by Christi Lee, News Editor

What’s available now and what can I make with it? That’s the question at the heart of seasonal cooking, especially for CSA members. If you’re new to the concept, it may represent a shift in thinking about meal planning. It may call for a willingness to experiment and try new flavors (or convince your household to do so.) We hope it may also lead you to some new realms of culinary enjoyment. 

To help you make the most of your produce week-to-week, here are a few tried-and-true strategies for cooking from your CSA box:

Outfit your kitchen:

1. A well-designed, large-volume salad spinner: invaluable for everything from lettuce to berries to blanched broccoli. The drier your produce before you put it into the refrigerator, the longer it will keep.
2. A half-dozen white “flour sack” cotton towels: Dedicate them to the sole purpose of drying produce before storage. Wash and spin greens, lay them out on a towel, roll up the towel loosely. Let one batch rest while you spin another batch. Pat dry any remaining moisture before placing in storage containers.
3. Culinary scissors: faster and easier than a knife for removing tops from root vegetables and chopping fresh herbs. You can also get fancy herb scissors with a triple blade for extra-fine chopping.

Sort (aka: Triage) and prep. 

While unpacking your box each week, think about which veggies will survive for a while and which would best be treated (eaten) soonest. Plan meals accordingly. To facilitate quick meal prep, trim and clean everything you can before storage. Consult our Storage and Handling Guide for general information about keeping your produce fresh. (Includes a few exceptions to the “clean before storage” advice.) A link to the guide appears in every issue of the newsletter, below the share list. And if you have time, pre-cooking your greens drastically reduces their volume, freeing up refrigerator space.

Substitute.

Get in the habit of routinely swapping vegetables in and out of your favorite dishes—one kind of root or green for another kind of root or green, scallions or leeks for onions, the herb you have on hand rather than the one the recipe calls for, and so on. If a recipe calls for 2 carrots, try using one carrot and one turnip.

Combine/Mix things up.

Augment your supply of one thing with anything similar you have on hand. Need 12 cups of kale and you only have 6? Other sturdy greens like beet or turnip tops, collards, etc. will serve as well. 

Premeditate leftovers.

Maximize your prep-time and purposefully cook more than you plan to eat in one sitting. Roast some beets while you’re baking a casserole and use them later in salads or pureed dips. Throw extra veggies on the grill and add them to pasta later in the week. Enjoy sautéed greens the second time around as a cold salad, with a little balsamic vinegar drizzled on top. From time-to-time, the newsletter will include recipes or tips about how to freeze or otherwise preserve your produce in small batches for longer term storage.

Spend out.

When you receive a lavish supply of something like a fresh herb, don’t hoard it till it’s only fit for the compost pile—add it to everything: salads, pizza, scrambled eggs, homemade salad dressings, etc. Learn to trust your intuition. 

Taste as you go. Simple is often best with farm-fresh ingredients. Recipes chosen for the newsletter are meant to highlight the versatility of the vegetables you receive and spark your own ideas and creativity. 

Have fun.

Ingredients:

1 small bulb kohlrabi, end trimmed and outer layer peeled

4-5 small radishes, end removed and sliced thinly.

2 spring or green bunching onions

Juice from half a lime or lemon

1 T. apple cider or white wine vinegar

1 T. sunflower or olive oil

1 t. sugar

Pinch of salt

2 T. minced fresh herbs (cilantro, parsley, rosemary, mint or basil)

Method:

Trim off ends and peel thick outer skin from kohlrabi. Shred or cut into matchsticks. A julienne peeler makes quick work.

Remove ends of radishes, slice them thinly. Do the same for the onions.

Place kohlrabi, radishes and onions in a bowl and add lemon or lime juice, vinegar, sunflower/olive oil, sugar and a pinch of sea salt.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Taste to adjust seasoning, stir in herbs, and serve.

Servings: 2-4

Recipe adapted from: freshforkmarket.com

Ingredients:

1 LB gemelli or other small pasta (can use gluten-free)

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves minced

8 oz mushrooms, roughly chopped

3 c. loosely packed arugula

½ t. red pepper flakes

Salt and cracked black pepper

shaved Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

Method:

Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to directions for al dente (about 12 minutes for gemelli). Reserve 1 cup of cooking water before draining pasta.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook 2-3 minutes, until softened and fragrant. Stir in mushrooms and cook 5 minutes, until deeply browned and softened.

Over low heat, stir in pasta and reserved cooking water. Cook 2-3 minutes, until water is reduced. Stir in arugula and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If desired, top with Parmesan cheese.

Servings: 6

Recipe adapted from: healthy-delicious.com

Ingredients:

12 oz. sugar snap peas, strings removed (about 4½ c.) (**try substituting asparagus for peas)

1 LB radishes, trimmed

1 LB turnips, trimmed

1 c. lower-salt chicken broth

2 oz. (4 T.) unsalted butter

½ t. granulated sugar

Freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1" pieces

8 oz. spinach leaves

1 t. Champagne or white wine vinegar

Method:

Bring a 4-quart saucepan of well-salted water to a boil. Have a bowl of ice water ready. Boil peas until just tender, about 4 minutes. Drain, plunge into ice water to cool, drain again, and set aside.

Cut radishes and turnips into 1" wedges or pieces. Combine radishes, broth, butter, and sugar in a 12" skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat until almost tender, 4 to 6 minutes. Add turnips, season lightly with salt and pepper, cover, and reduce the heat to low. Simmer until turnips and radishes are tender enough to pierce easily with a paring knife, 10 to 12 minutes more.

Stir in scallions. Cover and simmer until scallions wilt, 1 to 2 minutes. Add peas, and pile spinach on top. Cover and simmer until the spinach wilts, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss to combine. Using a slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to a warm serving platter, leaving any liquid behind.

Boil liquid over medium-high heat to reduce it until it just covers the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, and pour the liquid over the vegetables. Season to taste with salt and pepper, toss, and serve.

Make Ahead Tips:

You can blanch the snap peas 8 to 12 hours ahead; cover and refrigerate.

Servings: 6-8

Recipe adapted from: finecooking.com

Ingredients:

4 large free-range organic chicken breasts

1 T. lemon zest

salt and pepper

12 asparagus stalks, trimmed

4 slices mozzarella cheese

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. paprika

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

Method:

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Create a pocket in each chicken breast by cutting each breast lengthwise down the middle, but do not cut all the way through.

Place chicken on a work surface. Season inside of chicken breasts with lemon zest, salt, and pepper.

Lay mozzarella cheese and 3 asparagus pieces inside each chicken breast, and fold over, enclosing the filling.

In a small bowl, mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and paprika.

Season the outside of the chicken breasts with the spice mixture.

Heat a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Sear chicken for 3-5 minutes per side, until it is golden brown.

Place chicken in oven. Bake for 20 minutes until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Servings: 4

Recipe adapted from primaverakitchen.com

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