Using Greens and Roots

First, a few pics and updates to help out.  The share included a kale that wasn't mentioned in the list -- Siberian Kale.  Great firm leaves that store well and taste great.

On roots and peppers...

Image from Kitazawa Seed Co.

One of our radishes was called a Chinese Red radish, but it isn't red on the outside.  It is also called a Watermelon, Red Meat, or Beauty Heart radish.  Great in a salad, as a quick pickle, or treated like a turnip (roasted, sauteed, mashed, or stirfried).  The peel can be eaten, and apparently the white outer flesh is spicier than the pink inner.

We also have a largish, black skinned radish.  It isn't dirty -- just black. These are supposed to have a stronger, peppery flavor.  Generally peeled before eating, the size and firmness holds up well to cooking.

(BTW, here is a great reference on radishes)

With the peppers, none of them are very hot.  The mirasol (reddish) and mariachi (yellowish) are both fruity, slightly spicy peppers for raw or cooked eating.  You'll recognize the poblano from chile relleno, and they're good stuffed or turned into a mole sauce.

On turnips and greens...
Trying to figure out what to do with those turnips and greens?  You can eat them by themselves, or you can eat them together.  Root vegetables make great accompaniments to their own greens, but they go well with others as well.

For these young turnips, you can eat them sliced with some nice cheese and apples.  Snacky dinner.

Or try this:

Roasted roots and greens
2 double-handfuls of cubed turnips, radishes, banana squash (3-4 cups?)
olive oil to coat
1-2 T diced garlic
salt and pepper to taste
spice according to taste (coriander, curry powder, garlic, or chili)
2 double-handfuls of chopped greens (kale, broccoli raab, turnip greens)

Toss the roots and garlic with olive oil and spices.  Roast in the oven at 400 for 20 minutes, or until nearly done (depends on how small your cubes are).  Mix in the chopped greens, add a little more oil if it is dry, and return to the oven until the greens are tender (5-10 minutes).  Serve, maybe with a splash of vinegar.
(This can be made a single dish meal if a can of rinsed garbanzos is added at the start.)

Winter - Week 3 (Oct 25/26)

Sorry, no pics.  I was moving the parts to make a new chicken coop while I had access to a truck.  Not a lot new, apart from the varieties of peppers we've received (most about the level of a banana pepper -- not hot) and the banana squash (large and orange, very sweet fleshed winter squash).

raspberries
spinach
tomatoes
San Marzano tomatoes
pears
Italian prunes
Macintosh apples
eggplant
marketmore cucumber
lemon cucumber
poblano pepper (dark green, mildly spicy)
mariachi pepper  (light green / yellow, not spicy)
mirasol pepper  (mid-green / red, not spicy)
green bell pepper
broccoli raab
bok choi
black radish
Chinese red radish
broccoli
baby turnip
banana squash
kohlrabi

MEAT:  ground lamb
    -- the beef is out for processing, but there is a couple of week queue

Winter - Week 2 (Oct 18/19)

Lots of greens this week.  Most of them are pretty hardy, so keeping them loosely wrapped in plastic in the bottom of the fridge should be sufficient.  The sorrel and spinach will want a little more babying, with some paper towel in the bag with the greens (in the crisper).  The radish and turnips can probably be kept loose in the crisper if you remove their green tops first (save for soup stock);  both roots are tasty raw with a strong cheese or roasted.

spinach
sorrel
parsley
pears
peaches
plum
tomatoes
broccoli raab
turnip greens
white pattypan squash
black radish
baby turnip
marketmore cucumber
Japanese cucumber
lemon cucumber
green bell pepper
mixed color miniature sweet bell
blue kale
golden raspberries
red raspberries

Meat share:  lamb loin roast

raspberries, peaches, pears, tomatoes, plums

sorrel, parsley, spinach

blue kale, turnip greens, broccoli raab

Recipes for sorrel

Sorrel

The sharp, almost citrusy green is more common abroad, particularly in Northern Africa, Russia, and South Asia.  Sometimes called lemon spinach, it adds a bright note to salads and an interesting taste to soups.  Below I'll include two different uses for it, but add it anywhere you're trying to make a sour soup.  These recipes are equally good with sorrel, arugula, cress, or any sharp tender green.

Creamy Greens Soup
2 cups of flavorful stock (broth from a pork or chicken roast is great)
4 cups of chopped greens (I used equal parts spinach and sorrel)
2 cups cream or milk
salt and pepper to taste

Boil the greens briefly in the stock, until tender.  Puree together if you want it really creamy (I didn't bother).  Add the cream / milk, warm it a bit, season to taste, and serve.

"Russian" variation -- add a cup of peeled, chopped beets to the boiling stock for 10 minutes before the greens.


Simple Sharp Green Salad
2 cups shredded greens (arugula, sorrel, basil with spinach)
1/2 cup feta or cotija cheese
1-2 cups of chopped tomato
drizzle of olive oil
spices to taste (I like a little red pepper flake or 5-spice)

The feta and tomatoes will bring down the harshness of the greens.  Toss this together and eat soon after.