For week 7 of the Redfearn Farm CSA we are continuing to have a combination of cool and warm season crops. We have the beginning of the green beans harvest, when the beans are long and thin, perfect for very quick cooking. The portion sizes will be smaller than future weeks, but the quality is superb (not to brag, but they are really good green beans). If you are wondering about zucchini, we are having a difficult time keeping the first round of plants alive against all the insect competition, over half of the plants have died. But, don’t worry, we have round 2 and 3 of zucchini planted and they are doing well. We will be able to harvest some zucchini this week and will be able to distribute to at least some of the members (I keep track and make it as fair as possible). This is the end of the sugar snap pea season and only full shares will receive sugar snap peas in their crates. Here’s the list of everything in this week’s CSA shares (clockwise beginning in the lower left corner of the picture): Radishes, Kohlrabi, Turnips, Lettuce (in bowl), Broccoli, Sugar Snap Peas (full shares only) , Cucumbers, Green beans
Radishes: Remove the greens and store in plastic bag in refrigerator. 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 and Smitten Kitchen’s chopped salad. Here are several Radish Appetizer ideas. Radishes can be sauteed; their flavor mellows during cooking, our family has enjoyed this dish using both radishes and sugar snap peas: Smitten Kitchen’s sauteed sugar snaps and radishes with dill.
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: Kohlrabi Recipes. The kohlrabi patties can also be made using both shredded kohlrabi and turnips (and carrots can be added, too), that is first salted and excess moisture squeezed out.
Turnips: store the roots and leaves, separately in plastic bags in the fridge. To use turnips, first cut off the top and bottom of the turnip and, using a paring knife, slice and peel the skin off. The turnip is then ready to be cut into the desired sized pieces and cooked or eaten raw. Kohlrabi and turnips can be cooked together: peel kohlrabi and turnips, and thinly slice (1/8 to 1/4 inch thick) and cook in a skillet with butter and olive oil and salt and pepper, and cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.
Here is another tasty way to eat turnips:
Roasted turnips with Walnuts and Craisins
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Peel and wash turnips. Cut turnips into ½ inch squares and place on a baking sheet, add 1-2 Tablespoons oil (I used coconut oil) and mix thoroughly to coat the turnip pieces and add salt and pepper to taste. Roast for about 10 minutes and then stir or flip turnip pieces over, add a handful of walnuts and stir to coat with some oil and roast about 5 minutes and then add a handful of craisins to the pan and roast about 5 minutes or until turnips are just barely tender.
Broccoli: store in fridge in a plastic bag. I highly recommend peeling the stems of broccoli with a paring knife (do this right before preparation, otherwise a new skin will form). This Broccoli Salad is our family’s favorite way to eat broccoli. This cheesy broccoli casserole is also a good way to sneak in some greens.
Lettuces: store in plastic bag in refrigerator
Cucumber: store in plastic bag in refrigerator
Sugar Snap peas: Eat raw or saute in a little butter until snap peas almost tender. This is a recipe that combines sugar snap peas and radishes: Smitten Kitchen’s sauteed sugar snaps and radishes with dill
Green beans: store in plastic bag in refrigerator. Basic cooking instructions: trim the stem end off and leave beans whole or snap into shorter pieces. Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet (about 1 T each, can be increased or decreased to taste) over medium heat, add beans and salt and pepper to taste, and stir until tender-crisp, add 1 or 2 cloves garlic (chopped) if desired. Cooking time varies depending on thickness of beans and stove temperature. Additions: toasted slivered almonds, stirred into the beans after cooking.