Week 2 of the CSA includes (beginning in the top left of the photo): Lettuce and baby cut salad greens, Baby bok choy, CHOICE of Swiss Chard, Zucchini OR Kale (small shares choose 1 bag, large shares 2 bags), Candy Onions, Radishes with greens and Turnips with greens.
Lettuce and baby cut salad greens: Store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Baby cut salad greens should be used first. Salads, Salads, Salads!! Need some new ideas for salad toppings? Look at this: Chart of Salad Toppings Combinations for inspiration. Use as “wraps” for Asian chicken lettuce wraps. If you have never tried lettuce, barely cooked, try these: Wilted lettuce salad or Grilled Romaine Salad.
Baby Bok Choy: Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Here is a basic bok choy recipe with great instructions: Stir-fried Bok Choy. If you would rather eat bok choy raw; it can be chopped and dressed with an asian- style dressing: Bok Choy Salad
Onions: These are fresh, uncured onions, which may be stored in the refrigerator or in a cool place. They should be used within 2 weeks.
Radishes: Store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Crisp radishes in ice water. Sliced radishes add great flavor to salads. You can also 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 , Smitten Kitchen’s chopped salad, and Radish, Cucumber and Orange Salad.
Turnips: Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Small turnips (size of golf balls or smaller) do not need to be peeled. Larger turnips can be easily peeled: slice off the top and bottom and use a paring knife to peel off the tough outer skin from top to bottom. Turnips can be sliced and eaten raw (they are spicy) or are cooked to mellow their bite. Here are some turnip recipe ideas: Kashmiri style kidney beans with turnips and Braised turnips with onions and carrots.
CHOICES (bag of Zucchini or Swiss Chard or Kale):
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. If you want more ideas, you can try Baked Zucchini Fries, Squash baked eggs or Zucchini Fritters (these were very good) or Chocolate Zucchini Bread or this main dish Cheesy Zucchini Casserole (which we make with shredded sharp cheddar, instead of Velvetta). Here’s a couple other zucchini recipes, recommended by CSA members: Curried Zucchini Soup, Sauteed Zucchini with Cherry Tomatoes (don’t overcook the zucchini!), and Zucchini Chocolate Rum Cake.
Swiss Chard: Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. The swiss chard leaves have a very mild flavor similar to spinach. Both the stem and the leaves can be eaten and I usually use both together; chop the stems like you would celery and begin cooking the stems before adding the greens. Our family really likes this Swiss Chard, Sausage, White bean casserole ( I use the stems and leaves of the chard). This Swiss Chard and Ricotta Crostata is a wonderful recipe, and one of my all-time favorites. Swiss chard leaves can be used just like spinach in my Crustless Spinach Quiche recipe. Swiss chard can also be added to curry, as in this: Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes (Excellent!).
Kale: store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Baby Kale is great in Kale salad or in any kale dish, but it doesn’t need as much time to cook. 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 (with Baby kale, add a couple handfuls of kale leaves, 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.