CSA 2023 Spring Week 1

Welcome to our Spring Season! Your Week 1 box includes a colorful mix of textures, taste, and nutrition:

• Broccoli
• Rainbow Carrots
• Rainbow Chard
• Fennel
• Panisse Lettuce
• Parsley
• New Red Potatoes
• Purple Osaka Mustard
• Purple Daikon Radishes

The purple Osaka mustard greens in this week’s box are beautiful and versatile. Enjoy them raw in salads or braise and pair with pork, lamb and sausages, creamy sauces, pungent cheeses, peaches, dill, fennel, cilantro, the list goes on and on. We especially love these greens cooked with our FSO bacon and a splash of apple cider vinegar – perfection! Prefer saving this taste of spring for summertime? Check out our pickled greens recipe below.

Parsley’s another seasonal offering. It’ll keep in the fridge for about a week if wrapped loosely in dampened paper towels and placed in a resealable bag. We always recommend enjoying our veggies and herbs fresh, and parsley is no exception. It’s an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and phytonutrients. Dried parsley loses some of its magic but is still a healthy, tasty addition to any recipe. When possible, we prefer to slow dry our herbs. For parsley, group the sprigs into bundles. Use rubber bands to secure the stems. Hang the sprigs upside down in a warm, dry location. After a few weeks, your parsley will be brittle to touch and ready to store away.

Don’t have time or space to slow dry? We’ve got you covered! Here’s a quick workaround: remove the stems and arrange the leaves on a paper towel-covered plate. Cover with another paper towel and microwave for around 40 seconds, followed by 20 second bursts until all moisture is removed. Grind into a powder using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, and store them in an airtight container.

Finally, for those preparing an Easter feast next weekend, we’re sharing some inspiration for a pièce de résistance that will bring extra joy to your nearest and dearest. Bon appetit!

Recipes

Roasted Fennel, Chickpea and Kale Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 fennel bulb
• ½ cup chickpeas
• 3 garlic cloves, halved
• 1tbsp freshly ground turmeric
• sea salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• large bunch of curly kale
• fresh coriander to garnish, optional

Dressing

• 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 lemon, juice
• pinch of sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F
2. Cut fennel into 8 wedges, place into a bowl and toss with 1/2tbsp turmeric, sea salt and ½ tbsp olive oil. Place onto 1 side of a baking sheet.
3. Drain chickpeas, pat dry and place into a bowl. Add garlic and toss with remaining turmeric, sea salt and ½ tbsp olive oil. Place onto a baking sheet next to the fennel. Bake for about 30min stirring in between.
4. Tear kale leaves from the thick stems and wash thoroughly. Pat dry, place into a bowl and toss with sea salt and 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for about 10-15min stirring in between.
5. Mix all of the ingredients for the dressing.
6. Once everything is baked, toss together and drizzle with the salad dressing. If you like garnish with some chopped fresh coriander.

Pickled Osaka Mustard Greens – adapted from saveur.com

Ingredients:

• ½ lb mustard greens
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 3 serrano chiles, split lengthwise

Instructions:

1. In a small saucepan, combine 2 cups water, sugar, salt, and vinegar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat. Cool slightly.
2. Using a paring knife, trim stems of washed mustard greens from leaves. Cut stems into 2″ pieces and place in a 1-quart measuring cup. Coarsely chop enough greens to fill the measuring cup when added to stems and packed down gently.
3. Pack stems, leaves, and chiles into a clean glass 1-quart jar. Pour hot liquid onto greens, making sure that the stems are completely submerged. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 days before serving with spicy meat dishes, stir fry, or salads.

Easter Leg of Lamb with Greens – adapted from marthastewart.com

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil plus 1 tablespoon, for brushing
• 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and finely chopped
• 1 medium bunch scallions, white and most of the greens, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped garlic, plus 1 garlic clove, quartered
• 1 ½ cups thinly sliced mustard greens and rainbow chard mix
• 1 teaspoon fresh fennel frond
• Freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup chopped fresh mint
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 half leg of lamb (3 ½ to 4 pounds), semi-boned and butterflied (with shank bone)
• Coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
• ½ cup dry white wine, plus more if needed

Instructions:

1. In a large skillet, heat 1/3 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add fennel bulb, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 3 minutes. Add scallions and chopped garlic, and cook for 2 minutes. Add greens, and cook, stirring, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, and season with fennel fronds and pepper to taste. Stir in mint. Transfer to a bowl until cooled completely.
2. Crumble feta cheese over cooled greens; stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Place lamb on a clean work surface. Season with salt, pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Spread greens over lamb in an even layer. Roll lamb, starting at narrow end, to enclose filling. Using kitchen twine, tie lamb lengthwise and crosswise at 1-inch intervals. Rub with remaining tablespoon oil; season with salt, pepper, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano. Cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours and up to overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Make four small slits in lamb, and insert the garlic quarters. Place the lamb in a roasting pan that just holds it comfortably. Roast for 25 minutes.
5. Add wine, and reduce oven temperature to 400 degrees. Continue roasting, basting frequently with pan juices, 45 to 65 minutes (or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the lamb registers 125 degrees for medium-rare). If the roasting pan becomes dry, add a little water or chicken stock.
6. Remove lamb from oven, and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 15 minutes. Remove twine from lamb before slicing. Strain pan drippings, skimming fat from the surface; drizzle pan juices over lamb.