Greetings CSA Members and Friends,
Garlic Scapes are so enjoyable to harvest - a gentle garlic aroma permeates the air and the ease and speed of the snipping gets the job done in no time! Now the serious business of bulb formation can take place. In six weeks or so, the tops will brown and the bulbs will be mature enough to harvest. Always thinking about the next step in the growing process!
This year, the 4th of July falls on a Wednesday. We are going to stick to our normal Wednesday delivery schedule. We are very sorry, but we are unable to make any changes to this delivery. We recommend that you ask a friend, neighbor, or colleague to come pick up your box if you are unable to do so.
Thank you for understanding. Please be assured that if you cannot pick up your box yourself or cannot find someone else, your CSA box will go to either Squash Hunger or to a Food Pantry.
Wishing you the best - Justine
Hakurei Turnips
(adapted from Early Morning Farm)
Another delicious member of the brassica family, Hakurei turnips are sweet and mild. Sometimes called salad turnips these are delicious raw, and take on a whole new flavor and texture when cooked. There is no need to peel these turnips. Turnip leaves are also edible and taste similar to mustard greens. They make delicious stir-fries and sautés. Turnip root is high in Vitamin C, and the leaves are high in good source of vitamin A, folate, vitamin C, vitamin K and calcium.
Storage
Remove greens and store separately, refrigerated in a plastic bag if you intend to use them. The roots should last for several weeks stored loosely in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer.
Preparation
Rinse leaves in several batches of cool water to remove dirt. Separate stems from roots leaving about an inch of stem attached to the root. If using leaves, chop or tear into bite size pieces. Leaves are delicious mixed with lettuce for salad, lightly sautéed, or braised. Roots are very versatile, can be eaten raw, pickled, roasted, and stewed.
Honey Glazed Hakurei Turnips with Apples
6-12 hakurei turnips, trimmed, greens reserved
3 apples, peels left on, cored & sliced into chunks about the size of the baby turnips
2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
½ teaspoon sea salt
Place turnips and apple chunks in a large skillet; add water to cover turnips and apples halfway.
Add olive oil, honey, and salt; bring to a boil.
Cook 3-4 minutes until apples are soft - remove apples.
Continue cooking baby turnips until liquid is syrupy and turnips are tender, about 10 minutes.
Add apples back to the skillet. Toss apples and turnips in the syrupy liquid.
Add turnip greens to skillet and cook over medium heat until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
Hakurei Turnip Salad (From Scratch Club)
(Prepare this salad in a bowl
and dress it just before serving)
1 bunch, hakurei turnips with greens (5 or 6 turnips)
1 head of lettuce or 1/3 lb arugula (optional)
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts or sunflower seeds
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 Tablespoon honey
1 Tablespoon dijon mustard
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Prepare the Salad
Rinse and chop into salad-sized pieces the greens from one bunch of turnips and your optional lettuce greens or arugula. Put the greens in your salad bowl.
Wash as many turnips as you think you’d like to eat. Cut the ends off the top and bottom. Cut each turnip in half and slice thinly. Add the turnips to the greens.
The Dressing
In a small bowl, mix together the vinegar, honey, and mustard.
In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add pecans or walnuts or sunflower seeds, then the vinegar mixture. Heat thoroughly and reduce the dressing until it starts to thicken. Remove from the heat, pour over the salad, and toss to coat all the greens. Top with croutons, if desired. Serve at once.
Napa Cabbage
Napa Cabbage, is both an early Summer and Fall crop for it tolerates frost well. It is very versatile and can be eaten both raw and cooked.
Chop raw Napa Cabbage into green salads.
Substitute Napa Cabbage in traditional coleslaw.
For an Asian style salad. Toss chopped cabbage with grated carrots, chopped scallions, toasted sesame oil, rice vinegar, and soy sauce (Tamari).
Napa Cabbage cooks quickly. Steam for 3-5 minutes, or until leaves are wilted down but remain a little crisp.
When substituting Napa Cabbage for regular cabbage, reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes.
Napa Cabbage is great in stir-fry recipes and is a main ingredient for egg rolls.
Stir-fry Napa Cabbage alone or with onion, toasted sesame oil, and tamari, or add it chopped toward the end of your mixed vegetable stir-fry.
Napa Cabbage is wonderful in soups, fried rice, and mashed potatoes (and potatoes mashed with turnips and parsley).
Store unwashed and unpeeled Napa Cabbage in a plastic bag (loosely closed) in the crisper of your refrigerator. It may last up to 2 weeks!
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This week in your CSA box,
you will most likely find:
Garlic Scapes Scallions
Hakurei Turnips Fennel
Head Lettuce
Napa Cabbage Kale
Scallions:
Store scallions, unwashed and wrapped loosely, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Rinse scallions in cold water and snip off anything floppy!
Scallion and Orange Salsa
(Farmer John’s Cookbook)
This salsa is fantastic on anything grilled, or as an addition to a salad plate, over lettuce, or over cottage cheese. Makes 2 cups
1/2 cup minced scallions (about 3 scallions)
2 large or 3–4 medium oranges peeled, seeds removed, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped chile pepper (or more or less, to taste)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Put the chopped scallion in a strainer and run under cold water. Drain well.
Stir all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.
Fennel
Slice fennel, then quarter it lengthwise to display its texture.
Try raw fennel as it's done in Italy by brushing raw slices with olive oil and lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve as an appetizer.
Use the fernlike tops as a licorice-flavored herb or garnish.
Use the stems in soup stocks and other dishes in place of fennel's botanical cousin, celery.
Grill, braise, and roast fennel.
Make an aromatic seasoning by sautéing fennel along with, or instead of, onions at the beginning of a recipe to flavor a dish.
Sauté fennel with zucchini, tomatoes, sweet bell pepper, thyme and a dash of salt and pepper.
Adapted from Farmer John's Cookbook
Fennel with Parmesan Cheese
1 fennel bulbs with 1-inch stalks
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 tablespoon butter, small pieces
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash and trim fennel bulbs. Blanch or steam until tender but firm, 8-15 minutes. Cool and quarter, leaving a thin layer of the core to hold bulb together.
Arrange, cut side up, in buttered 1 quart baking dish. Cover with cheese and butter and season with salt and pepper. Bake 20-25 minutes until cheese is lightly browned. 2 servings.
Adapted from The Victory Garden Cookbookby Marian Morash
White House Kale Salad
FOR THE DRESSING:
1 medium shallot, minced
Juice of 2 medium lemons (about 6 tablespoons)
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE SALAD:
2 bunches young kale, washed and spun dry, stacked and cut into thin slices
1 bulb fennel (fronds, stems and outer layer removed or reserved for another use), cored and thinly sliced 4 radishes, thinly sliced
2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed, seeded and thinly sliced
1 scallion, white and light-green parts, trimmed and thinly sliced
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved or cut into slivers
4 ounces spiced Marcona almonds (one cup; see NOTE)
For the dressing: Combine the shallot, lemon juice and vinegar in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the salad: Place the kale in a large serving bowl. About 10 minutes before serving, add the dressing to taste and toss to coat evenly. (You might not use all the dressing.)
Add the fennel, radishes, jalapenos, scallion, cheese and almonds, tossing to incorporate.
Serve immediately.
NOTE: Spiced Marcona almonds might be hard to find in a store, but you can make your own. Whisk an egg white in a medium bowl, add 1 cup of Marcona almonds and toss to coat. Combine 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin and 1/4 teaspoon of smoked paprika in a separate medium bowl. Add the almonds and toss to coat. Spread the almonds on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 15 minutes, watching carefully to make sure they don't burn. Cool before using.
(The Washington Post 2012)
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