CSA Week 5: Into the Sun!

Finally, a sunny day (even though it rained again in the evening) for our Thursday CSA delivery. This spring has been both unusually cool and ridiculously wet–and because of that we have lost crops. The CSA rolls on, but our summer crops that we should have been starting to pick (squash, beans, chard, etc.) are either delayed, stunted, or replanted.

On the brighter side–we have had a spectacular run of greens! With one week to go, this week’s box is light, but we should be able to finish strong in week 6. And, even though the box is not as full as we had hoped, we do have a new addition: kohlrabi!

• Kohlrabi: This unique plant is delicious raw or cooked. The fleshy bulb-like stem has an almost nutty flavor, and the leaves can be used like any other green (see collards).  Note that a few of our kohlrabi had either cracked stems from incessant rain or munched leaves–but they will still be delicious. It is great roasted, but here are 5 recipes to get your mind going.
• Radishes: Tired of radishes? Still using them in salad? Try a radish martini.
• Onions: here are even more ideas for using green onions, from Martha Stewart.
• Sage: Sure, you can let this dry and burn it like incense to clear away stale air–but you can eat it, too. Sage doesn’t get enough play in American food. That sage sprig is just enough to make a butter and sage sauce to pour over pasta (I’d add a caramelized onion, too!)
• Collards: How about a collard (and/or Kale) and wheat berry risotto?
• Baby chard: The chard makes us a little sad–because it was coming along beautifully until the big storm last week. Since then we’ve seen it struggle, and so decided to harvest it now to make room for another crop for summer. Baby chard is especially tender; chop and saute it with some garlic in a little olive oil–add pumpkin seeds and a splash of hot sauce, salt and pepper.
• Kale: A couple of weeks back we mentioned kale chips; how about stuffed kale rolls with quinoa and goat cheese?