Recipes & Inspiration

A few ideas for how to use our produce!

Greens

Kale, chard, collards, sweet potato greens, mustard greens, spinach, and don't forget the greens on top of beets, turnips, carrots, even radishes! There are a number of ways to prepare cooking greens: braise (cook slowly in liquid), fry them in a little olive oil or butter, add them to a soup or stir fry. This page has a nice overview: https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-cook-greens-2216053

Use them as a side dish; add them to soups and stir frys; try them with pasta along with olive oil, grated parmesan, sea salt, red pepper flakes, and a spritz of lemon.

Try cooking with flavors like: bacon, chicken stock, white wine, garlic, ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce...

A favorite way to cook sweet potato greens includes chopped onion and just a drizzle of maple syrup: https://www.prevention.com/food-nutrition/healthy-eating/a20444362/sweet-potato-greens/

You can modify a cream of spinach soup recipe to use just about any other green (or vegetable, for that matter): https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/13035/cream-of-spinach-soup/

Some CSA members are telling me they made pesto with our carrot greens. Sounds good!

Don’t leave the stems out! — I like to chop up the stems and cook them along with the leaves for a little crunch. Just add the stems to the pan first, so they’ll finish cooking by the time the leaves are ready.

Herbs

Dill: The quintessential pickle herb, and we've got pickling cucumbers to go with it! Also great with fish, roasted potatoes, and raw cucumbers; chilled soup, like gazpacho; potato and pasta salads; pair it with beef and onions for a Russian cuisine-inspired dish; flavor rice with it...

Cilantro: Our Vietnamese interns in 2018 taught us that the word 'cilantro' in their language translates directly as 'aromatic vegetable,' which speaks to its importance in their cuisine. Try it on fish tacos; BBQ chicken pizza; ceviche; spring rolls; stir fry; coleslaw; pasta (hot or cold)...

Parsley: So much more than just a sprig to garnish your plate, parsley packs a nutritious punch (it's rich in vitamins C and A) and can add flavor to all sorts of dishes, like roasted potatoes, grilled vegetables, and cold grain dishes like couscous. A fantastic way to use parsley is with the Croatian seafood recipe called 'buzara': olive oil, wine, garlic, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper, and plenty of parsley. Try it with mussels as described here, and don't forget some crusty bread to soak up the cooking sauce: https://www.thespruceeats.com/easy-croatian-mussels-recipe-1135889

Rosemary & Thyme: These are both wonderful with roasted meats and potatoes. If you bake your own bread, try adding rosemary and sea salt for a heavenly combo.

Oregano: Classic uses are for marinara sauce and pizza, but this member of the mint family can add depth of flavor to all sorts of dishes, like chili and barbeque.

Mint: Muddle it in your cocktail, add it to cold soups, grain dishes, and vegetable salads (try green beans, avocado and tomato), or for a warmer dish, use it with cilantro and arugula as a fresh garnish on a bean/lentil soup with Moroccan spices: https://www.simplyquinoa.com/slow-cooker-moroccan-chickpea-stew/

Garlic Chives: Chop them as a garnish for salad, pasta, stir fry, baked potato or pizza. Hard to go wrong with garlicky chives.

Other Veggies

Tomatillos: These make a wonderful salsa verde, which you can eat with corn chips, or add to huevos rancheros, enchiladas, pasta, etc. Broiling the tomatillos and other salsa ingredients before blending is key for even better flavor. Recipe: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/tomatillo_salsa_verde/

Winter Squash: Roasting brings out the lovely sweet flavor in these. Puree it into a soup, smash it up for a side dish, or try these 'toasts' that pair the squash with caramelized onion and tart cheese, a favorite autumn recipe of mine: https://smittenkitchen.com/2014/10/squash-toasts-with-ricotta-and-cider-vinegar/

Red Chinese Cabbage / Napa (loose) Cabbage: This is the essential ingredient for kimchi (Korean fermented vegetables). Also good in a stir fry, soup, slaw, and spring rolls. Here are some ideas: https://www.earlymorningfarm.com/6-things-to-do-with-the-napa-cabbage-in-your-csa-box/ And here is a simple stir fry recipe: https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/stir-fried-napa-cabbage-spicy-garlic-dressing

Green Garlic: Garlic that's been harvested early, its flavor lies somewhere between a green onion and mature garlic. Use it wherever you’d use regular bulb garlic, scallions, or leeks: raw in salads and dressings; sautéed, stir-fried or simmered in a soup; braised, grilled, or pickled; made into a pesto. Try roasting the bulbs until they're completely soft, then smashing them up on toast.

Garlic Scapes: These are the loopy shoots that stiff-necked garlic makes as it matures. They can be tough without cooking, so try them chopped up in a stir fry, or like you would prepare asparagus on the grill: lightly charred, with some olive oil and salt.

Turnips: We grow a variety called Hakurei. No need to cook these! They are excellent raw, by themselves or in salads. They can be roasted or sauteed, too. They are Japanese in origin - try pairing them with flavors like miso, soy sauce, and ginger. And don’t forget the tops! -- wilt them with a little olive oil, salt and pepper for a quick dinner side dish.

Fava beans: These are great in pasta, risotto, succotash, mashed up on toast or pureed into a dip or pesto. Here's a primer on preparing them: https://flavorthemoments.com/how-to-cook-fava-beans/ And here are 17 different chefs talking about their favorite uses for favas. https://www.foodandwine.com/chefs/how-to-cook-fava-beans

Peas: In addition to shell peas, we grow sugar snap peas and snow peas, both of which are delicious raw and in-the-pod (although they can also be shelled; pods that were a little older when harvested can be tough, and we recommend shelling in that case). In early pea season, try eating them pod-and-all with a hummus dip. Later in the season, try shelling them and making split-pea soup, or steaming them briefly and tossing the shelled peas in pasta.

Beets: Our beets are sweet and flavorful either cooked or raw. When they're very small (about the size of your thumb pad), they're wonderful steamed or sauteed whole, greens and all. Larger beets can be julienned and added raw to salads, or sliced into rounds and sheet-baked with a little olive oil and salt. Try the sheet bake along with sweet potato rounds for a healthy pre-dinner appetizer.

Eggplant: Good for more than just eggplant parm, these serve as perfect sponges for olive oil plus whatever additional flavors you like. They can be grilled until tender with light charring. Try them on toast along with some goat cheese and tomato paste, or puree them with roasted red pepper and your favorite spices for a Mediterranean-inspired dip.