CSA 2023 Winter Week 13

Written by

Becca Lagarcha

in

National Farmworker Awareness Week

When you see food in the grocery store, farmer’s markets, or inside your CSA box, you’re looking at the result of an incredible amount of skill and physical labor from people who work on farms. Our nation’s 2.5 million farmworkers face long hours of arduous work to make that food possible, often putting themselves at risk. Check out National Farmworker Week blog post to learn about the issues facing our country’s 2.5+ million face, as well as how your support of organic farmers is making a difference at Frog Song and helping us build a better alternative to the industrial food system.

Week 13 CSA Box

For this final week of our Winter 2023 season, here’s what the amazing group of farmworkers at FSO have picked and packed fresh for your table:

  • Bok Choy
  • Baby Green Cabbage
  • Celery
  • Galangal
  • Red Leaf Lettuce
  • Sweet Onions
  • English Peas
  • Murasaki Sweet Potatoes
  • Tokyo Turnips

Featured Vegetable: Tokyo Turnips

When you picture turnips, usually a largish veggie with white purple comes to mind. So, when you open this week’s CSA share, you might mistake those small white bulbs in your box for radishes… until you take a bite and taste their mild flavor. Our Tokyo turnips are delicate and wonderful steamed or pickled. We’re also sharing one of our favorite ways to roast them, along with storing tips

Of course ALL veggies are awesome, but what makes these little guys special? Well, for starters let’s talk about the greens. Eat them! There’s tons of good stuff there like Vitamins A, B6, C, E & K, as well as manganese, calcium, copper, and iron. They’re also good for your tummy with lots of fiber and nitrates that your heart will love.

This is a surprisingly versatile vegetable. You can serve them raw, lightly sauté (be sure to sauté those greens too!), pickle ‘em, or roast.

If you are not planning to eat them right away, the best thing to do is to cut the green parts, roll them in paper towels (which keeps them dry), and keep them in the fridge. You can place the roots (turnips) in a plastic bag and store them in your fridge as well. As long as they are kept sealed, they would be fresh up to a week. The important thing here is to make sure that they are not wet.

Miso Roasted Tokyo Turnips – adapted from foolproofliving.com

Ingredients:

  • 2 pounds of Japanese turnips rinsed* and cut in half – green parts reserved
  • 3 tablespoons white miso paste divided
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
  • coarse sea salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. Whisk together the 2 tablespoons of miso paste and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a bowl.
  3. Spread the turnips on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the miso-olive oil mixture and toss to coat. Bake for 12-15 minutes making sure to rotate the turnips halfway through the baking process. Let turnips cool, then sprinkle with black pepper. Taste for seasoning.
  4. Rinse the greens and chop. Sauté greens until they are lightly wilted, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the rest of the miso paste and make sure that the green leafs are coated with the paste. Add in ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper. Taste for seasoning.
  5. Transfer the warm greens in a large salad bowl. Spread the roasted turnips on top of the greens.
  6. Serve immediately.

Green Curry Paste with Galangal – adapted from yummly.com

Ingredients:

  • 1 stalk lemongrass
  • 3 green chilies (we recommend FSO jalapeno)
  • 4 Tbsp. sweet onion
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 galangal (thumb-size piece of, OR ginger, thinly sliced)
  • 1/2 cup fresh, chopped, cilantro leaves & stems
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce or tamari
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 Tbsp. lime juice
  • 2 Tbsp. Frog Song cane syrup
  • 4 Tbsp. coconut milk (enough to blend ingredients together)

Instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a food processor, chopper, or blender.
  2. Process well to form a fragrant paste. Taste-test for salt and spice. If too salty, add a squeeze of fresh lime or lemon juice. Add more chili for more heat.
  3. Store in the refrigerator for us to one week or freeze. Enjoy!

Sweet Onion Jam – adapted from Californiagrown.org

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 large sweet onions cut into a 1/4-inch dice
  • 2 large thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 rosemary sprig
  • 1/2 cup FSO cane syrup
  • 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
  • coarse salt to taste

Instructions:

  1. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  2. Add the onions and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown. About 15 minutes.
  3. Tie the herbs together with kitchen twine and add the bundle to the onions. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
  4. Pour the cane syrup over the top of the onions and increase heat to high. Cook without stirring until it becomes an amber-colored caramel. This should take 4-6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the vinegar and simmer until the jam is thick, about 5 more minutes.
  5. Discard the herb bundle and season the onion jam with salt to taste. Let cool before serving.

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