Recipes for Your CSA by Megan Wicks

Hey, East Nashville friends!

This week, my finds include a CSA box from Delvin Farms and milk from Hatcher’s Dairy (I simply cannot get enough of that stuff!). The CSA box was packed with gorgeous vegetable goodies! I admit I was hoping some of those beautiful blackberries would be in there, but alas – no such luck. What I did have was this:

Large green cabbage

Small red cabbage

Cucumbers

Yellow “crookneck” squash

Zucchini

Zephyr squash (that’s the green and yellow one)

Kale

Rainbow Chard

Garlic

Potatoes

Roma tomatoes

The hubs was thrilled with the cache of potatoes. We’re planning to make what my friends call my Simon & Garfunkel potatoes. We’ll cut them into quarters or cubes, drizzle with olive oil, and toss them with fresh chopped herbs from our garden (parsley, sage, rosemary, & thyme - are you humming yet?) and some of the garlic (minced). Put them in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet and roast in the oven at 425° for 30-45 minutes (until fork-tender), stirring once mid-way through.

As for the kale (an amazing nutritional powerhouse green that is full of vitamins and minerals), I’ve got two plans for that bunch:

(1)   I’ll be trying part of it in my morning green smoothie mentioned last week (by the way, those blueberries were from Kirkview Farms). It’s so easy – about a cup of yogurt (I prefer Greek), a cup of greens (I usually use spinach, but have heard of many people using kale so I’m going to try it), a little bit of juice or coconut water to get it moving in the blender, and half a cup to a cup of fruit. I usually use blueberries (the dark color of the berries covers up the green if that bothers you), but bananas or strawberries are lovely too. I tried blackberries once, but I couldn’t get past all the seeds in the smoothie. You can always use frozen fruit if you like your smoothie colder or you’re short on fresh.

(2)   My favorite way to prepare kale is to sauté it. Thoroughly wash the kale and then dry (salad spinners are great for this). Cut out the tough stems and then tear or cut the leaves into pieces approximate 2”x2” until you have about 2 cups of kale. Heat a Tablespoon of olive oil and 1or 2 teaspoons of sesame oil (optional) in a sauté pan large enough to hold all the kale. Add a teaspoon of crushed red pepper (more if you’re into spice!), and a minced clove of garlic. Cook until fragrant. Add the cut up kale and toss with a pair of tongs to coat with the oil, pepper, and garlic mixture. Keep tossing until kale begins to wilt slightly and turns a bright green color. Remove from heat and dress with soy sauce to taste. This will serve 2 to 4. It makes a great side, and I’ve been known to make it my main course.

I’ll be trying out a new (to me) recipe this week for the cucumbers. A college roommate of mine had success with refrigerator dill pickles, and I’m excited to try it myself. I intend to try this recipe that I found on http://oneperfectbite.blogspot.com:

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/4 to 1/3 cup granulated sugar
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon dill seeds
2 cups hot water
2 pounds kirby cucumbers, sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1) Combine vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, coriander seeds and dill seeds in a heatproof bowl. Add hot water and stir until sugar dissolves and liquid is clear. Cool to room temperature.
2) Place cucumbers, garlic and dill in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Pour brine over all and turn to coat cucumbers. Cover them with a plate to weigh them down and keep them covered in brine. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight, stirring once or twice. Transfer to an airtight container and store for up to two weeks. Yield: 1 quart.

Wish me luck! I’ll let you know next week how it turned out…

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