Greens, Glorious Greens!
Dear CSA friends, the best time of the year has arrived - the opening day of CSA season!
The share will be: lettuce, arugula or tatsoi, spinach, radishes, summer squash, English (shell) peas, garlic scapes, and choice of an herb (mostly cilantro and dill, with some mint). Premium shares will also include bok choy and choice of endive or escarole.
What to do with all this abundance? We've got some recipe ideas for you!
Let's talk about the green leafies:
Lettuce can always be piled into salads, or sandwhiches, and wraps, but they can also be used as the wrap or a lettuce cup to hold a filling in a low-carb way!
For example, these asian inspired orange beef lettuce wraps! My family loves them. And for anyone who can't eat it this way, just serve on top of the lettuce as a great salad!
Or try these meatless Asian lettuce wraps made with a delicious walnut mince. This is super popular in my family!
Endive can be grilled, wilted into stews or potato dishes, and also stuffed with delicious fillings as a delicious snack or appetizer!
Tatsoi and Bok Choy can be used quite similarly.
Use in stir fries, like this one!
Or Grill your bok Choy for a different experience!
Zuchinni or Summer Squash
Give these stuffed zuchinni boats a try!
Or how about a simple side dish of summer squash or zucchini?
Arugula
Oh, Arugula, how do I love thee, let me count the ways!
a big beautiful salad, or sauteed and garlicky, with crushed red pepper!
Or sometimes the best way to use arugula is in a super duper veggie wrap! Feel free to add cheese or meat or whatever other veggies strike your fancy! For example, you can cut your radish into match sticks and toss them in!!! YUMMMMM
English Shelling Peas
Break them open, shell them all, boil to perfection (about 5 minutes but test them before you decide they're done!), add butter and salt - that's hard to beat! However, you can throw them into salads and pasta dishes or soups, too!
Here's a fresh new take on english peas! I'm trying it this week with my CSA share!
That's right, GRILLED PEAS! Eat them like you would eat edamame!
Garlic scapes
What are they? From Heartbeet Kitchen:
"Garlic scapes are the curly, twirly, green flower stalks that emerge from the tops of garlic plants as they grow. They can be eaten cooked or raw, and they’re as fun to look at as they are to eat! Garlic scapes have a mild and subtle garlic flavor, softer than the bite you’d find in raw garlic cloves. This makes them exceptionally versatile anywhere in cooking where you would normally use garlic."
Cooked: Garlic scapes can be sautéed, stir-fried, or grilled, much like asparagus or green beans. They can be used as a flavorful addition to stir-fries, pasta dishes, omelets, and soups.
Pesto: Garlic scape pesto is a popular way to utilize this ingredient. It is made by blending garlic scapes with herbs, nuts (such as pine nuts or almonds), Parmesan cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice. The resulting pesto can be used as a spread, sauce, or dressing.
Garnish: The vibrant green color and unique shape of garlic scapes make them a visually appealing garnish for various dishes. They can be finely chopped and sprinkled over lettuce salads, roasted vegetables, or grilled rotisserie chicken.
Here are 10 delicious recipes for garlic scapes! Including the scrumptious looking stir fry you see below!
Radishes
Slice them on salads, Toss them as a topping on tacos! Roast in a pan or in the oven and eat the entire delicious bunch in one sitting!
Serve in wraps, dip in hummus, toss into stir fries! Just make sure you eat them!
Or try this Upside down puff pastry with radish!
Spinach
Sautee them with garlic as a side dish! Toss into rice dishes, pasta dishes, raw in salads, blend into a fruity smoothie for extra nutrition that no kid will taste!
Make a cream of spinach side dish! Toss into stuffed peppers!
Or create a delicious Spinach Strawberry Salad and pay homage to the late spring season's colors and flavors!
However and whichever ways you decide to use these wonderful, local, and fresh organic veggies, you can't lose! If you have some favorite recipes or new discoveries, send us an email and we will be so happy to share it with everyone in our blog! We love to hear your ideas!
Happy Opening day! See you at the CSA!!!
All the best,
Colleen
Comments