Red Russian Kale
Sometimes I see kale like this called ‘baby kale’ and mixed into greens mixes. The leaves are tender and would make for a great salad. I mentioned Caesar for the arugula; this kale would probably appreciate an invite to that party.
Season: Spring
Lettuce
The mild varieties of lettuces that we eat today are descended from an inedible bitter weed that grew in Asia and the Mediterranean. Thanks to 5,000 years of cultivation and improvements by thoughtful growers, we’re able to enjoy these varieties that are tender with only a pleasant touch of bitterness.
Spring Onion
Spring onions are always a treat. Harvested before a bulb has started to form, these look more like scallions and can be used similarly. Use the bottom white portions the same way you would onion (diced and sautéed at the beginning of any dish, pickled, on a taco, etc.), and the top green portion like […]
Pickling Cucumbers
Cucumbers already is kind of crazy. Nichols has a pretty impressive greenhouse program that enables them to have delicious cucumbers and tomatoes this early in the season. They use a moveable top that allows them to plant directly into their healthy soil with the protection and warmth of a greenhouse. When it warms up, they […]
Spinach
This is spring-planted spinach (vs overwintered). The weather to start this season has been a bit cooler than last year allowing Nichols keep spinach going out in the field without it bolting. The flavor is deeply spinach-y and has a nice sweet balance. It’s definitely hardier than baby spinach and would hold up well to […]
Arugula
Nichols’ arugula is always extra peppery. You’ll often see arugula used in light salads, like with balsamic and goat cheese. But these ones are so peppery I had visions of it carrying a creamy Caesar dressing making it seem like you gave it a few extra cranks of the pepper mill.
Spring Red Onions
Spring onions are always a treat. Harvested before a bulb has started to form, these look more like scallions and can be used similarly. Use the bottom red and white portions the same way you would onion (diced and sautéed at the beginning of any dish), and the top green portion like you would green […]
Easter Egg Radishes
Comparing these to the ones from Otter Oaks is pretty fun. They might be slightly different varieties, but more likely the differences are from different growing conditions. These from Nichols are much more elongated in shape, and have more of a spicy bite than the Otter Oaks radishes. Luckily the recipe this week is a […]
Easter Egg Radishes – Otter Oaks
We’re starting off the season with a double ration of radishes. Easter egg radishes are typically a mix of different varieties of radishes which is how we end up with the pretty mix of purple, pinks, and whites. These ones from Otter Oaks are particularly sweet and mild.
New-Crop Baby Spinach
Spring is a funny time of year with both overwintered and new-crop spinach available at the same time. This baby spinach is crispy and light, perfect for a rich vinaigrette.
Red Rover Radishes
We love radishes, but know they aren’t for everyone. The french thing to do is to eat them raw with a liberal smear of butter (so tasty). If you don’t like radishes, try roasting or sautéing them until soft and translucent (but not too long). The spiciness mellows and allows their sweetness to shine.
Nichols’ World Famous Celery
To be honest, I didn’t realize Nichols’ celery was so renowned (although, a friend did mention it the other week). You can usually tell how sweet celery will be from how light it is. A lot of times farmer’s market celery will be dark green and bitter. These are a light bright green, crispy and […]
Covington Sweet Potatoes
Believe it or not, these sweet potatoes were harvested last fall, likely in November. After being cured, sweet potatoes keep extremely well when stored in the right conditions (potatoes similarly store well). Nichols harvested over 30,000 lbs of sweet potato last year so that we can still be enjoying some this week.
Sakura Cherry Tomatoes
Over the winter, Nichols Farm added a couple greenhouses to their already impressive amount. In these greenhouses, they plant directly into the earth giving them the both the protection of a greenhouse and the amazing soil they have cultivated over many seasons. With this, they are able to perform the magic act of having tomatoes […]
Green Garlic
Green garlic is regular garlic harvested in the spring before the scape has begun to show. It’s bright and garlic-y. The stems can be used just like you would a clove and pack a similar punch.
Baby Head Lettuce
Baby head-lettuce, not baby-head lettuce. This lettuce is surprisingly flavorful, in the best way. Salads sound great for this upcoming heat wave they’re forecasting.
Pickling Cucumbers
These are some cute little cukes. Crisp and refreshing, although maybe not quite as sweet out of the greenhouse as they will be from the field come summer.
Heirloom tomatoes
Similar to the cucumbers, the slicing tomatoes we’ll see later in the season from the field will have a little more oomph than these from the greenhouse (not cherry tomatoes though, the greenhouse ones are pretty dang close). Still, definitely not bad.
Celery Leaf
Celery leaves can be used as an herb, playing the same role that parsley typically does. The darker leaves (like these ones) tend to be a little bitter but bring a depth of celery earthy, herbaceous aroma.
Golden Globe Potatoes
Believe it or not, these potatoes were harvested last fall. While 6-month old potatoes might not initially seem appetizing, I promise they still taste great. With the right storage conditions, potatoes keep extremely well over the winter which allows us to enjoy them this time of year before new potatoes begin to be harvested.
Overwintered Bloomsdale Spinach
Spinach benefits from cold temperatures to develop sweetness. By overwintering (planting in the fall and covering), this spinach has had plenty of time and cold weather to sweeten up. It’s some of the tastiest spinach of the year.
Red Spring Onions
When you can’t wait until fall for onions, you get spring onions. These are the exact same thing as the red onions we’ll see later in the season, just harvested early and small. You can use them the same way you would green onion or scallion or just the white/red part like you would any […]
Asparagus
Asparagus is the spring veggie. At the peak of the season, the asparagus is so sweet that I like to eat it raw. Simply diced and tossed with a zesty vinaigrette, something pickled and thinly sliced radishes makes for a great salad (look out for a full recipe to be posted next week).
Greenhouse Swiss Chard
Chard is a nice mild green. You can use it pretty much any way you would spinach; in a salad, on a sandwich, or quickly sautéed.
English Cucumber
Over the winter, Nichols Farm added a couple greenhouses to their already impressive amount. In these greenhouses, they plant directly into the earth giving them the both the protection of a greenhouse and the amazing soil they have cultivated over many seasons. With this, they are able to perform the magic act of having cucumbers […]
Greenhouse Cherry Tomatoes
Nichols also does a slicing tomato in the greenhouse that I find to be a little lacking compared to field tomatoes that come in season. These cherry tomatoes though…they’re pretty close to the real deal.