Farmer's Market/CSA Reports for 2012

[thirtyoneknots]

Kohlrabi opinion number three: I love it, it's wonderful---does NOT taste like broccoli stems or any other part of broccoli, which I can't stand.

I like kohlrabi as an app with cocktails: slice paper thin, fan out the slices to look lovely, sprinkle with coarse sea salt. Also very nice on a plate with deviled eggs. I grew up thinking it was a particularly Jewish vegetable because my dad used to say it meant voice of the prophet (or song of the rabbi.) Apocryphal no doubt, since that would be kol, not kohl, but still an outstanding vegetable. It is plentiful in Chinatown; no idea how Chinese cooks use it, or if they eat it raw. I could imagine it being good in a stir-fry, but I've never tried it.

I just want to clarify that I like kohlrabi (the name means 'cabbage-turnip', related etymology [kohl = cabbage] as cole slaw [cabbage salad]), I just haven't had particularly good luck growing it in the garden, in spite of repeated assurances that it is well-suited to Texas winters.

[blue_dolphin]

On the kohlrabi front, I repeated that salad from last week with fennel and blueberries and liked it much, much better with the kohlrabi cut into julienne instead of thin slices and a bit of lettuce added to the mix.

This week:

From top left:

Tatsoi

Easter radishes - they're baaaaaak!

Fennel

Sweet onion

Butter lettuce

Zucchini

BIG parsnips

Bok choy

Purple carrots - only superficially purple - they are orange under the skin

In the middle: tangerines and red potatoes

The bok choy is really piling up and will have to be dealt with. I see some poached egg on bok choy breakfasts in my future!

I am debating on the parsnips. I saw a recipe for a roasted parsnip and garlic dip that I might try. It roasts the parsnips and a head of garlic in double cream and then purées that with butter. How could that be bad? Seems a bit winter-y but we've got a June gloom thing going on at the moment so I may give it a go.

[Kim Shook]

blue_dophin – nice. Except for the zucchini, I’d love to have what you got. I wish we got radishes every week. The two of us alone easily go through a bunch of radishes a week. David Ross makes a lovely salad with parsnips: http://www.recipecir...nip_Salad_.html - you can see a picture of the salad in post #33 here: http://forums.egulle...62#entry1556962

Still have the kohlrabi from last week, but I think I’m going to try cutting it up with a green salad. Luckily Mr. Kim eats most everything. I am trying different methods with most of the stuff, but the squash tends to just get pan frying with onions!

Thursday’s CSA box:

Blueberries, spring onions, green beans, Swiss chard, thyme, white squash and Portabellas. I’m using the blueberries in a peach and blueberry pie and I’ve got some really good side meat in the freezer to use with the beans. They will get the long-cooked Southern treatment. Not at all sure about the rest.

[blue_dolphin]

Nice looking mushrooms, Kim! And thank you for the parsnip salad recipe idea. Sounds like something I'd really like. I'll see what I can find for apples and pears and give it a try. I can use one of those big parsnips for the salad and roast the other for the dip so I can try both.

[kayb]

Still have the kohlrabi from last week, but I think I’m going to try cutting it up with a green salad. Luckily Mr. Kim eats most everything. I am trying different methods with most of the stuff, but the squash tends to just get pan frying with onions!

Kim, I believe there is no higher and better use of squash than to fry it with onions. Which is exactly what I intend to do tomorrow, along with the first okra of the season (!), and some green tomatos for Child C, whilst I stew some green beans and new potatos, and mash some more potatos for the Teenaged Boy, who will eat nothing green. I am watching him for signs of scurvy.

Squash, beans, green and ripe tomatos, okra, zucchini (for fritters later in the week), all scored at the farmers' market this morning, along with tamales and fried pies. Blueberries, strawberries and blackberries all in the co-op order yesterday (along with ground buffalo). Tomorrow's dinner will include sous vide grass-fed chuck roast, happily burbling away in the little cooler with the circulator, and berries and creme fraiche, which is currently sitting on the counter getting thick.

I love summer.

[Pierogi]

Another couple of weeks passing leads to another CSA share ! Yummy ! The good news....NO COLLARDS in this box. No turnips, either. I was also getting seriously burnt out on those. The bad news....more beets. Now, I love beets as much, if not more than the next person, but I'm hitting the wall with them, too. Hopefully this is the end of 'em. The greens were nowhere near as robust as they'be been, and the roots themselves were much smaller.

This Thursday's haul was 8 beets, 5 scallions, 12 ounces of lovely, tender salad greens, a bunch of chives, 2 avocados (and man, are these GOOD avocados !), a bunch of rainbow chard, 3 cucumbers (very nice and firm, not at all watery, I had one tonight), 1 yellow and 4 green zucchini (including two I could use for a baseball bat), 2 small heads of cabbage and 2&1/2 pounds of small, but very, very tasty apples (10 of them total).

Here's the picture for the visually inclined of us:

Ina Garten's cold summer borscht is on the agenda with some of those darned beets. Some of the zuke will be "fritter-ized", and I'm open to suggestion for the rest of those guys.

[heidih]

Pierogi - I like a cabbage slaw that incorporates both cucumber and apple. As to the beets - have you ever tried a raw beet salad. Particularly good with the smaller more tender ones. I do one with grated beets dressed in bit of crushed garlic, S & P, dash of Dijon, squeeze of orange, balsamic and walnut oil. Any citrusy dressing should be nice. Both salads will keep for a few days.

[Pierogi]

Pierogi - I like a cabbage slaw that incorporates both cucumber and apple. As to the beets - have you ever tried a raw beet salad. Particularly good with the smaller more tender ones. I do one with grated beets dressed in bit of crushed garlic, S & P, dash of Dijon, squeeze of orange, balsamic and walnut oil. Any citrusy dressing should be nice. Both salads will keep for a few days.

Heidi, I like the sound of that slaw. Do you use a creamy dressing or a vinaigrette? I've done a couple of raw beet salads, and didn't love them, but it may have been the dressing I used. I'll keep your suggestion in mind for that as well. Today, I've got some roasting that I'll julienne and dress with a garlic/tahini/lemon dressing. I'll let you know how that one is.

[kayswv]

Another couple of weeks passing leads to another CSA share ! Yummy ! The good news....NO COLLARDS in this box. No turnips, either. I was also getting seriously burnt out on those. The bad news....more beets. Now, I love beets as much, if not more than the next person, but I'm hitting the wall with them, too. Hopefully this is the end of 'em. The greens were nowhere near as robust as they'be been, and the roots themselves were much smaller.

This Thursday's haul was 8 beets, 5 scallions, 12 ounces of lovely, tender salad greens, a bunch of chives, 2 avocados (and man, are these GOOD avocados !), a bunch of rainbow chard, 3 cucumbers (very nice and firm, not at all watery, I had one tonight), 1 yellow and 4 green zucchini (including two I could use for a baseball bat), 2 small heads of cabbage and 2&1/2 pounds of small, but very, very tasty apples (10 of them total).

Here's the picture for the visually inclined of us:

Ina Garten's cold summer borscht is on the agenda with some of those darned beets. Some of the zuke will be "fritter-ized", and I'm open to suggestion for the rest of those guys.

Pierogi, we particularly have enjoyed both the salads in this link http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/2010/05/beet_and_cabbage_salads

One is for cold shredded beets and the other is for a cabbage.

Kay

[heidih]

Heidi, I like the sound of that slaw. Do you use a creamy dressing or a vinaigrette?

I do a funny mix of a sort of Chinese chicken salad dressing (homemade), a touch of Dijon, and mayo. Basically a slightly sweet and mustardy vinaigrette with the creaminess of mayo.

[kayswv]

For anyone who likes a little "heat" with their salad, this is an outstanding beet salad recipe. Have been making it for years.

http://www.indiadivine.org/audarya/vegetarian-forum/1324482-vegan-day-tunisian-beet-salad-harissa.html

Kay

[blue_dolphin]

Hmmm. I think I'm a little behind here.

No picture of last week's box of Yukon Gold Potatoes, Romaine Lettuce, Gold Beets, Japanese Turnips, Kohlrabi, Red Chard, Yellow Wax Beans, Orange Carrots, Blackberries and Zucchini.

This week's box:

Clockwise from top: green leaf lettuce, purple carrots, mizuna, pickling cukes, blackberries, strawberries, rainbow chard, Blue Lake green beans in the center and spring onions hiding under the beans.

Kay, that beet salad sounds good! I made some harissa a while back and have been looking for more opportunities to used it.

[Beebs]

Help! The greens are taking over my kitchen! We just bought into our very first CSA this year and the veggies are amazingly delicious. Unfortunately we haven't been able to cook at home much to use up everything as quickly as we should. Right now I've got a glut of greens - collards, kale, chard, beet tops, turnip tops, braising greens, salad greens.... I've sauteed them, put them in a soup, made salads, used them as pizza & crostini toppings - but I'm running out of ideas. I found a mac & cheese with chard recipe, so that's this week's dinner. What else can I do with my greens?

[blue_dolphin]

I know that feeling of drowning in greens – my winter time CSA boxes are stuffed with greens! Sounds like you’ve got lots of good uses for them already but here are a couple of my standbys.

This recipe from Deborah Madison’s Savory Way: Pasta with Cranberry Beans and Greens is one of my regulars. The leftovers get parceled out into single serving containers and frozen for lunches during the week. I also love a simpler spaghetti with greens, garlic, red chili flakes and toasted pine nuts.

I love the Swiss Chard and Smoked Trout Bruschetta that I mentioned above and posted over in the appetizer thread.

When I’m prepping chard for the bruschetta or something else, I often take an extra bunch (or 2 or 3) of greens through the wash, blanch, chill, squeeze and chop routine. Then either package up portions directly or sauté with a little garlic. Keeps for several days in the fridge or longer in the freezer. For the freezer, I smush it out flat in a ziplock bag so I can break off what I need.

When the greens are really overflowing, that means I have to start eating them for breakfast so I’ll use some of those prepared greens to scramble with eggs (or tofu), fill an omelet or make a nest for a poached egg. I also use any and all greens in quiche.

At the moment, I’m awash in melons - I’ve gotten Galia, Saticoy, Ambrosia and both pink and yellow seedless watermelon in recent CSA boxes. I’ve been eating melon and cottage cheese for breakfast and lunch and I put some cubes in the freezer to try a frozen melon margarita but I swear, they’re multiplying in my fridge!

[Kouign Aman]

I've got a glut of greens - collards, kale, chard, beet tops, turnip tops, braising greens, salad greens.... What else can I do with my greens?

wash, blanch, chill, squeeze and chop routine. Then either package up portions directly or sauté with a little garlic. Keeps for several days in the fridge or longer in the freezer. For the freezer, I smush it out flat in a ziplock bag so I can break off what I need.

I do what blue_dolphin does. This rice recipe uses up an amazing amount of chopped greens:

1 c rice

1 1/2 liquid (or whatever proportion works for you) (I use chicken stock/broth usually)

several cups of chopped greens (minimum of 2 cups. >3 is better.

Cook as you usually cook your rice (I bring to boil, stir, reduce heat, cover, simmer for 20 min).

It starts as if its going to be all green and ends up w little flecks of green in the rice.

Another use that can use more than seems reasonable is fried rice.

[Shalmanese]

Roast or sautee them with some generic flavorings (olive oil, garlic, onions, chili or sesame oil, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy etc). Then freeze them in ziplocks in single serving portions. Once cooked a) they take up a lot less volume and b) they're a lot easier to throw into a dish on a whim. Pasta sauce, omelets, sandwiches, salads, etc.

Another thing you can do is make "chips" from certain leafy greens. Kale chips are the most common but you can experiment with other chips as well. Just cook in a low oven until dried and they make great snacks.

[Beebs]

Great ideas, thanks! I especially like idea of freezing pre-cooked greens. Does it change the texture or flavour much when it's been frozen? Shrinking the kale pillows will be tonight's project.

[JTravel]

http://www.fingerlakeswine.com/article/20120727/FLAVORS/307270022/A-day-Public-Market-300-vendors-25-000-customers?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Home|p

Hope this fits here.....Rochester loves its Public Market as this article shows. Look at the slide show for a taste of the market life.

[Pierogi]

Help! The greens are taking over my kitchen! We just bought into our very first CSA this year and the veggies are amazingly delicious. Unfortunately we haven't been able to cook at home much to use up everything as quickly as we should. Right now I've got a glut of greens - collards, kale, chard, beet tops, turnip tops, braising greens, salad greens.... I've sauteed them, put them in a soup, made salads, used them as pizza & crostini toppings - but I'm running out of ideas. I found a mac & cheese with chard recipe, so that's this week's dinner. What else can I do with my greens?

I know that feeling of drowning in greens – my winter time CSA boxes are stuffed with greens! Sounds like you’ve got lots of good uses for them already but here are a couple of my standbys.

This recipe from Deborah Madison’s Savory Way: Pasta with Cranberry Beans and Greens is one of my regulars. The leftovers get parceled out into single serving containers and frozen for lunches during the week. I also love a simpler spaghetti with greens, garlic, red chili flakes and toasted pine nuts.

I love the Swiss Chard and Smoked Trout Bruschetta that I mentioned above and posted over in the appetizer thread.

When I’m prepping chard for the bruschetta or something else, I often take an extra bunch (or 2 or 3) of greens through the wash, blanch, chill, squeeze and chop routine. Then either package up portions directly or sauté with a little garlic. Keeps for several days in the fridge or longer in the freezer. For the freezer, I smush it out flat in a ziplock bag so I can break off what I need.

When the greens are really overflowing, that means I have to start eating them for breakfast so I’ll use some of those prepared greens to scramble with eggs (or tofu), fill an omelet or make a nest for a poached egg. I also use any and all greens in quiche.

At the moment, I’m awash in melons - I’ve gotten Galia, Saticoy, Ambrosia and both pink and yellow seedless watermelon in recent CSA boxes. I’ve been eating melon and cottage cheese for breakfast and lunch and I put some cubes in the freezer to try a frozen melon margarita but I swear, they’re multiplying in my fridge!

'Though it won't kill ALL of the overflow of greens (been there, lived that, mercifully my glut has slowed for the summer.....), I do have a couple of great recipes to recommend. First, Dorie Greenspan's "Swiss Chard Pancakes" from her book "Around My French Table". I copied the recipe out of the copy I borrowed from the library, but I believe it's also available on-line. Dead-bang easy (you blitz the batter AND the chard in a blender and fry them up), and so good. AND, the cooked pancakes freeze well for later reheating in a low oven.

Also Emeril Lagasse's "Caldo Verde". This is probably not great for a summer dish; it's a hearty soup with spicy smoked sausage, potatoes and greens (kale is traditional, but I've used collards and loved it), but it's nice to have in the back pocket. I saw it first on an episode of "Emeril Green" that used to air on the Planet Green pay channel, and got the proportions on-line for sure. I've made it a couple of times, and it really is great.

Kale, especially the Tuscan kale, also surprisingly makes a great raw salad. Just chiffonade it really finely, and let it sit in the dressing (a lemon or regular vinaigrette, you need the acid) for a bit. Nuts or seeds, and dried fruit like dried cherries or cranberries, make a really nice addition.

[Pierogi]

No pix, since both the last pick-up (2 weeks ago) and this one (yesterday's) were made late in the day, I was rushed to get dinner going when I got home, and tired, so no attempt to artfully arrange the cornucopia of goodies for their moment in the sun.....or in pixels or somethin'.

But. Both pick-ups were a HUGE abundance of seasonal goodies. On July 12, I got 16&1/2 pounds (!) of produce; including 2 leeks, a bunch of mint, a bunch of watercress, 15 tomatoes, 8 cucumbers (almost 3 pounds worth !), 14 really juicy nectarines (2 pounds worth), 8 zucchini/yellow squash (3&1/2 pounds), 7 huge radishes, 3 eggplants (ugh) and 10 apples (2&1/2 pounds).

Yesterday was another bunch of mint, another bunch of watercress, 7 apples, 10 nectarines, 16 dead-ripe figs....(a pound's worth....swoon), 54 cherry/grape tomatoes (2 pounds), 4 eggplants (ugh...), 10 ounces green beans, 3 large tomatoes, 2 cucumbers, 4 zucchini/yellow squash and one melon of unknown ilk, but smells vaguely cantaloupe-ish. Total of 17&1/2 pounds this week !!

For both of the last shares, the (ugh.....) eggplants have been donated to someone who appreciates the evil purple things. But mercifully the greens, beets and turnip flow has ceased !

Bring on more figs, I say !!

Edit because last time I looked "radishes" has an "H" in it.

Edited July 28, 2012 by Pierogi (log)

[blue_dolphin]

Today's box:

Mizuna

Kobacha Squash

French Radishes

Cauliflower

Romaine Lettuce

Candy Beets

Round Carrots

Black Kale

Satsuma Tangerines

Broccoli

Bok Choy

Japanese Turnips

Lots of greens for me, with radish, turnip and beet greens along with the black kale, mizuna, romaine and bok choy. And I still have last week's bok choy and tatsoi so I had best get to work.

Looking forward to trying the recipe for farro with kabocha squash and cavolo nero from Sunday Suppers at Lucques.

Summer veggies have been lingering (got tomatoes last week) but the Satsumas are a sure sign of the season (already ate 3 that didn't make it into the photo ). Anyone else still getting regular CSA boxes (or fresh market hauls)?

[Eastgate]

Our final package (huge) was thanksgiving, but that's inevitable in New England. Lots of carrots, turnips, parsnips, and winter squash.

I really need to expand my winter squash horizons beyond roasted ( garlic, thyme) and pie. Not that there's anything wrong with pie.

[Beebs]

My CSA ended a couple weeks ago and I'm already starting to miss the weekly fresh veggie haul. I've still got left a few carrots, one rutabaga, big handful of sunchokes, two large-ish pumpkins, spaghetti squash, and delicata squash. I can probably figure out what to do with everything but I'm a little daunted by the two pumpkins. Any suggestions on savoury pumpkin applications that's not pie? There's a lot of pumpkin....

[blue_dolphin]

How large is "large-ish"? I'd be daunted by a big honking jack-o-lantern, too, and concerned that it would be stringy, watery and bland. If yours in leaning in that direction, you may find some help in this thread on improving a bland winter squash.

But assuming they're nice cooking pumpkins, I can highly recommend the Winter Squash Soup with Chili and Mint from Deborah Madison's Greens cookbook. Pierogi posted the recipe here in the 2011 Recipes that Rock thread. I think I've made it a dozen times since. It freezes well.

For a party last year, I made a roasted pumpkin salad with warm apple cider vinaigrette that was a big hit and I've made a lot of variations on that theme since. If I'm roasting squash for another recipe, I try to do up some extra, in bite-sized cubes, to add to salads. That kabocha I got today is almost 6 lbs so some is sure to make its way into salads.

I've been wanting to make Dorie Greenspan's Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good from her Around My French Table cookbook. She calls for a 3 lb pumpkin for that.

[Mjx]

My CSA ended a couple weeks ago and I'm already starting to miss the weekly fresh veggie haul. I've still got left a few carrots, one rutabaga, big handful of sunchokes, two large-ish pumpkins, spaghetti squash, and delicata squash. I can probably figure out what to do with everything but I'm a little daunted by the two pumpkins. Any suggestions on savoury pumpkin applications that's not pie? There's a lot of pumpkin....

Regardless of what you do with your pumpkins (in fact, any winter squash), I recommend splitting (or breaking down into smaller pieces, depending on how big they are), removing the seeds, rubbing the cut surfaces with a fat that works well with your plans, and roasting at 200 C/400 F until it's tender when you poke at it gently with a vegetable knife (I usually go for half an hour, but I'm usually using small hokaidos; if you need a longer time, you might need to cover the top surface with foil after half an hour, if you don't want it to char).

A lot of the time I then just run the pumpkin (or whatever winter squash I'm using) through a food mill, and use it like mashed potatoes (as a side, or in things like shepard's pie). It's also great cut into chunks in stews (I love this with lamb and beans), or pureed with stock as a soup base (e.g. pumpkin chestnut is pretty amazing).

I also use the puree with meat and other ingredients, as filling for things like empanadas.