CSA News: Week 6- July 5 to July 11

This Week’s Share

Share Notes:

• Broccoli: This is the last week for spring/summer season broccoli and we are going big! Broccoli will return again in the fall. We’ve included several recipes but if you have more than you can eat this week try blanching it for 2-3 minutes, then freezing for later use (cut down to preferred size before blanching). Blanched frozen broccoli keeps for up to 12 months.

• Fresh Garlic: The garlic in your share this week is mature, but not cured (dried for storage). Store your uncured garlic in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for best results.

• Hakurei Turnips: This week’s turnips are big and tasty. Try using them in a gratin, mash, or slicing them thin and small for a salad.

Recipes

Beet Recipe

Basic Baked Beets
From Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon

Whole fresh beets, all about the same size, green removed but “tails” and 3/4 inch of stem intact, very well scrubbed and dried
Mild vegetable oil, such as corn, canola, or peanut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat each beet with oil. Individually wrap the oiled beets in sheets of foil. Place the beets in the preheated oven. Bake until done, testing with a fork (the fork should go in easily, but the beet should still offer a tiny bit of resistance). This could be as little as 35 minutes if beets are very small, up to 90 minutes if they are large. Remove from the oven and let cool. When the beets are cool enough to handle, unwrap and, if desired, slip the skins off (they will come off easily). Cut large beets into eighths, medium into quarters or halve or slice crosswise; small ones can be left whole. Refrigerate for later use or finish as directed in a specific recipe, such as the one below.

Scallioned Beets and their Greens in Herbed Mustard Sauce
From Passionate Vegetarian by Crescent Dragonwagon

1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup vegetable stock
3 tablespoons coarse-ground Dijon mustard
1/4 cup Yogurt Sour Cream, tofu sour cream, reduced-fat sour cream or the real thing
2 teaspoons butter (or olive oil or vegetable margarine)
3 to 4 scallions, roots and wilted greens removed, finely diced
1 to 2 bunches beet greens (whatever came off the baked beets), washed, stems finely diced, leaves stacked and sliced in 1/4 inch ribbons
8-10 small-medium baked beets (see recipe above), halved or 4 to 5 large baked beets cut into wedges
2 to 4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley
1 tablespoon minced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of stock in a small bowl. Smush together with your fingertips to dissolve the cornstarch, then whisk in the remaining stock, along with the mustard and yogurt sour cream. Set aside. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and beet greens and sauté for 1 minute, then cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and add the beets and garlic to the pan and toss until just heated through, about 1 minute. Whisk the mustard mixture. Quickly stir it into beets. Cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is hot and thick, 1 minute at most. Stir in the parsley and basil. Taste. If there is a raw cornstarch taste, cook a minute longer. Serve immediately.

Broccoli Recipes

Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts
From Fields of Greens by Anne Sommerville

1 pound of broccoli
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
5 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained and thinly sliced
1 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Champagne vinegar (can substitute white wine or rice vinegar)

Cut the broccoli tops in to florets about 1 1/2 inches long. Peel the broccoli stems, cut in half lengthwise, and slice 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal. In a small bowl, whisk together the balsamic vinegar, garlic, oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few pinches of pepper. Bring a medium size pot of water to boil and add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Drop in the broccoli stems and cook for about 3 minutes, adding the florets for the last minute. The broccoli should be bright green and slightly crisp. Pour it into a colander, rinse under cold water, and drain thoroughly. Toss the broccoli with the sun-dried tomatoes, pine nuts, and vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste and a splash of Champagne vinegar to heighten the flavor.

Broccoli Salads
From Recipes from Americas Small Farms by Joanne Lamb Hayes and Lori Stein

Note: Here are few simple and delicious broccoli salad recipes to try. For each salad start by slicing 1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli and cooking until crisp-tender using the method of your choice (boiling, steaming, roasting, sautéing, etc.). All salads serve approximately four.

Bacon & Onion Broccoli Salad

1 1/2 pounds broccoli, sliced and cooked until crisp-tender
4 slices bacon
2/3 cup olive oil
3 tabelspoons red wine vinegar
1 cup red onion, chopped
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
Sunflower seeds

Cook the bacon until crisp. Let cool, then crumble. Whisk together olive oil and red wine vinegar until blended. Then add the chopped onions. Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. Toss the mixture together with the broccoli and bacon until well coated. Garnish with sunflower seeds.

Sesame Broccoli Salad

1 1/2 pounds broccoli, sliced and cooked until crisp tender
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup sesame seeds, toasted

Whisk together the soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil and honey in a large bowl. Mix the broccoli and half of the sesame seeds in the dressing. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes to 2 hours, tossing occasionally. Transfer the broccoli to a platter, pour the dressing over, and sprinkle with the remaining sesame seeds.

Chicken-Herb Broccoli Salad

1 1/2 pounds broccoli, sliced and cooked until crisp tender
3 cups chopped/shredded cooked chicken
1/4 cup fresh parsley or dill, chopped
1/4 cup sour cream
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the broccoli with cooked chicken, fresh herbs, and sour cream. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

Chard Recipe

Greens Braised with Ginger, Cilantro and RiceFrom Local Flavors by Deborah Madison

Note: This recipe was submitted by CSA member Jessica and she suggests eating it, “over baked potatoes and topped with yogurt.” It’s a perfect way to use your turnip greens, beet greens, and chard from your share this week.

2 bunches greens (turnip greens, beets greens, and/or chard), stems removed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup white rice
2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 cup cilantro stems and leaves
Sea salt
Plain yogurt

Wash the mustard greens well, then chop, but don’t dry them. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, rice, ginger, cumin and paprika. Stir to coat with the oil. Cook for 2 minutes, then add cilantro and the turnip/beets greens and chard. Sprinkle with 1 tsp salt, cover the pan and cook until the volume has reduced, 10-15 minutes. Give everything a stir, then reduce the heat to low, re-cover and cook slowly for 40 minutes. There should be ample moisture in the pot, but check once or twice to make sure that nothing is sticking on the bottom.  If the pan seems dry, add a few tablespoons of water. Cook until the greens are really tender, 10-15 minutes more.  Serve warm or at room temperature, with yogurt spooned over the top or a squeeze of fresh lemon.

Hakurei Turnip Recipes

Quick-Pickled Baby Turnips
From The Joy of Picking by Linda Ziedrich

1 pound Hakurei Turnips (half your bunch this week), trimmed at the top and bottom
2 teaspoons pickling salt
1 1/2 cups water
1 fresh red jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced, or 1 tablespoon minced pimiento
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups rice vinegar or white vinegar

If turnips are large cut into desired size for pickling. Score each turnip several times at top and bottom.  Put the turnips into a bowl. Dissolve the salt in the water, and pour the brine over the turnips. Let them stand for 30 minutes to an hour. Drain the turnips well, then return them to the bowl with the minced pepper, and toss well. Combine the sugar and vinegar, and stir until the sugar dissolves. Pour the liquid over the turnips. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and refrigerate and the turnips for two days, after which they will be ready to eat. Well covered and refrigerated, they will keep for several months.

Gratin of Hakurei Turnips
Recipe from Emily Thomson of Full Circle Farm in Carnation, WA http://www.fullcirclefarm.com

2 pounds Hakurei Turnips, sliced 1/4-inch thick (for larger turnips halve or quarter so all pieces are relatively the same size)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Thin slices day-old baguette or other good white bread
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan of salted water, boil the turnip slices until tender, about 12 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter a deep gratin dish with 1 tablespoon of the butter and line it with the bread slices. Drain the turnip slices and arrange a layer of them over the bread slices. Salt lightly, grind some pepper over them, and sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese. Add a layer of bread slices, then turnips, then salt, pepper, and cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used, ending with a layer of turnips, salt, pepper, and Parmesan. Drizzle the heavy cream over the entire dish. Break the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into small bits and scatter over the top. Place into the oven and bake until golden, about 35 minutes.