It’s week 2! I hope you enjoyed the array of veggies from your first share. There are a lot of fun things in the share this week.
Quick reminder to bring-with/leave-out the totes with the containers from your previous share. If you have any in use, no problem; we can get them next time.
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
Crisp and refreshing romaine. We left the heart whole; one of my favorite things to do with romaine is to split the heart down the middle, oil and season it, and then char it on a ripping hot grill. Served warm, or chilled, grilled romaine brings an amazing smoky flavor to any salad. The loose leaves you can chop for salad, or use on a sandwich.
This is a brassica very similar to bok choy. With small heads, its perfect steamed, stir fried, or grilled. With just a bit of garlic scapes (see below), soy sauce, and vinegar it will hold its own as the star of a meal.
A late spring/early summer icon. These snap peas are crunchy, and sweet with a mild green bean flavor. Eat as a snack whole, slice for a salad, or lightly sautee for a fun side dish.
Swiss chard always reminds me of spinach. Its has a mild, earthy flavor, with a slightly more hardy bite than lettuces. Give a quick chop and use for salads or sauté, just as you would spinach (or mix with some greens you have in the freezer to make large batch of creamed greens that you could snack on all week).
Similar to the spring onions, these fresh shallots are the early harvested and uncured version of the shallots you’re used to seeing. Brighter, and slightly more mild than cured shallots, these can be used in all the same ways you would shallots or white onion.
The greens were looking nice, so I included those as well. Use like you would scallions for a perfect garnish for just about every dish.
Another leafy variation of broccoli. It looks very much like kale but tastes exactly like broccoli, stems included. Use any where you would broccoli. A stir fry with these, the snap peas, and garlic scapes would be mighty tasty.
The scapes are the tender stem and flower bud from the garlic plant. I have overheard people looking for these at the market since April. They carry the garlic flavor you would expect from the bulbs, but bring with an herbiness that’s a nice twist. I also think they’re a bit easier to cook with than garlic. I’ve trimmed them down to manageable pieces. Simply slice, and use as you would garlic (figure 2-4 pieces is equal to 1 clove of garlic).
This is pretty classic lettuce. The texture is velvety with a mild flavor. It’ll work well in any sort of salad, and fits great onto sandwiches.
I love in early summer when the summer squashes are this size. Simply tossed in some oil and grilled whole, they’re a better vegetarian option than any faux-meat sausages. If you’re grilling or roasting, don’t be afraid to throw some extra squahes on for leftovers; cold grilled squash is great on sandwiches or in salads.
You had these last time as well. Same deal; they’re zesty raw, which I find delightful but know isn’t for everyone. If that’s you, try slicing them thinly, rinsing with water, and adding to a salad. Its easy enough to sneak in one radish into a salad and an acidic dressing will hide it even more. Another idea is to take advantage of their soft-juicy texture when cooked and use them in a curry or other stew-like dish. Just try to avoid stewing them for more than ~30 minutes. Past that they tend to develop an over-cooked cabbage flavor.
