In Your Share . . .
Items in your share may vary depending on your share size and harvest day. Every share may not have every item listed below.
Red Beets with Tops – organic
Find a handful of the first beets of the season. Remove the beet roots from the stems and use the beet greens either raw in a fresh green salad, or cook with your Swiss chard or mixed green bunch. The red color can be a little intense, but know that you are consuming a blood tonic that is good for anemia, your heart and circulation. Beets also contain notable amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
Refrigerate for storage; the beet root will keep for several weeks, the greens should be used within a few days. Several recipes can be found on our online web blog along with a recipe below for the green tops.
Broccoli – organic
Broccoli is one of the most popular green vegetables. Some varieties are true green, some more blue, and some will show a hint of the yellow flowers earlier than others – high heat causes this which makes our window to grow spring broccoli in KY vary from year to year. Last season it was not the heat, but the ongoing rains giving us challenges on harvesting perfect heads.
Broccoli contains Vit. A, mosof it found in the leaves – so throw them in with your mixed greens or chard. Steam, stir-fry, oven roast, or eat raw as a healthy snack with a garlic dip. You can use the entire stalk, not just the florets – store in the coldest part of your refrigerator. Find a recipe below.
Green Garlic – organic
Today’s harvest includees the entire plant of green garlic. The bulbs are fresh, not yet dried as you will receive later in the season, so we recommend you refrigerate for storing. You can use the entire bulb (including the roots) and at this young stage it may not yet be separated into cloves. Use the stalk as far up as it is tender, just as you did last month.
Garlic is well-known for its nutritional and med-icinal properties. It helps stabilize blood sugar levels, lowers fever, eliminates toxins from the body, and stimulates your metabolism.
Lettuce Heads - organic
Varieties in your share this week include the popular Green Leaf, the fluffy red Summercrisp, and a Red Romaine, Outredgeous, in the larger shares.
Swiss Chard– organic
Many of you love when the Rainbow Swiss Chard is ready. The colors are so bright (hence a variety name of “Bright Lights”) to make preparing a good-for-you vegetable more fun. Chard is high in Vit. A, E, and C along with calcium and iron. Chard does not contain as much oxalic acid as spinach, resulting in your body absorbing more minerals during digestion.
You can enjoy the entire leaf including the whole stalk. You can prepare any way that you would use spinach. Easy recipes include stir-fry, steaming, or sautéing. You can also enjoy raw, but most people enjoy using as a cooked green. Find a recipe below. Refrigerate to store.
Sugar Snap Peas – organic
Similar to last week, you can eat the entire pod and peas with this type. Break the ends and if a string has developed, pull it off from end to end. Steam or sauté/stir fry. You can also blanch for 1-2 minutes in boiling water, cool in iced water, and then enjoy in a cold salad, or pop in a freezer bag to use later.
Greens: Mustard and Turnip – organic
The season for these spring greens is quickly ending – enjoy one more bunch this week. You may not see the cool weather greens again until the fall season.
Fresh Herbs: Sage and Thyme – organic
Recipes to Enjoy . . .
Pasta with Broccoli and Ginger
1 bunch broccoli
1½ C chicken or vegetable broth, divided
2 T olive oil
1 T minced fresh ginger
1 tsp minced garlic
1/8 to ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp salt
1 lb fusilli, rotelle or radiatore pasta, cooked according to package directions
Cut broccoli florets from stem. Trim to small florets. Peel and slice stems. Process sliced stems and ½ C broth in food processor until very fine.
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, and red pepper. Cook 15 seconds. Stir in pureed broccoli mixture, florets, remaining 1 C broth and salt. Boil, stirring occasionally, just until broccoli is tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Toss with pasta.
Simply Greens
Our thanks to a friend of the farm for adapting this recipe from an original found on the website: SimplyRecipes.com. She uses a combination of beet greens, Swiss Chard, and the tops of whatever other root vegetables she happens to have on hand. Serves 4.
1 pound greens
1 strip of thick cut bacon, chopped (or a tablespoon of bacon fat)
¼ C chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
¾ C of water
1 T granulated sugar
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/6 C of cider vinegar
Wash the greens in a sink filled with cold water. Drain greens and wash a second time. Drain greens and cut away any heavy stems. Cut leaves into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
In a large skillet or 3-qt saucepan, cook bacon until lightly browned on medium heat (or heat 1 Tbsp of bacon fat). Add onions, cook over medium heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onions soften and start to brown. Stir in garlic. Add water to the hot pan, stirring to loosen any particles from bottom of pan. Stir in sugar and red pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. Add the greens, gently toss in the onion mixture so the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5-15 minutes until the greens are tender. Stir in vinegar. (For kale, turnip, mustard, or collard greens continue cooking additional 20 to 25 minutes or until desired tenderness.) Serves 4.
Greens with Miso Sauce
Recipe from Farmer John’s Cookbook
1 bunch radish, turnip, or other greens
1 T miso paste (found in refrigerated section of most health food stores and many supermarkets; start with a light-colored variety for a mild, sweet flavor if new to you)
1 T peanut oil
sugar
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 C hot cooked rice
Bring 2 C water to a boil in a medium pot. Add the greens and boil for 1 minute. Drain the greens in a colander and run cool water over them to stop the cooking. Let drain again, then gently squeeze out any excess water with your hands. Transfer the greens to a cutting board. Chop finely and set aside.
Put the miso paste in a small bowl. Stir in 2 T water, then add a little more water so that the miso is thinned just enough to stir into other ingredients.
Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped greens; cook, stirring, until they are tender and heated through. Add the thinned miso paste. Add sugar to taste; stir the ingredients until thoroughly combined. Remove from heat; stir in the toasted sesame oil. Serve over rice.
Limed Sugar Snaps
Recipe from Entertaining with Bluegrass Winners
1 ½ pounds sugar snap peas
salt for water
2 T butter
1 T lime juice
Wash and remove ends and any strings on peas. Blanch peas in boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain and cover with ice. After cooled, place peas on paper towels to dry.
Melt butter in pan. Add peas to pan and salt and pepper to taste. Sauté peas until warm. Pour lime juice over peas and serve immediately. Serves 6-8.
