Week 5
June 27, 2012
We’ve got some variety this week. And some more greens. But think of
this as the start of a shift towards non-leafy vegetables. Of course,
not completely away from those good old salad greens and the summer
standards, chard and kale. We’ll have a few more cut salad greens in
the next few weeks, and after that we’ll keep one or two heads of
lettuce coming a week so you’ll have something light to much on. We
went overboard while choosing lettuce varieties this year, so you’ll
get something different each week.
For a farmer In the midst of winter, the day that seed catalogs arrive
for the coming spring season brings spring itself, melting away the
hardships, aches, and worries of the previous growing year. Around
November I usually feel like quitting for good, but those glossy and
enticing photobooks fill my mailbox around the beginning of the year,
and I start thinking of all the new and wonderful varieties I can try
for the coming season. So six months ago I was leafing through the
Seed Saver’s Exchange catalog, checking out some new lettuce
possibilities, and I stumble upon this GORGEOUS looking oakleaf
lettuce, all bright red and brilliant. Even better, it supposedly held
its deep red color and mild flavor in the heat. It’s name was
“Mascara,” and I immediately added it to our purchase list.
Mid-summer has past, and I now know how this variety earned its
namesake. When I saw it in the catalog, I could only think of how
stunning it looked. In the field, it looks alright. I’ll just say I
have not been blown away. Clearly this lettuce had some make-up
applied before it’s photo was taken and it appeared in all those
winter magazines. But I know the truth – it’s just another lettuce. I
feel like I’m the paparazzi revealing one of those “5 Celebrities
Spotted Without Makeup! Photos you won’t believe!!!” stories…Not to
be too negative: Mascara still holds its own in flavor, and is
probably above average in looks. It’s what’s on the inside that
counts.
OK, here’s what you’ll find in this week’s share:
Spring Mix (bag of mixed greens)
Lettuce, mizuna, ruby streaks, and tat soi, great for salads or juicing
Arugula (bag of stand oval and wavy light green leaves)
Great for salad, sauteing, or making into pesto
Head Lettuce
Two red types this week: “Mascara”, lighter red and more frilly, and
“Merlot Oak Leaf”, darker
Baby beets and beet greens (bunch of red or golden roots with leaves attached)
Perhaps you know this, but beet greens (the leaves growing out of the
beets themselves) are quite edible. In fact, they are the exact same
species of plant as swiss chard. Try pulling up one of those plants
and you will not find a beet. It’s kind of like a toy poodle and a
great dane. Except you can eat both of their leaves. The variety we’re
giving you this week is grown particularly for its greens, but we
tried to harvest them at a time when you’ll get a little beet in there
as well. Bigger beets are on their way…Cook the greens as you would
chard, steaming is probably best, though many people add these to
their salads as well
Scallions (bunch of skinny onion-looking things)
Cabbage
Early green cabbage – we’ll have some larger different types for you
in the fall. Please excuse the occasional bug or slug in these. We try
to select insect free produce to deliver, but sometimes it really is
impossible to tell whether or not something is inside of a produce
item. Cabbage falls into that category of vegetables that we would
have to dissect to remove all of the insects. And we don’t think you
want dissected cabbage.
Purple-top Turnips (or turnip, depending on how big)
Now THESE are turnips. Before we were just giving you salad turnips.
They can be used in much the same way, though I usually eat them
cooked rather than raw. The biggest one we harvested today weighed out
at 2.9 pounds. Wowza. Try the mashed turnips recipe below, not too
different than mashed potatoes.
Basil and Sage (Small leaves of herbs, both in same bag)
Basil is a darker green and the leaves look more glossy. Sage has
longer, oval, oblong leaves that are more textured. You have enough
basil to make a small pesto, and Abby Paloma even added some Sage to
the last one she made, which was delicious. Otherwise chop and add to
a salad dressing (example below) or garnish salad with either of these
herbs.
Summer Squash (green zucchini and/or yellow squash) (Nathan Love and
Curious Pictures)
OR
Sugar Snap Peas (Park Slope and Golden Drum)
Mother – I gave you extra spring mix in place of either of these items
for some good smoothie greens.
Mashed Turnips with Cream and Crispy Scallions (adapted from Asparagus
to Zucchini)
1 ½ pounds turnips, peeled and coarsely chopped
3 T butter, divided
8 thinly sliced scallions
½ cup heavy cream
1/8 t ground or grated nutmeg
salt and pepper
1-3 t minced Italian parsley
Place chopped turnips in a large pot of cold water. Bring to a boil
and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and puree turnips
in a food processor or mash them with a hand held masher. Heat 2 T of
the butter in a small skillet, add scallions, and cook until tender
and golden brown. Remove from skillet. Combine the cream and remaining
1 T of butter; bring to a simmer and stir into the pureed turnips.
Season with nutmeg, add salt and pepper. Serve garnished with
scallions and parsley.
Basil Lover’s Salad Dressing from www.farmfreshliving.com
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Juice from 1 fresh lemon
1 small tomato diced
3 tablespoons basil chopped
1/4 cup virgin organic olive oil
In a blender or food processor, blend all ingredients except olive
oil, salt and pepper. Slowly incorporate olive oil into other
ingredients by pouring in a steady stream. Blend for 30 seconds. Add
sea salt and fresh pepper to taste.
Cabbage and Beet Slaw from www.epicurious.com
2 medium beets, trimmed (most of the beets we gave you I would
consider small. Try including all of them in this recipe)
4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1 1/2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1 teaspoon honey
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
Shredded fresh basil or chopped fresh parsley
Preheat oven to 375°F. Wrap beets in foil. Bake until tender when
pierced with knife, about 1 1/2 hours. Cool. Peel beets. Cut into 2 x
1/4 x 1/4-inch strips. Place in medium bowl.
Place cabbage in large bowl. Combine cider vinegar, Dijon mustard,
grated orange peel and honey in small bowl. Gradually beat in oil. Add
caraway seeds. Pour enough dressing over beets to coat. Pour remaining
dressing over cabbage and mix. Season both salads with salt and
pepper.
Arrange cabbage around edge of platter. Mound beets in center. Garnish
with basil and serve.
