2022 Produce CSA Week 1

What a treat to start a new year of Riverview Farm’s produce CSA. Thirty weeks of farm vegetables (and sometimes fruit) delivered to a drop off spot near you. Or maybe you’re one of the lucky ones hosting the drop off, and walking out the door on Tuesday afternoons to find a stack of boxes full of promise. I confess to being jealous of those drop off locations.

Many years ago I joined the CSA because I wanted to eat what was growing at that moment … in abundance when abundance was there and when it was a bad year for greens, then understanding that’s the nature of farming and being grateful for what the Swancys were able to provide.

I would say the bok choy in my box today is a prime example of abundance. Huge! Must have been an excellent spring for bok choy.

If you’re looking at a behemoth bok choy and wondering what to do with it, turn to Riverview’s collection of recipes – https://grassfedcow.com/ingredient/bok-choy/ – for about two dozen ideas. But … I offer you a new one. I had dinner at Bully Boy Sunday night and my friends enjoyed their salmon teriyaki which is served with baby bok choy drizzled with their teriyaki sauce. It was delicious and it just happens we’re publishing that recipe in the AJC in about two weeks, so I am here to share the basics on that sauce so you can reproduce something like it at home. The bok choy was steamed until completely, meltingly tender, and served with the sauce (and the salmon and some steamed green beans). Use a few of the green onions from your box to make this. This sauce is definitely sweet so you just need a little. But it will keep in your refrigerator for a long time, so use it on other vegetables and proteins.

1/2 cup roughly chopped green onion

1/2 cup roughly chopped white onion

1/4 cup minced ginger (peel on is fine)

1 cup water

1 cup soy sauce

2 cups granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cornstarch.

Combine everything except the cornstarch in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Mix cornstarch with a little water, then stir into the sauce, and simmer until it thickens just a bit. Strain and then keep in a covered jar in the refrigerator.

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We also got two beautiful heads of lettuce – and you’ll find a few vinaigrette and dressing recipes at https://grassfedcow.com/ingredient/lettuce/, including my favorite, the buttermilk green onion dressing which you turn into “ranch” by adding chopped fresh herbs of your choice.

Spinach is pretty rare in our boxes so that was a real treat to find – and such a big bag. We have a great strawberry-kale-lettuce salad recipe – https://grassfedcow.com/recipes/2017-kale-and-lettuce-and-strawberry-salad/ – posted and you could add spinach there, or do as we will and just wilt it in a skillet along with a few of those young red onions.

Maybe the thing that will puzzle people the most was that bunch of turnip greens. Our turnip recipes in Riverview’s recipe section tend towards the roots and not the greens, but mine will get the same treatment as the spinach – wilted in a skillet with some young red onions. I need to think about adding some turnip green recipes to our collection.

Hope you enjoy your box and welcome to spring!