This week’s box included: kale, Swiss chard, radishes, summer squash, cucumber, tomato, celery, Napa cabbage, head of cabbage, cauliflower (or broccoli) and turnips.
Another bounty of vegetables as we head into the first holiday weekend of the summer.
You’ll want to give that Napa cabbage the same treatment as the big head of crunchy lettuce last week (which must have been some sort of iceberg relative!). I pulled the leaves off individually and put the leaves into a big bowl of water. Then removed them one by one and made sure any soil was left in the water.
With the lettuce I found a few tiny slugs, the result of organic farming practices and the love of slugs for succulent leafy hiding places. I didn’t find any slugs in this big Napa, but certainly plenty of evidence of flea beetle damage, none of which impacts the tastiness of the cabbage, just its looks. I’m going to slice the Napa (and green onions and cucumber and radishes) into a big salad and make this Buttermilk-Green Onion dressing.
At our house, those two turnips are going into a mash of turnips and potatoes, with a side of sauteed Swiss chard. Cannot wait for Riverview’s potatoes to come in which will surely be very soon. If you need inspiration for the Swiss chard, we have over a dozen recipes on Riverview’s recipe pages. I may rethink my plans and make this Swiss Chard and Herb Tart instead and saute kale to go with that turnip-potato mash.
I had no idea we could grow celery that was such a deep green and so flavorful. Since we’re generally accustomed to grocery store celery raised on plenty of irrigation (I’m guessing) and full of water, the rich flavor of local celery can be startling. We are not big fans of raw celery here (sorry) so my go-to is to slice up a quart bag full and freeze it, scooping out what I need for recipes that call for celery as one of the aromatics in the recipe base.
I think we’ve received radishes every week (at least most every week) and I just found this recipe that riffs on the plates of radishes, walnuts, feta and herbs that come when you eat in Persian restaurants. Tuck this into pita for a great salad sandwich. And there’s also a recipe for radish top soup.
Radish-Walnut-Mint Salad
1/2 cup walnut halves
Radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons lemon juice
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon honey
Mint leaves
If you have the time and are so inclined, put the walnut halves into a dry skillet and toast over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they become fragrant. Let cool and then combine in a bowl with radishes, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and honey. Toss and taste for seasoning and just before serving, add mint.
Radish Top Soup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, diced
2 medium potatoes, sliced
4 cups chopped radish greens
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/3 cup heavy cream
Sliced radishes for garnish
Salt and pepper
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion and cook until translucent, then add potatoes, greens, and broth. Simmer until tender. You can puree the soup at this point, or leave it chunky. Add cream and then season to taste. Garnish with radish slices.
Both radish recipes came from allrecipes.com.