This is the 17th week of the CSA main season, members with Basic shares will be able to choose 5 items each week and members with Premium will be able to choose 8 items each week. The produce available for the Week 16 are: Fresh Ginger, Artisan Head Lettuce, Summer Squash (zucchini, Yellow and Patty Pan Squash), Beets, Swiss Chard, Kale, Bok Choy, Stir fry greens, Carrots (from Fruitful Hills), Acorn and Spaghetti Squash (from Fruitful Hills) and “Half” items: Eggplant, Baby Arugula, Spicy peppers (Jalapenos, Anaheim, Serrano, Cayenne, Poblano), Cucumbers, Garlic Bulb, Radishes, Baby turnip bunches.
Fresh Baby Ginger (Choice Item): Fresh Ginger should be kept in the fridge, in a plastic bag. The stalks should be removed and used within a few days or dried for later use. If you do not plan on using the rhizome within a week, the best way to store it is in the freezer. To use it, just remove it, grate the quantity needed, and return it to the freezer! Enjoy fresh ginger all year long! The fresh baby ginger is a whitish rhizome with pink tips, and does not have the tough skin or fibrous nature of the cured ginger you get in the supermarket. So thin skinned you don’t have to peel it and so smooth, it slices (almost) like butter. The root (technically a rhizome) is delicious. Juicier than the more mature rhizomes typically found in stores. It is delightful added to stir fry, made into ginger tea, with fish (as in this Ginger and Cilantro Tilapia) or even minced raw on yogurt or ice cream. The stalks and leaves can be used to make tea or infuse rice with a taste of ginger. Just slice them diagonally, steep, and enjoy! Here is a great link that has detailed info about baby ginger, how to store it and recipe ideas. Read about the medicinal properties of ginger, here.
Salad/ Lettuce heads (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.
Arugula (Choice Item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. This slightly spicy salad green is wonderful in this Roasted Sweet Potato Arugula Salad! Arugula is also wonderful topped with thinly sliced steak, as in this: Skirt Steak Salad with Arugula and Blue Cheese. Combine arugula with pasta in this Goat Cheese and Arugula over Penne dish. Arugula can also be sautéed in olive oil with some garlic just until wilted. Arugula is great in this Arugula Soup that our whole family enjoys (2 onions can be substituted for the 6 shallots in the recipe, larger potatoes can be used instead of the salad potatoes). Some other ideas are listed in this: Top 5 Uses for Arugula Besides Salad. To preserve: wash arugula, cut off the stems, blanch in boiling water for 30 seconds, then cool in an ice bath, drain well and freeze. Frozen arugula can be used in soups, added to casseroles, pasta dishes, or anything that uses cooked arugula.
Summer squash, patty pan, yellow squash and zucchini (Choice Item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Yellow squash nearly interchangeable with zucchini and 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, 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.
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). Swiss Chard is a great addition to pasta in this: Rigatoni with Swiss chard and Italian Sausage dish. 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.
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
Stir-fry greens mix (Choice item): Store in plastic bag in refrigerator, use within a couple days. This greens mix contains a variety of nutritious cabbage family greens including Mizuna, baby Red Russian Kale and Tatsoi. 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 is 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.
Cucumber (HALF-Choice Item): store in plastic bag in refrigerator (our cucumbers are not waxed, so will lose moisture and become rubbery if not wrapped). Recipe Ideas: Cucumber infused Water, Smoothies with Cucumbers, Cucumber Salads: Creamy Cucumber Salad with Greek Yogurt and Dill, Cucumber Salad with Garlic and Ginger and even Stir-fried Cucumbers! Pair with tomatoes in an Israeli Salad, Cucumber, Tomato, and Avocado Salad, Greek Salad and Panzanella Salad. Cucumbers are the base for the Mediterranean sauce, Tzatziki. Cold Cucumber Soup is also a refreshing way to use cucumbers.
Radishes (HALF-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).
Green Onions (HALF-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.
Eggplant (Half-Choice Item):Store in plastic bag in the refrigerator, but use quickly, because eggplant doesn’t store well. Eggplant can be sauteed, grilled or roasted. Some wonderful eggplant recipes (that don’t require salting and draining the eggplant) are No-Fuss Eggplant Parmesan, Eggplant Parmesan Melts and Smitten Kitchen’s Eggplant Bruschetta (which has a Mediterranean style topping).Here’s a page with detailed instructions about eggplant preparation and recipes: Fine Cooking: How to cook Eggplant. It is great combined with zucchini and tomatoes (such as in Ratatouille). For eggplant recipes from Italy to China, check out these: Global Eggplant Recipes. Moussaka is a greek dish with eggplant. Here is a relatively simple recipe for Moussaka recommended by a CSA member (and also tried and deliciously approved by the Redfearn family). Some chefs suggest salting and draining the prepared (sliced, cubed, etc) eggplant for at least 20-30 minutes before cooking (this takes away any bitterness and also, helps the eggplant to absorb less oil during cooking), but I have gotten away from it the past year.
Radishes (Half- 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).
Salad turnips (Half- Choice Item): Salad turnips are crunchy, sweet and only slightly peppery. Storage Tips: The leaves cause moisture loss during storage, so it is best to remove tops and store the root and greens separately in the refrigerator. Preparation and Cooking: Enjoy salad turnips as you would radishes in fresh salads. Salad turnips can also be thinly sliced and sauteed, or pickled with other vegetables. Other detailed recipes are Salad turnip and radish sandwiches and Turnip and Apple Salad, Roasted turnips, Glazed turnips and more.
Green Onions (Half- 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.
Cabbage (Half- Choice Item): Store in the refrigerator. Cabbage can be stir fried, roasted, paired with Kielbasa Sausage, made into salad or into Sauerkraut. Sauerkraut is one of the best ways to preserve cabbage.
Spicy peppers (Half-Choice item): Jalapeno or Anaheim peppers. Store in plastic bag, in refrigerator. Ideas: Chop and add to salsa, or our new favorite is this Jalapeno Popper Dip. If you want to try water-bath canning, try this Jalapeno Jelly (I’ve used a combination of peppers). Anaheim and poblano peppers can be stuffed, as in these Chicken and Cheese Stuffed Anaheim Peppers, or Black beans and Cheese stuffed Poblano Peppers, or Rice and Beef stuffed Peppers and used as a stuffing in Jalapeno Popper Chicken. Peppers can be frozen; slice or dice and then place in freezer bags, can be used in fajitas, or anywhere you would use cooked peppers (after thawing the peppers are soft).
Sweet Candy Onions (Half- Choice Item):Store in a cool, dry, well ventilated area; in a bowl/ basket on your counter should be fine, but NOT right by Potatoes (Onions produce ethylene, which can cause potatoes to go bad). Here is some inspiration if you need more ideas of how to use onions: 50 Onion Recipes.
Garlic (Half- Choice Item):Store in a cool, dry, well ventilated area; in a bowl/ basket on your counter should be fine.
If you would like more recipe ideas, I have a pinterest board devoted to CSA vegetable recipes: http://www.pinterest.com/sheriredfearn/csa-veggies-recipes/