! The roots and greens are both very good to eat. Store in plastic bag in refrigerator, the roots separate from the greens. Crisp radishes in ice water. You can just eat them straight with butter and a sprinkle of salt. There are many variations of radish salads, here are a couple: Radish and Mint Salad (I have made variations of this dish and really like it) Smitten Kitchen’s chopped salad
Here’s a recipe utilizing both the radish roots and tops: Radish and Radish Top Soup
Extra veggies? Try making Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches!
Enjoy the summer bounty!