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Another week of great variety for the 2016 Redfearn Farm CSA Season! The items available for Week 9 of the CSA season are: Farm Selected Items (shown on the top left of the photo):Carrot Bunches, Cucumbers and Sweet Bell Peppers and for the Choice Items (roughly top to bottom, L to R): Tomatoes, Basil, Kale, Green Onions, Garlic, Zucchini/ Yellow squash, Bok Choy, and on bottom row,  Kohlrabi, Beets, Swiss Chard, Lettuce heads and Spring Onions. For additional recipe ideas, check out my CSA veggie Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/sheriredfearn/csa-veggies-recipes/

Carrot Bunches (Farm Selected Item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Cut off carrot greens (and store separately), place carrots in a containers with lid and cover completely in water. Keep container in the refrigerator, changing the water ever 4-5 days. Carrot top soup is a great way to use the tops (and this recipe uses some carrots also). In addition to just eating raw carrot sticks, carrots can also be roasted, as in this wonderful Roasted Cumin-Lime Carrots recipe.

Cucumbers (Farm Selected Item and Choice): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Pair with tomatoes in an Israeli Salad, Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad, Panzanella Salad. Cucumbers are the base for the Mediterranean sauce, Tzatziki. Cold Cucumber Soup is also a refreshing way to use cucumbers.

Sweet Bell Peppers (Farm selected Item and Choice):  Store in plastic bag, in refrigerator. Meal idea: sauté sliced candy onions and sweet pepper for a tasty Philly Cheese Sandwich or Fajitas. Stuffed peppers are also a favorite main dish at our house; zucchini/ yellow squash can also be stuffed using the same recipe. Sweet peppers can easily be preserved by freezing and they can be frozen raw, without blanching first. Cut peppers into the desired size: diced for adding to winter casseroles, soups or sauces; sliced for fajitas; or halved (or the tops cut off) to be used for stuffed peppers (also, after freezing there is no need to parboil peppers before stuffing) and freeze in freezer bags.

CHOICES (Basic shares can choose 2, Premium Shares can choose 5):

Zucchini/ Yellow squash (Farm selected Item, 3 zucchini/ squash mix or match, will count as one item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Zucchini is great raw or sautéed, grilled, or baked into zucchini bread (my kids favorite way to eat zucchini!). Raw zucchini/ squash makes a fresh, flavorful salad as in this: Summer Squash Salad with Lemon Citronette. 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  or Chocolate Zucchini Bread or these main dishes Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables (this is a great recipe to use a lot of vegetables, including zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, peppers, onions and garlic),  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, Zucchini Tots, Sauteed Zucchini with Cherry Tomatoes (don’t overcook the zucchini!), and Zucchini Chocolate Rum Cake. To preserve: Zucchini or Yellow squash can be shredded and frozen to use in Zucchini bread recipes.

Basil (Choice Item): To keep basil fresh, trim the stems and place them in a glass or jar of water, just like cut flowers. Loosely cover it with a plastic bag and leave it on the counter. Do not refrigerate or basil will darken.Here are some ways to use basil: top sliced tomatoes with chopped basil and olive oil, make Pesto, or use to season italian dishes. If you need to preserve basil leaves; it can be pureed with olive oil and frozen (in ice cube trays or small plastic bags. For more detailed instructions for preserving basil, click here. If you need more ideas for how to use basil, check out this link: 34 Basil recipes to carry you through summer.

Tomatoes (Choice Item): store at room temperature.

Cucumbers (Choice Item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Pair with tomatoes in an Israeli Salad, Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad, Panzanella Salad. Cucumbers are the base for the Mediterranean sauce, Tzatziki. Cold Cucumber Soup is also a refreshing way to use cucumbers.

Kale (Choice Item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Kale can be eaten raw as in Kale Salad and in green smoothies or cooked (sautéed in olive oil or coconut oil), Kale Pesto (Pesto can be frozen).  Try this Zuppa Tuscana soup (I usually add a can of tomatoes to this soup and sometimes kidney beans).

Beets (Choice item): Store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Both the roots and leaves are great. Here is a compilation of recipes: Huffington Post Beet Recipes (we have enjoyed recipe #4, French Peasant Beets). Beets make a great addition to salad, as in this Roasted Beet Salad with Pea Shoots and Beet salad with Goat Cheese .

Kohlrabi (Choice Item): Both the leaves and the bulbous stem (the round part) are edible. The bulbous part can last for a couple weeks in the fridge, but the greens should be use within a couple days, both should be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator . The bulb should be peeled by cutting off a thin slice on the top and bottom of the bulb and using a paring knife to cut the skin off the kohlrabi bulb.Here is a link with recipes using the kohlrabi bulb and greens, including one of our favorites, the kohlrabi patties: Kohlrabi Recipes. A simple preparation of kohlrabi is Butter- braised Kohlrabi: Peel kohlrabi, and thinly slice (1/8 to 1/4 inch thick) and cook in a skillet with butter and olive oil and salt and pepper, add about 1/2 cup of chicken broth, cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Optional: Cream can be added at the end. Eaten raw, kohlrabi is fresh, crisp, and the ideal ingredient for a summer slaw, such as this Kohlrabi and Carrot slaw or in this excellent Kohlrabi- Apple Salad!

Bok Choy (Choice Item):Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Here is a basic bok choy recipe with great instructions: Stir-fried Bok Choy . Cooked (leftover) Bok Choy can be added to fried rice. Bok Choy can also be cooked and used inside egg rolls (I just followed the instructions on the back of the package of egg roll wrappers). Bok Choy can also be grilled, as in this Grilled Baby Bok Choy with Miso butter! Bok choy can be sliced and added to soups during the last few minutes of cooking.If you would rather eat bok choy raw; it can be chopped and dressed with an asian- style dressing: Bok Choy Salad

Green Onions (Choice Item): Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Use in lots of Chinese/ other asian recipes (General Tso’s chicken and Korean beef are two Redfearn favorites) chicken salad, egg salad, salad dressing to name a few.

Sweet Bell Peppers (Choice Item):  Store in plastic bag, in refrigerator. Meal idea: sauté sliced candy onions and sweet pepper for a tasty Philly Cheese Sandwich or Fajitas. Stuffed peppers are also a favorite main dish at our house; zucchini/ yellow squash can also be stuffed using the same recipe. Sweet peppers can easily be preserved by freezing and they can be frozen raw, without blanching first. Cut peppers into the desired size: diced for adding to winter casseroles, soups or sauces; sliced for fajitas; or halved (or the tops cut off) to be used for stuffed peppers (also, after freezing there is no need to parboil peppers before stuffing) and freeze in freezer bags.

Swiss Chard (Choice Item): 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. This is a basic swiss chard recipe: Swiss Chard with Balsamic Vinegar. 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 used in curry, as in these: Saag Paneer (I have used a bunch of swiss chard in place of spinach in this recipe; I washed, then coarsely chopped the chard stems and leaves, and then processed the swiss chard while raw in a food processor) and Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes.

Spring Onions (Farm selected Item):These uncured onions with greens are best used quickly and don’t store as well as later (cured) onions. Here is some inspiration if you need more ideas of how to use onions: 50 Onion Recipes.

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Spring crops are in full swing for the 2016 Redfearn Farm CSA Season! The items available for Week 3 of the CSA season are: Farm Selected Items (shown in the top row of the photo): Spring Salad Mix, Broccoli and Kale and for the Choice Items (bottom row, L to R): Sugar Snap peas, Garlic Scapes, Kohlrabi and Napa Cabbage (and radish bunches will be available as a choice on Monday). In addition, extra salad greens and extra broccoli will also be available as a choice item in addition to being a farm selected item.

Salad mix (Farm selected Item, and also available as a choice item): Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Wash before eating, and dry well. For salad inspiration, look at this: Mesclun Salad with goat cheese, or Chart of Salad Toppings Combinations.

Broccoli (Farm selected Item, and also available as a choice item): Store in a loose plastic bag in the refrigerator. Peeling the stems with a pairing knife is a great way to make the stems more tender. My go-to method of cooking broccoli is to quickly peel the main stem and then separate the head of broccoli into “trees” and cook (blanch) in salted- boiling water for 1 minute, then drain well, pat dry and roast on a cookie sheet with olive oil salt and pepper (and I often add a little savory BBQ rub seasoning) at 425F, for 10 to 15 minutes until broccoli is cooked to the desired doneness. Here’s a couple of recipe ideas: Broccoli Salad, Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potatoes Miso Bowl, Beef and Broccoli stir-fry, and Roasted Broccoli. Broccoli can be paired with leeks as in this Potato, Leek and Broccoli Soup.

Kale (Farm Selected item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Kale can be eaten raw as in Kale Salad and in green smoothies or cooked (sautéed in olive oil or coconut oil), Kale Pesto (Pesto can be frozen).  Try this Zuppa Tuscana soup (I usually add a can of tomatoes to this soup and sometimes kidney beans).

CHOICES:

Sugar Snap Peas (Choice Item): Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Peel off the strings on the sugar snap peas before eating or cooking. Sugar snap peas are great raw or barely cooked. Try Stir-fried Sugar Snap Peas or Sugar Snap Peas with orange-ginger dressing.

Garlic Scapes (Choice Item): Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Garlic Scapes are the flower bud of the garlic plant. The bud is removed to encourage the bulbs to thicken up. Scapes taste just like garlic. They can be used the same way as garlic in nearly any recipe. On thicker scapes, snap off the woody end (in the same way you would snap asparagus). Try them in a sauté, roasted, pickled, added to soups, and more. The most tender tops of the stem and the buds are delicious chopped up raw. To preserve: Chop the scapes in a food processor, add to jars and cover with olive oil. Save this in the fridge for up to a year, sometimes add more oil to keep it covered. Use on salads, baste on meats and vegetables for grilling, garlic bread, anything your imagination can think of. You can also freeze cubes of this in a ice cube tray then put in a zip lock bag and keep frozen.

A site highlighting many ways to serve garlic scapes; including a garlic scape pesto recipe: What to do with Garlic Scapes (Note: my family made the Garlic Scape Pesto from this link, using sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts, and it was wonderful (and very garlicky!).

Garlic Scape and White Bean Hummus

1/3 cup sliced scapes
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
ground black pepper
1 can (15 oz.) cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor, process scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add beans and process to a rough puree. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 T water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip.

Kohlrabi: Both the leaves and the bulbous stem (the round part) are edible. The bulbous part can last for a couple weeks in the fridge, but the greens should be use within a couple days, both should be stored in plastic bags in the refrigerator . The bulb should be peeled by cutting off a thin slice on the top and bottom of the bulb and using a paring knife to cut the skin off the kohlrabi bulb.Here is a link with recipes using the kohlrabi bulb and greens, including one of our favorites, the kohlrabi patties: Kohlrabi Recipes. A simple preparation of kohlrabi is Butter- braised Kohlrabi: Peel kohlrabi, and thinly slice (1/8 to 1/4 inch thick) and cook in a skillet with butter and olive oil and salt and pepper, add about 1/2 cup of chicken broth, cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender. Optional: Cream can be added at the end. Eaten raw, kohlrabi is fresh, crisp, and the ideal ingredient for a summer slaw, such as this Kohlrabi and Carrot slaw.

Napa Cabbage: store in fridge in a plastic bag. Can be stir fried, roasted, made into salad or made into Kimchi (a Korean speciality, spicy fermented cabbage). Kimchi is one of the best ways to preserve cabbage.

Radishes (Choice item): 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. Radishes are milder when roasted or cooked. I cut radishes in half and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 425F until tender crisp (they can be roasted alongside sweet potatoes or carrots for a nice flavor and color combination).

Garlic Shoots (Choice item): Store in a produce bag in the fridge. Add sliced garlic shoots to stir fries, such as with the stir fry greens or in place of garlic cloves in pesto.

Spring crops are in full swing for the 2016 Redfearn Farm CSA Season! The items available for Week 2 of the CSA season are: Farm Selected Items (shown in the top row of the photo): Spring Salad Mix, Broccoli and Stir Fry greens and for the Choice Items (bottom row, L to R): Kale, Radishes, Spinach, Basil, Garlic Scapes and Garlic Shoots. In addition, extra salad greens will also be available as a choice item in addition to being a farm selected item.

Salad mix (Farm selected Item, and also available as a choice item): Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Wash before eating, and dry well. For salad inspiration, look at this: Mesclun Salad with goat cheese, or Chart of Salad Toppings Combinations.

Stir-fry greens mix (Farm Selected item): Store in plastic bag in refrigerator, use within a couple days. This greens mix contains a variety of mustards, bok choy, and cabbage family greens. Basic cooking instructions: wash and spin dry, slice or chop greens, heat oil (olive or vegetable) over medium-high heat. Gradually add chopped greens, stirring to just wilt.  Season with salt and pepper.  Variations: add chopped garlic when you add the greens. Top the cooked greens with a fried egg(s). Here’s a detailed sir-fried greens recipe. Our family’s favorite way to enjoy stir-fry greens in alongside Korean Beef on a bowl of rice, topped with a fried egg. This recipe for Greens cooked with tomatoes and topped with eggs has helped many people enjoy greens. It is a highly adaptable recipe, and can be used with nearly any type of leafy cooking green, from spicy mustards to mellow chard. Also, some recipes that call for mustard greens can be substituted for this stir fry mix, such as: Indian Saag or Curried Mustard Greens with Kidney Beans.

Broccoli (Farm Selected item): Store in a loose plastic bag in the refrigerator. Peeling the stems with a pairing knife is a great way to make the stems more tender. My go-to method of cooking broccoli is to quickly peel the main stem and then separate the head of broccoli into “trees” and cook (blanch) in salted- boiling water for 1 minute, then drain well, pat dry and roast on a cookie sheet with olive oil salt and pepper (and I often add a little savory BBQ rub seasoning) at 425F, for 10 to 15 minutes until broccoli is cooked to the desired doneness. Here’s a couple of recipe ideas: Broccoli Salad, Roasted Broccoli and Sweet Potatoes Miso Bowl, Beef and Broccoli stir-fry, and Roasted Broccoli. Broccoli can be paired with leeks as in this Potato, Leek and Broccoli Soup.

CHOICES:

Radishes (Choice item): 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. Radishes are milder when roasted or cooked. I cut radishes in half and toss with a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 425F until tender crisp (they can be roasted alongside sweet potatoes or carrots for a nice flavor and color combination).

Kale (Choice item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Kale can be eaten raw as in Kale Salad and in green smoothies or cooked (sautéed in olive oil or coconut oil), Kale Pesto (Pesto can be frozen).  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:

 

Spinach (Choice Item): Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Eat fresh in a salad, or lightly sauté in butter or olive oil, with chopped garlic if desired.

Basil (Choice Item): Ideally, store like you would cut flowers, in a cup of water, with the stems in the water. Do not refrigerate or basil will darken. If you need ideas for how to use basil, check out this link: 34 Basil recipes to carry you through summer.

Garlic Scapes (Choice Item): Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator. Garlic Scapes are the flower bud of the garlic plant. The bud is removed to encourage the bulbs to thicken up. Scapes taste just like garlic. They can be used the same way as garlic in nearly any recipe. On thicker scapes, snap off the woody end (in the same way you would snap asparagus). Try them in a sauté, roasted, pickled, added to soups, and more. The most tender tops of the stem and the buds are delicious chopped up raw. To preserve: Chop the scapes in a food processor, add to jars and cover with olive oil. Save this in the fridge for up to a year, sometimes add more oil to keep it covered. Use on salads, baste on meats and vegetables for grilling, garlic bread, anything your imagination can think of. You can also freeze cubes of this in a ice cube tray then put in a zip lock bag and keep frozen.

A site highlighting many ways to serve garlic scapes; including a garlic scape pesto recipe: What to do with Garlic Scapes (Note: my family made the Garlic Scape Pesto from this link, using sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts, and it was wonderful!).

Garlic Scape and White Bean Hummus

1/3 cup sliced scapes
1 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
ground black pepper
1 can (15 oz.) cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup olive oil

In a food processor, process scapes with lemon juice, salt and pepper until finely chopped. Add beans and process to a rough puree. With motor running, slowly drizzle olive oil through feed tube and process until fairly smooth. Pulse in 2 or 3 T water, or more, until mixture is the consistency of a dip.

Garlic Shoots (Choice item): Store in a produce bag in the fridge. Add sliced garlic shoots to stir fries, such as with the stir fry greens or in place of garlic cloves in pesto.