Tag: Kohlrabi

  • Weekly CSA Share May 9-12

    Happy Mothers Day Weekend!

    This Weeks BOUNTIFUL Share Includes:

    Sweet Red Onions- Don’t let the color fool you these are still sweet onions, they are perfect eaten raw sliced thin on top of sandwiches or in salads or sauté them to really bring out their sweetness.. and the greens too.

    Turmeric- Gingers earthy-tasting cousin. You might know Turmeric as the spice that gives curry its yellow color but its way more than just that, it has been used in India for thousands of years as a spice and medicinal herb and is growing in popularity with doctors and nutritionists around the globe. Fresh turmeric doesn’t have a super long shelf life, It usually lasts about one to two weeks in the refrigerator, however you can freeze it to use for use later. Simply wash and dry the turmeric and store it in a plastic bag in the freezer. When you are ready to add some turmeric to your recipe pull it out of the freezer and grate it, it grates easily when chilled or frozen. Ancient Golden Milk

    Peaches, Nectarines and Plums- Our stone fruit varieties are just coming into season, enjoy them now as they generally have a pretty short harvest season mid May through mid June. Stone fruit is any fruit with a “stone” or pit inside such as peaches, nectarines and plums but also cherries, mangos and apricots. Our stone fruit varieties should be mostly firm to the touch, not like the tender and juicy Georgia peaches you may be accustom to.  Combine some cut up peaches or nectarines with the strawberries in your share for a delicious mothers day fruit crumble, complete with a little homemade orange (turmeric sprinkled) whip cream.

    Collards- Ah collards. Most people would identify collards as a winter green here in the south, slow cooked in a big ol pot with some hog jowls, and green hot sauce, but they are actually quite versatile. As a member of the Brassica family, closely related to kale and mustards, collards hit their peak January through April. Eat them as you would kale, they are great sautéed with a little garlic and olive oil. Make sure to discard the stems as they may be a little rough to sauté, but leave them on if you plan on boiling them. Sauté with the sweet onion in your share and whatever else your little heart desires.

    Kohlrabi- Not quite sure what this is? Kohlrabi is about to become your new favorite vegetable. Peel the purple skin, slice it up and eat it raw or stir fry it. Get the low down on your new favorite veggie with The Kitchn’s Kohlrabi Basics.

    Green Cabbage- Turn your raw, green cabbage head into a spicy pickled cabbage, a staple in Korean cuisine. – Easy Green Cabbage Kimchi-Tasty Kitchen

    Sweet Baby Carrots-  Are you experiencing carrot overload yet? Juice those babies! Carrot juice is a great way to switch it up and consume your beta carotene (as if you needed one) Use the fresh turmeric in your share as a substitute for the powdered turmeric called for in this Turmeric Ginger Carrot Juice Recipe from The Breakfast Criminals.  The general rule of thumb for converting dried herbs or spices to fresh in a recipe is 1 to 3, so 1 teaspoon of dried spice is equal to 1 tablespoon of fresh. Roughly 2 inches of fresh turmeric root will yield 1 tablespoon of the freshly grated.

    Tri-Colored Potatoes- Red, Purple and Yellow. No need to peel. This soft, thin-skinned, variety can be washed and ready to cook. Cut them up and roast them, use them in a stir fry or casserole, any way you would use a potato.

    Green Romaine- Hearty and crunchy this bunched lettuce is the perfect base for any tossed green salad, or sandwich topping.

    Purple Daikon Radish- Beautiful and Zesty this purple tie-dye starburst radish is a mild to medium flavored radish. It adds a crunchy and colorful facet to any slaw or salad. Try it as a celery substitute in your mothers day egg salad or chicken salad. I like to use them as a healthy substitute for the potato chip, they make for an excellent dipping partner. My new favorite snack: try them on top of your pimento cheese sandwich for a little crunch and spice.

    Surprise…..Strawberries- Remember it’s Teacher Appreciation Week along with Mothers Day Weekend!! If you don’t have any more room in your freezer for these delicious berries they do make GREAT GIFTS!

    Peace, Love (your mother) and Good Clean Food. -Shani

     

     

  • Weekly Share April 25-28

    Murasaki Sweet Potatoes- Crimson skin with a white flesh, these little fingerling potatoes are perfect for roasting. Don’t waste your time peeling them, give them a good wash and cut them up into bite size pieces or just enjoy them whole.

    Scallions-  Are they scallions or green onions?? Both. Green onions and scallions are actually the same thing! They are either harvested very young from the regular bulb-forming onions we are familiar with, or they can come from other varieties that actually never form bulbs. All parts of the long slender onions are edible from root to tip. They can be eaten raw or cooked and they make for a beautiful garnish.

    Sweet Baby Carrots- These sweet baby carrots are delicious in a variety of ways, cooking them is the sweetest way. Try roasting them with the white sweet potatoes in your share using the special Root Spice Mix Chef Amy Rupert Secol created.

    Kohlrabi- Kohlrabi gets its name from the German word for cabbage “Kohl” and turnip “Rubi.”  The taste and texture of kohlrabi are similar to those of a broccoli stem or cabbage heart, but milder and sweeter. Make sure to peel the purple skin before cooking it. Once the skin is peeled you can eat it raw, thinly sliced in salads or cooked, cut the bulb in chunks and enjoy it as a topping on your pizza or pureed in soups.

    Sugar Snap Peas- These crispy sweet peas offer lots of nutritional value, and they’ll help you reach your recommended daily intake of Iron, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C. Eat them on their own raw or pair with healthy dips such as garlicky hummus or baba ganoush. You can also include chopped sugar snap peas in your pasta dishes for added crunch, or lightly drizzle the peas in sesame oil, toss with some sesame seeds or sunflower seeds, and roast until tender for a flavorful, healthy side dish.

    Red Romaine-  This red variety tastes no different than the green romaine, but it does offer an inviting, colorful addition to the traditional tossed green salad.

    Green Cabbage-  There’s no wrong way to eat green cabbage. To reap its maximum nutritional benefits eat it raw in slaws like this Cabbage and Jicama Slaw – substituting the kohlrabi in your share for the Jicama, unless you have Jicama, then by all means, give it a go.

    Calendula- Surprised to see flowers in your share? Not only are they beautiful to look at they are wonderfully healthy and edible. Sprinkle the calendula petals in a tossed green salad with your red romaine and some sugar snap peas.

    Curly Kale-  Nutritious, tasty, and versatile, curly kale is a great staple vegetable. It that can be added to pasta, risottos, soups and stews. I find the easiest way to eat kale is to remove any tough stalks and chop down some of the bigger leaves. Saute with some sesame seed oil and chopped garlic.

    Our friend Jacque Nyenhuis- Assistant Professor Culinary Medicine and Nutrition Researcher at University of Central Florida uses some of our fresh produce to create healthy, delicious, simple meals for the whole family to enjoy check out her food blog for more recipes and culinary inspiration. Cooking with Jacque

    Here is a recipe she made up for us using the kale in her share. She tries to use ingredients that are in season and locally sourced when possible.
    Check out some local farms for blueberries in your area. Blueberry season is upon us and U-Picks are a great way to visit your local farms, engage with the farmers, and experience what it’s like to work on a farm, And there’s nothing more satisfying than making from your fresh, hand picked ingredients.

    Kale has lots of nutrients but they can be a bit hard for the body to absorb. One way to increase absorption is to chop it really fine and to add a dressing that contains oil. The oil in this dressing helps increase the absorption of at least 7 different nutrients in greens in this salad according to researchers at Iowa State University who found that a spoonful of oil makes vegetables more nutritious. Wendy White, the lead researcher on the project said that it makes less difference what type of oil. The added oil aided in absorption of alpha and beta carotene, lutein and lycopene – two forms of vitamin E and vitamin K. The oil also promoted the absorption of vitamin A, the eighth micronutrient tracked in the study, which formed in the intestine from the alpha and beta carotene.

    Kale, Pecans and Blueberry Salad

    1 medium bunch of kale
    1 cup pecans, toasted
    1 cup dried blueberries, cherries and cranberries

    Dressing:

    1/2 cup olive oil
    1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
    2 tablespoons maple syrup
    1/2 teaspoon dried mustard

    Place kale in food processor and process about 1/2 minute or until coarsely chopped. Add toasted pecans and dried fruit. Combine all ingredients for dressing, mixing vigorously with a wire whisk until smooth. Drizzle dressing over kale mixture and refrigerate until serving time. This salad is especially good when given time to stand for an hour or more. Garnish with shaved Parmesan cheese. – Jacque Nyenhuis

    Peace, Love, & Good Clean Food- Shani

  • Weekly CSA Share March 20-24

    Included in this weeks share:

    Sweet Onion, Panisse Lettuce, Strawberries, Red Cabbage, Rainbow Carrots, Red Russian Kale, Tokyo Turnips, Kohlrabi, and Black Spanish Radish!

    Kohlrabi- Don’t be intimidated by this purple alien vegetable, once you get familiar cooking with it you will love it. I must admit I was a little skeptical at first but after experimenting with it a few times I have grown to enjoy it’s tasty, nutritious, satisfying crunchiness. Simply cut off the stems  and peel the purple skin. Cut up and toss in your salad, top a pizza or cook it as you would a turnip. Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw from the Kitchn

    Red Russian Kale-Russian Red kale is one of the heirloom kale varieties dating back to before 1885, also known as Ragged Jack kale and Communist kale. Heirloom kale is the term used to refer to varieties handed down from one generation to the next and like other varieties of heirloom kale it grows from and produces viable seeds. The color  leaves of this kale variety change depending on the air temperature. In colder weather the leaves turn a bright magenta, and in warmer weather, the entire leaf is more green or gray. The stems are thick and fibrous so I recommend discarding them if your going to eat it raw. Chop the leaves very fine and add them to a green salad with other herbs and a tasty dressing, or use them braised with the sweet onion in your share and enjoy a Delicious Kale Quiche.

    Strawberries- Our strawberries are one of a kind. Strawberry Cheesecake Turnovers

    Black Spanish Radish- They have coarse, charcoal-colored skin, and creamy white flesh with a spicy bite. If you’re worried that you won’t be able to handle the heat, salt the radishes before you use them to take the edge off, or try them pickled. I used them in my Kohlrabi and Carrot Slaw to add a spicy flavor, make sure you peel them first. 

    Sweet Onion- First of the spring season. These pearly white onions are so beautiful they’ll make you cry! Cooking them really brings out the sweetness in which they are named for.

    Tokyo Turnips- These small delectable turnips are super easy to cook but just as tasty eaten raw, eat the greens too! Tokyo Turnip Salad -Full Belly Farms

    Red Cabbage- Nutrient dense red cabbage is popular among dietitians as it has a relatively high ratio of nutrients and vitamins to calories and fat. For the maximum benefit, eat a mixture of raw and cooked purple cabbage. When you cook the cabbage, avoid boiling it, as the water will sap the nutrients from the vegetable, sauteing works well for most dishes. When comparing purple cabbage to other varieties, the notable difference is the antioxidant levels. The deeper pigmentation in purple cabbage indicates a richer supply of anthocyanins, which can help lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration and many other diseases.

    Panisse Lettuce- This bright, lime green, oakleaf variety is tender and delicate so its best tossed with a light vinaigrette. Moisture can cause lettuce go bad quickly so make sure its dry before storage after you wash it. It is also recommended to rip the lettuce with your hands rather than chop it with a knife.

    Rainbow Carrots- Taste the rainbow. Make sure these carrots stay fresh by lopping off the tops as soon as you get home. The tops of the carrots suck out the moisture of the carrot and can make it dehydrated and limp but not to worry, if that happens simply soak the carrots in some cold water overnight in the fridge, they will be crispy and delightful in no time.  Given it’s springtime and Easter is just around the corner I thought you might enjoy a little carrot history lesson…. Carrots are a root vegetable originating in Afghanistan. They are a member of the Umbelliferae family, which also includes celery,parsley, dill, cilantro, caraway, cumin. They originated as purple, red, white, and yellow, but never orange. In the 16th century, Dutch carrot growers invented the orange carrot in honor of the House of Orange, the Dutch Royal Family. They did this by cross breeding pale yellow carrots with red carrots. The settlers at Jamestown in 1607 introduced carrots to North America. -HealthDiaries.Com

    Make sure you order your beautiful colorful array of carrots in time for Easter as they make great a beautiful addition to any Easter basket, use them as edible decoration or and ingredient in your Easter supper. Order Now!

    Colorful Slaw: Red Cabbage, Black Spanish Radish, Watermelon Radish, Carrots, Cilantro

    Tune in for Next Week’s Share

    Peace, Love and Good Clean Food. -Shani

  • Welcome to the FIRST Spring Share of the Season!!

    Welcome back! Spring is here and we are bursting at the seams with fresh, delicious produce.  John and Amy have decided to take on a new farmers market to try and move some produce this busy spring season. Check us out at the Winter Garden Farmers Market on Saturdays from now till mid June.

    We greet this first week of our spring CSA season with… (drumroll please) freshly picked, deliciously ripe, Strawberries– grown in actual straw rather than conventional black plastic. Ever wonder how they got their name STRAWberries? There are various types of “mulches” farmers can choose from when growing strawberries some are more environmentally friendlier than others (hint hint). Mulching is important because it reduces weed growth, which decreases the amount of time you need to spend weeding. It minimizes water use because it prevents the sun from hitting the soil, which reduces water evaporation. It also improves soil quality as it decomposes. The best mulches for strawberry plants are plastic, straw and pine needles. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/proper-mulch-strawberries-26206.html

    Red Leaf Lettuce-  This variety of lettuce grows very well in our region as it is  fast growing, heat tolerant, and slow to bolt.  Bolting is the production of a flowering stem (or stems) on a plant before it can be harvested. It is the plant’s natural attempt to produce seeds so it can reproduce and occurs as the hot weather moves in. The red leaf variety offers a large, open “head” of crimson tipped loose leaves that deepens in color as it matures and makes for a beautiful tossed salad.

    Tokyo Turnips- Tokyo Turnips are a mild, juicy variety of turnip. Try them raw in salads, thinly sliced on crudite plates or with crackers and cheese. You can also cook them in soups or stir fry’s-note that they do not need to be cooked for long! Eat the greens, they are slightly spicy, tender, and delicious.

    Purple Kohlrabi- This purple alien like vegetable has a similar taste and texture to that of a broccoli stem and is crisp and juicy like an apple, just not as sweet. Kohlrabi is in the same species as the wild cabbage (Brassica Oleracea). To prepare make sure you cut and peel the thick purple skin revealing the pearly white flesh. Kohlrabi can be sliced and eaten raw or cooked. The Kohlrabi leaves are edible too and can be used interchangeably with collards and kale. Check out the recipe below featuring Kohlrabi, Carrots and Turnips from your share. For preparation tips check out this easy to follow picture diagram from Kitchn.com How to Cut Up Kohlrabi

    Sweet Baby Carrots- Hand Picked, Hand Washed, Hand Packaged…A bunch of love and thought goes into bundling these sweet and tender baby carrots. No need to waste your time peeling them, simply give them a good wash and enjoy. Make sure to cut the tops off before you store them in the refrigerator as the tops suck all the moisture out of the tuber leaving it limp and unappealing. If this happens simply cut the tops off, submerge in water, and store in the fridge. They will return to their fresh and crispy state in no time at all. This is a great way to store them and easily accessible for the late-night snacker.

    Arugula- A fiesty peppery addition to any salad, pizza topping, or for Sunday morning brunch atop some whole grain toast under a poached egg. Yum!

    Bok Choy-  This thin-stemmed variety has tender leaves  and an epic flavor for any stir fry dish.

    Sweet Potatoes-  These medium sized, garnet skinned, sweet potatoes are so easy to peel. Their bright orange flesh is slightly sweet and is great in savory dishes and mixed mashes. Try mixing these sweet potatoes with some fresh greens from your share for a Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

    Braised Carrot, Kohlrabi and Turnips

    Ingredients:

    1 kohlrabi, peeled and quartered 

    1 bunch turnips, washed and topped

    4 or 5 carrots, washed and topped

    1/2 medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced

    3 small cloves of garlic, diced

    3/4 cup vegetable broth

    2 tablespoons of butter or butter substitute

    Quickly brown butter and garlic in a large frying pan, add the broth and vegetables, bring to a boil, reduce to medium/low, cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until tender. Strain out the vegetables and cook the tops of the kohlrabi in the leftover stock. I cut the tops very fine like you would kale, however you don’t have to. Make sure you wash them first to remove any sand or dirt.

    Thanks for reading, stay tuned for next week’s share!!!
    -Shani Crider, CSA Coordinator at FSO