At a quarter of the way through the season, we’re fully into summer now. A quick reminder that your next shares won’t be for another 3 weeks, rather than the typical 2 weeks (8/6). Lisa and I will be spending some time in Michigan camping, visiting farms and of course bringing back some fruit to share with the CSA Club, and we’re really looking forward to it. I hope you enjoy this week’s share.
And as always, feel free to reach out with any questions or feedback. You can always email us csaclub@gardmo.com , or for in the moment cooking questions text (630)391-1245.
-Ben
This broccoli is super sweet. I’ve always enjoyed snacking on broccoli, especially with a nice dip but roasted or sautéed, when the florets get a little crispy, is top notch.
Broccoli and cauliflower are brassicas in the sub-group called ‘cole crops’, which also includes cabbage. Broccoli and cauliflower are botanically just varieties of cabbage, just like granny smith and Macintosh are varieties of apples. But instead of being red vs. green, they differ from cabbage in that their flower stalks and flowers develop very differently.
The florets are typically the star, but to be honest, my favorite part is the stem. Once you peel away the fibrous skin, it has a crisp texture with only a mild broccoli flavor. I like to toss them in with other veggies I’m sautéing for easy variety.
We’ve moved on from spring onions and into full fresh summer onions. Without a curing step though, these haven’t formed the papery exterior yet and are best kept refrigerated. These in particular are super sweet with only a mild flavor and crisp texture.
There are two different varieties in the shares this week. The long slender one is an english cucumber, and the shorter bumbier one is more of a garden variety.
These are long slender varieties, which makes them a little easier to cook with. The old adage is to salt eggplant before cooking to reduce bitterness. I don’t know if it necessarily does that, but salting them does collapse air pockets in the eggplant that helps it cook more evenly.
New potatoes are an early summer treat. Harvested before being able to cure in-ground, new potatoes have a thin papery skin, and should be kept refrigerated. Raw, they have a crisp texture that reminds me of jicama. Cooked they are extremely creamy which I think makes them perfect for potato salad.
These are the first carrots of this season. When I remove the greens from carrots, I like to leave a little bit on the carrot mostly because I think it’s super cute (it also makes the greens easier to clean). I like to roast early season carrots whole to really lean into how adorable they are. There’s a bit of variety in sizes, so simply halve or quarter the larger ones lengthwise.
Receiving cabbages in shares this time of year is nice as a rainy-day item. It will keep in the refrigerator for months, and you can always just cut a portion off the head to use, and put the rest back in the refrigerator for later (in a unsealed plastic bag). Savoy Cabbage is very similar to typical green cabbage, except it has frilly leaves. I prefer savoy to regular cabbage since it gives a little more shape to dishes it’s used in.
A mix of red leaf and green leaf lettuce. It’s always crisp and refreshing, and can a great vehicle for many of the other veggies in the share.
“Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian; wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian; lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese; garlic makes it good.”
– Alice May Brock
