This week’s box included: iceberg lettuce (head), green leaf lettuce (head), spring onions, strawberries, bok choy, lettuce mix (in the bag) and a turnip (white) or a kohlrabi bulb. You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page (tomorrow) or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne over the years.
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Green is the color of spring and the start of Riverview’s 2025 CSA season. If you’re new here, welcome.
Did you receive a head of green lettuce as big as the box? I have no idea how anything else fit in there. But tucked here and there were a large turnip (maybe a big hakurei?) (and I understand some of you received a head of kohlrabi) a pretty bunch of spring onions, a QUART of sweet, sweet strawberries, bok choy and then more lettuce – a densely packed bag of cut lettuce and a head of iceberg.
The iceberg is the prize for me. Georgia-grown iceberg is a rare treat and the crunch is a great contrast to the frilly leaves of the other lettuces. I’m excited to have that head.
Be sure you don’t just stuff that bag of cut lettuce in the refrigerator without a little prep work. Our bag was densely packed AND the leaves are very damp. Left alone in the bag, they’ll just rot in a few days. So empty out that bag, dry the leaves a little and maybe wrap them in a cotton or linen dish towel. Then they can go back into the plastic bag where they will keep well for several days.
And if you’re wondering what in the world to do with all that lettuce – beyond the fabulous salads you’re going to create – look at our lettuce recipes on the Riverview website. There you’ll find recipes for stir-fried lettuce (two stir-fried lettuce recipes!) and vegetable pancakes and, yes, cake. There are vinaigrette and dressing recipes there, too.
If you’re not familiar with the choys, check out the bok choy page for at least two dozen suggestions. My caution is the heads of the choys is always to check between the leaves. Sometimes there’s a little slug lurking (the hazards of organic produce) and you want to go ahead and rinse those leaves before you store them.
I’m going to try the recipe below from Hetty Lui McKinnon, author of “To Vegetables with Love.” Actually, I’m sharing two recipes from Hetty.
The first is for charred bok choy and depending on how big your head of bok choy was, you might have 2 pounds or you might want to cut down the recipe a little bit. But that dressing is fabulous.
And the second is for an adaptation of her kohlrabi, tofu and mango salad. I’ve been craving mangos for the past two months so there are two in my refrigerator. (Yes, I know they’re not local. But sometimes ….) I’m going to adapt the recipe and use the turnip we received. It also has a ginger-based dressing sweetened with maple syrup.
Charred Bok Choy and Cannellini Bean Salad
Hetty Lui McKinnon
For the ginger-maple Dressing
1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely grated
1 garlic clove, grated
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
4 teaspoons sesame oil
Salt and black pepper
For the Salad
2 pounds bok choy (about 2 large bunches), rinsed and patted dry
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, rinsed
1 big handful cilantro, chopped
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds
Make the dressing: Place the ginger, garlic, rice vinegar, maple syrup and sesame oil in a small bowl; whisk to combine. Season well with salt and pepper.
Prepare the bok choy: Trim the base of the bok choy and separate the white stalks from the green leaves. Slice the stalks into 1-inch pieces and roughly chop the leaves, keeping them separate from the stalks.
Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high for 2 minutes. Drizzle in about 1 tablespoon of oil, add the stalks, season well with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Leave to cook, undisturbed, until the bottoms of the stalks are charred, 2 to 3 minutes. Toss and then cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, tossing often, until the stalks are charred and crisp-tender. Transfer the bok choy from the pan and to a large serving bowl. Return the skillet to the heat.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of oil into the skillet and add the bok choy leaves. Season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing often, until the leaves are charred and the water has cooked out, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the leaves from the pan and add to the stalks.
Add the cannellini beans to the bok choy and pour in the dressing. Add the cilantro and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper. To serve, top with crushed red pepper and sesame seeds.
Kohlrabi, tofu and mango salad
Hetty Lui McKinnon
extra virgin olive oil
15-ounce extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Kohlrabi (or turnip)
sea salt and black pepper
1 to 2 ripe mangoes, peeled and flesh cut into thin strips
2 scallions, thinly sliced
big handful chopped cilantro/coriander
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
Ginger lime dressing
1/2-inch piece ginger, peeled and grated
1 clove garlic, grated
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
sea salt and black pepper
Heat a large skillet on medium high heat for 2 minutes. When hot, add a drizzle of olive oil and add the tofu slices. Drizzle the top with olive oil, season generously with sea salt and black pepper, and panfry until the bottom is golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. Flip them over and panfry the other side. Set aside to cool, and then slice into 1/2-inch strips. Set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, place the ginger, garlic, lime juice, maple syrup, sesame oil, olive oil, tamari or soy sauce and red chili flakes into a bowl and whisk to combine. Season with sea salt and black pepper.
To prepare the kohlrabi, remove the top and bottom of the bulb and place it on one of the cut sides on a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, remove the skin. If your kohlrabi is large, cut it in half through the top so it is easier to handle. Cut the kohlrabi into thin discs, and then stack the discs and cut into matchsticks.
Place the kohlrabi into a large bowl and season with sea salt and black pepper and add the dressing. Toss well to coat. Add the tofu and mango and gently toss, taking care not to squish the mango. Finally, add the scallion, coriander (cilantro) and sesame seeds and toss gently to combine. Taste to make sure you are happy with the seasonings.
Serve immediately or prep ahead and serve later. The kohlrabi will stay crisp but the vegetables will release liquid, so drain that off before serving.