Posts Tagged ‘Swiss Chard’

CSA2 Week #18

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 by virginia

It was another relatively light week for us, which was good for me since Josh was away again and I had to carry the veggies home in the rain. We didn’t receive any new items but I was pretty happy with what was on the list. This week our share contents included:

Bok Choy – 1 each
Greens – 0.5 lbs
Butternut Squash – 1 each
Carrots – 1 lb
Radishes – 6 each
Celery – 1 each
Sunchokes – 0.5 lbs
Wax Beans – 0.5 lbs

Celery, chard, sunchoke, butternut squash, beans, radishes, carrots, bok choy

We still haven’t done anything with the celery yet but fortunately they keep fairly well. The carrots also keep for a long time, and now I’ve got quite a collection in the fridge. In contrast, the bok choy and the chard need to be eaten relatively quickly, since they start to wilt a bit in the fridge.

We got another sunchoke this week, also known as a jerusalem artichoke. They look like pieces of ginger but are a root vegetable that taste great when roasted. They’re a bit hard to clean but they don’t need to be peeled, so I just chop them up and toss them in the oven with a little olive oil and salt. Flavor-wise, they’re slightly sweeter than potatoes.

The butternut squash we got is a decent size, but I find them hard to prepare because the outer skin is so tough. I might just try cutting it in half and roasting it like that, then scooping out the flesh.

I’m thrilled that we’re still getting radishes, as Josh and I are both loving them this year. I always root around in the bin looking for the largest ones, and they’re always crunchy and slightly sweet, with just a tiny bit of a bite on the finish. Delish!

CSA2 Week #17

Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 by virginia

Josh was away again this week so it was up to me to pick up the CSA share. It was another fairly light week though, so the pickup was quick and easy. Although I enjoy getting tons of veggies each week, we have been struggling to get through everything as of late, so another light week was very welcome. This weekend we really cleaned out our fridge and tried to organize our remaining vegetables as best as we could. Now the fridge looks somewhat neat and organized! This week our share contents included:

Celery – 1 each
Greens – 0.5 lbs
Bok Choy – 1 each
Carrots – 1 lb
Peppers – 2 each
Mini Bell Peppers – 4 each
Radishes – 6 each
Beans – 0.5 lbs

Celery, radishes, string beans, carrots, mini bell peppers, red peppers, bok choy, swiss chard

The celery we got today was huge, though to be honest, we still haven’t eaten the celery from last week. I think we’re going to try and make a savory version of a celery/goat cheese dessert that we had at Del Posto two years ago. It was a shockingly delicious dessert that Josh loved, and I found a recipe for it in an article.

We’re both happy to see radishes again this week, as we can’t stop eating radishes with fresh ricotta on baguette slices. It’s become our go-to meal this year, rather than our usual fresh mozzarella/tomato/prosciutto/basil combo.

As for the carrots, I’m stockpiling the ones we get each week and will make a carrot ginger soup when we have enough of them. We also have quite a collection of mini bell peppers, which are kind of hard to use because of their size. Now that we have so many, plus two regular peppers, maybe I’ll figure out a good use for them.

More roasted bok choy and pasta carbonara with chard are also in the works. Now I just need to figure out something creative to do with all the string beans we have, as I’m tired of sauteed string beans with garlic. Any suggestions?

CSA2 Week #13

Wednesday, September 14th, 2011 by virginia

We had an alternate location for our CSA share pickup this week but Josh got out of work early enough that he was able to meet up with me. It’s always much faster when there are two of us waiting in line to weigh out our produce each week. We did get a report from our farm that our shares might be smaller for the remaining weeks but we’re still just grateful that we haven’t experienced too much of an impact from the hurricane. This week our share contents included:

Greens – 0.75 lbs
Mini Bell Peppers – 0.45 lbs
Squash – 1.8 lbs
Tomatoes – 1 lb
Radishes – 5 each
Lettuce – 1 each
Corn – 2 each
Heirloom Tomatoes – 1.5 lbs
Pole beans – 0.3 lbs

Chard, heirloom tomato, lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, pole beans, bell peppers, squash, corn

I was surprised to see radishes this week, since they’re usually a staple during the early season. Nevertheless, Josh loves radishes with butter and salt on slices of baguette, so we’re pretty excited to have that again.

For greens we got more chard, which we’ll cook with more bacon I’m sure. As for the pole beans, another early season item that we’re seeing again, a quick saute with garlic usually does the trick. As for the corn, a simple steaming is all we need for some sweet corny goodness.

We did get an heirloom tomato this week, though it was slim pickings on that front. Most of the tomatoes in the bin were split and starting to mold. I don’t know if that’s a result of the hurricane or if they just ripened too fast due to the warm weather we’ve been having. I’m pushing Josh to make more gazpacho since it’s a delicious way to use up a lot of the tomatoes and peppers we have.

We got more squash of course, and I’m starting to fight a losing battle with all of the squash we have. I make zucchini pancakes and squash soup, but does anyone have more suggestions on squash recipes?

CSA2 Week #11

Wednesday, August 31st, 2011 by virginia

I was a bit concerned about our CSA share this week, as I’ve been reading about the devastation at a lot of area farms caused by the hurricane this weekend. We didn’t get a farm report along with our share list but I hope that means everything is ok. We didn’t get a lot of variety this week but we certainly got a massive quantity of each item. This week our share contents included:

Cabbage – 1/2 head
Tomatoes – 4 lbs
Carrots – 0.7 lbs
Cucumbers – 4 lbs
Squash – 3.1 lbs
Cherry Tomatoes – 0.6 lbs
Greens – 1 lb

Chard, cucumbers, cabbage, grape tomatoes, tomatoes, carrots, squash

Watermelon was also on our original list but when we showed up at the distribution site it had been erased from the boards. I don’t know if that means they ran out of watermelons by the time we got there, or if none were delivered to begin with. Oh well.

I was happy to see carrots finally coming in, as I made a terrific carrot ginger soup last year that I’m hoping to recreate. Carrots also keep pretty well, and we are definitely struggling to keep up with eating all of our veggies.

We got a lot of tomatoes this week that are super ripe so we’ll need to eat those quickly. I’m hoping Josh makes some more gazpacho, since these are already bursting out of their skins. We also got some cherry tomatoes, a new item for us. Those are also pretty soft so we’ll probably eat them tonight in a salad with the half head of cabbage that we got.

We also got more squash of course, plus chard. I’m starting to get upset about the lack of kale! Oh well. And I can’t believe we got four pounds of cucumbers – what am I going to do with them? We still have a few pounds left in our fridge from the last few weeks. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know! I’m getting desperate…

CSA2 Week #10

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011 by virginia

We had another heavy week of produce, so I was glad that Josh was the one to pick up our CSA share this week. The tote bag we use to carry our stuff was packed to the brim. I was glad to see a lot of variety though, and not just multiple pounds of one item. This week our share contents included:

Cucumbers – 1.75 lbs
Squash – 1 each
Asian Melon – 1 each
Napa Cabbage –  1 each
Shisito Peppers – 0.6 lbs
Tomatoes – 2 lbs
Tomatillos – 0.35lbs
Greens – 1 lb
White onion – 1 ea.
Broccoli – 0.8 lbs

Chard, onion, cucumbers, tomatillos, broccoli, tomatoes, Asian melon, squash, shisito peppers, napa cabbage

I’m intrigued by the shisito peppers because when I was looking for padron peppers in NYC, I read that shisitos are a common substitution for padrons. Maybe we’ll pan fry these in olive oil and sprinkle them with sea salt to make our version of pimientos de padron, on of our favorite tapas.

The napa cabbage we got this week is HUGE. I still hope to make (and post about) lions head meatball stew with it. It’s such a tasty meal served over white rice, and the leftovers usually last me a week.

I was kind of disappointed that we got chard again this week for our greens. I had commented early on in the season that we got a lot of kale last year and not so much chard, and this year we’re getting lots of chard but not a lot of kale. We made collard chips one week but I have still yet to make any kale chips!

I still haven’t used the tomatillos from a few weeks ago, and so I hope they’re still good. Combined with this week’s batch, hopefully I’ll have enough to make a decent amount of salsa verde. They’re really quite small. We also didn’t get a ton of broccoli this week, just two small heads. Maybe I’ll try stir frying them with some green beans.

I’m not sure what to do with all the cucumbers. We still have some from last week as well, and I’m a bit pickled out at this point. Any suggestions?

CSA2 Week #9

Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 by virginia

We weren’t expecting to pick up our CSA share this week but due to unforeseen circumstances, our trip was unfortunately cancelled. Not a big deal, as we plan on redoing the same trip next year. And this means we have more time to eat our veggies, as I was starting to get worried about the state of our fridge again. Hey, when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade, right? Well in this case, we got a ton of tomatoes this week, so Josh is making gazpacho, one of my favorites. This week our share contents included:

Greens – 1 lb
Peppers – 3 each
Squash – 1.15 lbs
Cucumber – 1.5 lbs
Tomatoes – 4.5  lbs
Watermelon – 1 each
Mint – 0.12 lbs
Perslaine – 0.12 lbs

Chard, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, purslane, squash, mint, watermelon on top

Spaghetti carbonara with chard is one of our favorite dishes, and so easy to make. It’s always a quick standby dinner for us. Other simple suppers include pureed zucchini soup, or zucchini pancakes with smoked salmon and poached eggs.

I was surprised to see purple peppers, since we’ve been getting a lot of green peppers. I wonder if they taste the same, or if they’re any sweeter. I might just eat those fresh with a salad.

We also got more purslane, which I’ve been using as a garnish. It adds a citrusy, almost sweet bite to every dish. This batch will be the perfect topping for Josh’s garlicky gazpacho.

As for the mint and watermelon, maybe we can combine those for a refreshing salad or an interesting dessert? So many possibilities!

CSA2 Week #7

Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011 by virginia

It was a pretty hectic CSA Wednesday for me, as Josh was out of town and I had a work function to attend at 5:30. I ended up running out of my office at 3 to pick up the share, then running back to work right afterward. It was also tough because our share was so HEAVY this week, though the farm reports warn us that shares later on in the season will be smaller because things are ripening so fast right now due to the warm weather. This week our share contents included:

Cucumbers  – 2.5 lbs
Squash – 2 lbs
Greens – 1 lb
Eggplant – 1 lb
Peppers – 3 each
Purslane – 1/2 lb
Basil – 1/3 lb
Watermelon – 1 each
Dandelion – 1/3 lb
Tomatillos – 0.4 lbs
Beans – 2/3 lb
Corn – 2 each

Ruby chard, dandelion, squash, beans, peppers, eggplant, tomatillos, watermelon, cucumbers, basil, corn, purslane

There were two new items for the season this week – corn and tomatillos. We got corn last year, but the tomatillos are brand new to us. I’d love to make a salsa verde with them, but we really don’t have a whole lot to work with. I can’t wait to try them out though, and experience their tanginess.

For the greens, we got ruby chard again. Beautiful stems though, so I’m excited. The leafy portion we’ll probably mix with dandelion and either eat them sauteed with garlic, or mixed into a spaghetti carbonara.

For the beans, I picked ordinary string  beans rather than yellow or green pole beans. I prefer the tender crispiness of string beans. I’m not sure what to do with the squash and eggplant, since we get those fairly often. Maybe mix them with the peppers for a nice ratatouille? I might also try to stuff the peppers, since we still have a few from last week to use up.

As for the basil, I have a batch of pesto already in the freezer, since we’ll be away this weekend and then for the next two weekends after. Hopefully another batch will keep just as well. With regard to the purslane, we ate a simple salad of purslane and parsley greens mixed with a bit of lemon juice and olive oil. Refreshing and delicious. It’s a bit intense, so a little goes a long way. The purslane has a nice lemony flavor to it. It’s a great accompaniment to something rich – try it out! Lots of omega-3s are just a bonus.

CSA2 Week #5

Wednesday, July 20th, 2011 by virginia

Wednesday is upon us once again, which means it’s CSA time! This week, Josh and I picked up our share together, which made things go a bit more quickly. We were pretty excited that we got a few new items this time. Our share contents included:

Beets – 1 lb
Napa Cabbage – 1 each
Fennel – 1 each
Greens – 1 lb
Peppers – 3 each
Squash – 3 lbs
Cucumber – 1 lb
Broccoli – 3/4 lbs

Chard, peppers, cucumbers, fennel, napa, broccoli, squash, beets

I was a bit disappointed that we only had chard for our greens, as I was looking forward to getting some more kale. Nevertheless, the chard is gorgeous as usual, and I made a gratin last week using the chard stems. It was a big hit with Josh and a great way to use up the stems we would otherwise throw away.

For the squash, we picked out a big, round green squash and a flat UFO squash. I’ll probably end up roasting those and making a soup out of them. The beets will also be roasted, and perhaps the fennel.

I’m hoping to make a lion’s head meatball stew with the napa cabbage. I made some last year but never posted about it, and I think it’s a delicious recipe worth sharing. I know I keep saying that I want to post recipes, and I promise I’ll get around to it eventually!

CSA2 Week #4

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 by virginia

We were in Grand Cayman last Wednesday for the wedding of our friends Sean and Claire (more on that soon!) so we missed out on last week’s CSA share. No worries, the veggies didn’t go to waste as our Aussie friends L & R took our share for the week. I hope they enjoyed everything!

According to the report we got from the farm this week, the heat has caused a lot of the veggies to ripen quickly, meaning that they had to be harvested sooner than expected. While that translated into a large share for us this week, it may also mean that shares later on in the season will be smaller. I just feel bad for the farm workers who have to be in the heat all day, and we definitely appreciate their efforts.

This week our share contents included:

Garlic Scapes  – .25 lbs
Cucumbers – 1.1 lbs
Red Kale – .25 lbs
Swiss Chard – .65 lbs
Dandelion – .25 lbs
Turnips – .5 lbs
Fava Beans – 1 lb
Lettuce – 1 each
Squash – 2.3 lbs
Beans – .5 lbs

Kale, squash, fava beans, turnips, lettuce, pole beans, cucumbers, dandelion, swiss chard, garlic scapes

I was happy to see that we were getting both kale and swiss chard this week, so that I wouldn’t have to choose between the two again. Sadly, we only got 1/4 pound of the kale, which isn’t very much once you account for the inedible thick stems. Hmm.. Josh is currently out of town on business.. maybe I can make kale chips for one? Just kidding – he’d be upset with me if I did that!

I was glad that we got a lot of fava beans – I’m still trying to decide if we should make more Egyptian falafel with them, or if we should try something new. I’m also not sure how to prepare the turnips, dandelions, or the pole beans. Usually we just roast the turnips, but I’d be interested in doing something different. The pole beans we typically just saute with garlic and olive oil. The dandelion greens are tough to prepare because they can be extremely bitter. I’ll need to do some recipe research!

We didn’t get enough cucumbers for me to make pickles, so I think we’ll just eat them fresh with the lettuce. Josh made a great curry vinaigrette yesterday for the red leaf lettuce we got two weeks ago (yes, it was still good!) using a recipe by Thomas Keller. He forgot to half the recipe so we still have lots of dressing left, which I think will go nicely with the young head of romaine we got this week.

The squash will either go into a ratatouille or a pureed squash soup. Both are some of my favorite recipes, and I’m glad that we always get a lot of squash each week. As for the garlic scapes, we have quite a stock pile right now. I tweaked a garlic scape pesto recipe that I liked a lot better than my first attempt at scape pesto, so I’ll need to write a post about that.

I definitely have a lot of catching up to do, post wise. I’ve got so much to write about and not enough time. I’m happy to report though that we’ve been sticking to our workout regiment. Having the CSA share has only made it easier for us to eat more healthfully, and more importantly, everything is fresh and delicious. I may finally be starting to see some results from all of our hard work!!

CSA2 Week #2

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011 by virginia

It’s Wednesday again so you know what that means – CSA day! We were back at our normal pickup location this week so I ran there after work to get our veggies before heading back out for a softball game. We got a wide variety of items in this share, and so far the crops have been looking great. This week our share contents included:

Garlic scapes – 0.4 lb
Lettuce – 1 head
Broccoli rabe – 0.5 lb
Fava beans – 0.5 lb
Greens – 1 lb
Mint – 2 oz
Cucumbers – 0.65 lb
Squash – 0.9 lb

Broccoli rabe, mint, garlic scapes, lettuce, fava beans, ruby chard, squash and cucumbers in front

Josh and I were both super excited to see broccoli rabe on the list. It’s something that we’ve never gotten before from the CSA, and we know exactly what we want to do with it. A few months ago we were at Becco, my favorite restaurant, and ordered a special appetizer of the day. It was burrata served on top of braised broccoli rabe and grilled bread, lightly dressed with olive oil and salt. The combination was heavenly. The burrata was rich and creamy and just melted across the broccoli rabe. The bread added a nice crunch, and it was a wonderful dish that we hope to replicate at home.

We were also happy to see fava beans, though we probably don’t have enough to make a batch of Egyptian style falafel. I’m sure we’ll figure out another good use for the beans though. Same with the cucumbers and squash – we didn’t get a whole lot of those but we can probably just prepare them simply and enjoy the freshness of the vegetables.

This week we didn’t have much choice for the greens, as all the boxes had swiss chard in them. There were a few different colors available but I stuck with the gorgeous ruby chard, since those looked the nicest. Josh and I made a delicious spaghetti carbonara with the ruby chard from last week’s share, which I plan on posting about. We also got another head of lettuce, red leaf this time, and more garlic scapes.

As for the mint, mojitos anyone?