What’s in the Box 6/7/16

For Tuesday 6/7:

Green Curly Kale – This is a great variety for soups or for making Kale Chips.  (Recipe below) The key to enjoying kale is to REMOVE & DISCARD THE STEM! Fine Cooking has an excellent photo tutorial and video to teach you how to easily do this.

Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Baked (Chips) Cooked (Best in Soups) or Juiced  When to use: Within5 days
Spinach – Farmer Matt grows the most delicious spinach you’ll ever eat! I saute this gently in a pan (until just wilted) and top with butter and salt & pepper.  Simple preparation lets the flavor shine through.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Wilted gently or Raw in a salad. When to use: Right away! Within 3 days

Cilantro – It’s one of those “love it or hate it” greens.  I happen to love it!  Here’s an idea…  Use the leaves in salads or in salsa or guacamole.  The stems are delicious thrown into a pot of black beans for flavor.  And when in doubt, make cilantro pesto which is super delicious!  (Recipe below)
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator.  Uses: Best Raw  When to use: Right away! Within 2-3 days

Garlic Scapes – This is the top of the garlic plant and it’s a rare delicacy only harvested during a short window in June.  We remove this part of the plant to encourage the garlic bulbs to thicken up.  You eat the whole scape, but remove the flower bud (the small bulge on the thin end). They can be used in place of garlic in recipes, but they’re also delicious cooked in usual ways – like grilled until tender, roasted in the oven until tender, or thrown into the food processor and made into pesto!  You could combine the scapes with the cilantro and make cilantro & garlic scape pesto.  You’re only getting 2 scapes, because there is only 1 scape per plant!  We don’t grow very much garlic these days because organic garlic seed is hard to find and extremely expensive. Enjoy!
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator.   Uses: Raw, Grilled, Roasted  When to use: Within 1 week

Green Boston Lettuce – Boston lettuce, again?   This particular variety grows so well in the early season (and not again all year) that we aim to harvest it for you twice in June.  Enjoy the texture of the buttery leaves now, because hot weather lettuce is crunchy, not soft.  Part of the CSA experience is savoring the bounty as it’s in season, so enjoy this now before it’s gone until next June…
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw When to use: Within 5 days.

Red Boston Lettuce – A pretty red-leafed variety.
Storage: In an airtight (plastic) bag in the refrigerator. Uses: Best Raw When to use: Within 5 days.

Baby Arugula – One more week of this beautiful, tender green. It has already been washed once, but we recommend washing it once more when you get home.  Just be gentle and don’t let it soak in water for more than 30 seconds.  Try a light vinaigrette (recipe below).  The leaves are so tender that they will bruise very easily and a heavy dressing will overpower its delicate flavor.
Storage: In the bag it comes in.  Uses: Best Raw  When to use: Right away! Within 3 days