Week 14 of the Redfearn Farm CSA includes (clockwise from top left in the picture): a choice of Turnip Greens or Mustard Greens (picture shown with Mustard greens), Tomatoes, Zucchini and Yellow Squash, Swiss Chard, choice of Eggplant or Fennel (shown w/ Eggplant), Sweet Peppers, Hot peppers, Cucumbers, Onions and Green Beans (Full Shares ONLY).
CHOICE of Mustard greens (left) OR turnip greens (right).
CHOICE of Eggplant (left) OR Fennel (right).
Turnip greens: store in plastic bag in fridge. These greens are stronger in flavor than spinach or chard, but are not spicy. I would not recommend adding turnip greens to smoothies. This week’s turnip greens are quite young, so you don’t need to boil them first, and the stem is thin enough to be included in recipes. Basic cooking instructions: Cut off the root (turnip) end of the greens, wash and dry well (a salad spinner works great) and chop well. Heat oil (butter or bacon grease) in a sauté pan over medium heat, add chopped onion if desired, cook onion till it begins to color, add chopped greens a little at a time and cook until tender (some people like to add a little water or chicken broth to help the greens cook), season with salt and pepper to taste. A splash of vinegar or lemon juice can be added at the end to brighten the flavor. Here’s another pretty basic recipe for turnip greens. They can also be paired with beans as in this pinto beans and turnip greens dish. Indian Saag can be made using a mixture of chopped greens (like mustard or turnip greens with spinach or chard).
Mustard greens: store in plastic bag in fridge. These greens are stronger in flavor than spinach or chard and are spicy. I would NOT recommend adding mustard greens to smoothies. You can eat them raw, if you like a lot of spice. Cooking mellows the flavor of the mustard greens. This week’s mustard greens are quite young, so you don’t need to boil them first, and the stem is thin enough to be included in recipes. Basic cooking instructions: Cut off the root (turnip) end of the greens, wash and dry well (a salad spinner works great) and chop well. Heat oil (butter or bacon grease) in a sauté pan over medium heat, add chopped onion if desired, cook onion till it begins to color, add chopped greens a little at a time and cook until tender (some people like to add a little water or chicken broth to help the greens cook), season with salt and pepper to taste. Indian Saag can be made using a mixture of chopped greens (like mustard or turnip greens with spinach or chard). One of our favorite recipes for mustard greens is this Curried Mustard Greens with Kidney Beans. I don’t usually boil the greens first; instead sauté them in some oil at the beginning of the directions.
Swiss Chard: store in plastic bag in fridge. 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 (which also uses a little fennel bulb, and I use the stems and leaves of the chard).
Tomatoes: Store at cool room temperature, in a single layer if possible, not in a plastic bag. 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). Preserve: 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. Tomatoes can also be canned whole, chopped, as salsas or tomato/ pasta sauce (make sure to follow a recipe that is designed for home canning!).
Here are a few more tomato ideas:
Zucchini/ summer squash: store in plastic bag in refrigerator. To preserve: option 1: shred and freeze in freezer bags, to use in zucchini bread or soups or sauces. Option 2: dehydrate in dehydrator until dry like a chip. I usually store in the freezer, if not perfectly dry. Use the dried zucchini in winter soups or sauces (make sure to add them early enough for them to rehydrate).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 (or roast in the oven at about 425 F) until tender. 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. One of our favorite recipe for a main dish of zucchini is this Cheesy Zucchini Casserole (which we make with shredded sharp cheddar, instead of Velvetta; chopped sweet peppers and sliced fennel can be added to the onion while sautéing ). 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.
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!
Hot peppers: Store in plastic bag, in refrigerator. Chop and add to salsa, eggs, etc.
Fennel: Store in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. There are three parts to fennel: the bulb, the stalks and the fronds (the dill-like frilly top). The bulb is the most commonly used part of the vegetable in recipes; such as Caramelized Fennel or a Fennel Salad. The fennel stalks can be used when making vegetable/ chicken stock to add a subtle fennel flavor (the fennel stalks can be frozen to store). The fennel stalks are a bit tougher than the bulb, but can also be very thinly sliced and added to the fennel bulb slices. Fennel fronds (the tops) can be chopped and added chicken salad, casseroles, stuffed zucchini, etc. This leek and fennel soup uses all the parts of the fennel (and is a vegan recipe). And this Crispy Cream-braised Potatoes and Fennel looks very tasty.
Eggplant: store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Pictured is an Asian Eggplant, but can can be used the same as an Italian (round) Eggplant. Sliced eggplant can be grilled or sauteed. Eggplant slices can replace some of the zucchini in the recipe “Zucchini or Summer Squash Lasagna”
Zucchini or Summer Squash Lasagna
6-8 small- medium Summer Squash (yellow, green or combination)
1 lb. Ground Beef or Sausage
1 medium Onion, chopped
3-4 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 jar Pasta Sauce (homemade or store- bought)
15 oz. Ricotta Cheese
1/2 C. grated Parmesan Cheese
8 oz. shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 Eggs
¼- ½ C. fresh basil, chopped
Directions:
- Slice squash lengthwise into ¼ inch slices, sprinkle with salt and let stand 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Lightly brown slices, both sides, in olive oil in large skillet or griddle. Roasting the squash slices at 400 F is another method. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, brown meat with chopped onion and drain. Return to pan and add chopped garlic, cook 1 minute and add pasta sauce, half of chopped basil and salt and pepper to taste. Set meat sauce aside.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, half of grated parmesan, half of shredded mozzarella, 2 eggs, remaining chopped basil, and freshly ground pepper.
- In a 9” x 13” pan, spread a small amount of meat sauce in the bottom. Layer with 1/3 of the squash slices, top with half the cheese mixture and 1/3 of the meat sauce; repeat once. Top with the remaining squash and meat sauce. Reserve remaining shredded mozzarella and Parmesan for topping.
- Cover and bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly. Top with remaining cheeses and bake 5 more minutes.