This week we’ll be sharing some exciting new items with you and will look forward to hearing from you your own kitchen concoctions. We always welcome your feedback and would love to see posts of Frog Song produce adorning your dining table this holiday season.
In this week’s share we will be including:
Arugula bunches: Its distinctive vibrant green color, lobed leaves and spicy leaves can grace pastas, quiches, salads, seafood dishes and much more. Harvesting arugula consistently ensures the younger, more tender and flavorful leaves are the only ones that make it into your share. Stores best wrapped tightly in plastic and kept in the crisper in your refrigerator. You can also place the cut ends in a glass of water in the fridge and keep them like cut flowers.
Mizuna bunches: This green, originally cultivated in Japan, is perhaps more mild than arugula, but it still packs some peppery sweetness. I’ve found mixing mizuna and arugula together as a salad base creates an interesting flavor interplay between the two. Here is an excellent stir-fry recipe that also utilizes green onions, another share item this week. (if you have any turmeric left over from last week’s share, including that would be a great compliment too.)
Kohlrabi: The taste and texture of kohlrabi (also known as “German turnip” or “turnip cabbage” are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter. You may use the root in salads and to make slaws (peeling the outer layer first). The leaves can be used as one would use collards or kale. A tried and true preparation comes with roasting the bulbs, peeling the outer layer, slicing it into 1/4 inch slices, then halving and coating with a olive oil mixture with garlic, salt and pepper before laying out onto a pan. A 15-20 minute bake in a preheated oven (stirring once or twice for even caramelizing) and you’ve got a meal! Use kohlrabi anywhere you would use broccoli or a potato.
Collard Greens: Whether or not you consider yourself a “Southerner”, you have an everlasting tastebud friend in collard greens. Traditionally slow simmered with salt pork or ham hock (which tenderizes and tempers the tough texture, coercing out a sweeter flavor), collard greens are best enjoyed next to a large heap of black eyed piece and a freshly baked piece of cornbread. If you are vegetarian, you can forego cooking with pork and slow cook the greens in vegetable stock instead. It’s just as delicious! (Fun fact: collard greens are the official state vegetable of South Carolina!). You can also try Brazilian style collard greens, or Collard Wraps.
Easter Egg Radishes: Don’t let the vibrancy of these pink, purple, white, and red bulbs make you forget that they can also be eaten. The crisp flesh carries a mild pepperiness and is a great source of Vitamins A, C, potassium, zinc and dietary fiber. Include in a simple sautee with butter and salt or do my new favorite thing: chop and add to tacos and sandwiches for satisfying crunch and radish zing.
Sweet Potatoes: It’s almost suspect that something so sweet tasting can be so nutritious. Almost. A good sized baked sweet potato may contain nearly 440% of your daily value of Vitamin A! I recently came across a great site with 25 descriptive Sweet Potato preparations, so you’ll have an arsenal of ideas to draw from as we near holiday feast time. Follow the link here!
Watermelon Radish: If you have cut one of these open yet, you’re in for a treat. Maybe I won’t even spoil it for you. Suffice it to say these roots are lookers and boast big flavor. Roasting is always a great option to bring out sweetness. Preheat oven to 375°. Cut radishes into wedges. Mix with 2 tbsp. oil and put in a 2-qt. baking dish. Roast radishes, stirring occasionally, until fork tender, about 1 hour. Drizzle with remaining 1 tbsp. oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
Green Cabbage: Sliced thinly, green cabbage can be eaten raw or it can go into stir-fries, soups, and braises. The whole leaves can also be used to replace tortillas as burrito wraps! Raw leaves are somewhat peppery in flavor, but the cabbage gets sweeter as it cooks. Try Green Cabbage sliced thin, mixed with scallions, shredded carrots, and sprinkled with lime juice and salt for a crunchy slaw or a taco topping. Add cilantro or dill for a little extra flavor.
Bunching Onions: Both the white base and the green stalks are delicious here. The thicker white base part is a bit more mild than a more mature, bulbous onion and is wondering chopped and sauteed. The greens may be used as you would use chives in many recipes. Since I’m practicing my own chef knife skills, I thought I’d share this site detailing skillful scallion slicing techniques! Follow here. Scallions are a great addition to fried rice!
Dill: This annual herb belongs to the celery family Apiaceae. Chopped dill is an eclectic garnish for soups, a driving ingredient in dressings, enhances a sour cream baked potato, a cut of salmon and of course, a necessity in pickling! You can also add it to a green cabbage slaw with grated carrots.
Also this week members will be receiving bonus heads of broccoli! My next meal will probably be this broccoli quiche. Give it a try and let us know what you think!