This week’s box included: tomatoes, leeks, kale, butterhead lettuce, green leaf lettuce, zucchini, carrots, radish, cabbage, and either bok choy or Napa cabbage. 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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My advice this week to deal with all these leafy vegetables is chop, chop, chop.
We all know that we can cook those greens (whether kale, green cabbage, Napa cabbage or bok choy) and they reduce in volume tremendously. But you can chop that lettuce, turn it into something like tabbouleh, and in a few minutes, you’ve reduced that big head of lettuce to a manageable salad. I don’t know about what’s happening in your refrigerator, but making room for today’s two big heads of lettuce, head of cabbage and head of Napa cabbage, along with a bunch of kale, is helping me concentrate on ways to reduce the volume.
So one head of lettuce becomes a reasonable sized bowl of tabouleh. It works with that Napa cabbage, too, and that is in fact one of my favorite ways to make tabouleh because there’s so much crunch in those raw leaves. But we’ve got lots of other ideas for Napa cabbage for you.
If you don’t want to make tabouleh from your kale, then there’s a kale and feta burger recipe down below that is truly delicious. And an idea from Stella Dillard of Dandelion Food & Goods for spring onion pesto.
And for those radishes, here are a few tips for storing and cutting from Susan Spungen and her Substack “Susanality.”
- Cut off the greens, leaving about 1/4 inch of stem.
- If you leave the greens on for more than a day or two, they will sap the radishes of their freshness, and will spoil and go slimy before the radishes do.
- Since the greens are fresh, store them separately and use them within a few days. I like to wash them ahead of time so they’re ready to use.
- Radish greens can be sautéed like any other green (they’ll lose their prickliness after cooking).
- Store the trimmed radishes in a zip-top bag lined with a damp paper towel for up to a week (or two!).
- If using them the same day, store in a container of water in the fridge.
- If you’re planning to slice them on a mandoline, leave about 1 inch of stem attached, which will give you something to grab onto and allow you to slice right to the end without wasting much (but wear a cut-proof glove anyway, just in case!). Click here for more mandoline tips.
- How to cut them:
More often than not, I like to thinly slice radishes on the mandoline. The thin slices allow them to integrate into salads and other dishes better than chunks or thick slices. Not only do they look pretty this way, they soften slightly in the dressing, and their peppery flavor mingles better.
If you’re going to roast them — which I also highly recommend — you’ll want to cut them lengthwise into halves or quarters. This flat side allows them to have more contact with the pan so they can take on some color.
Spring onion pesto – an idea from Dandelion Food & Goods
Do you know Stella Dillard? I think she’s brilliant and love seeing what she dreams up each week to make the best of the local produce she buys from local farmers.
Last year, literally this same week, she was offering spring onion pesto. Here’s her write-up and maybe you can adapt with the green onions in today’s box along with whatever odds and ends of herbs you have on hand:
“Finally, we’ve got TWO NEW PRODUCTS that I’m very excited about with one slightly embarrassing note. We’ve got some Spring onion pesto with parsley, chives, sautéed fennel stems, green garlic, lemon, sunflower seeds and olive oil. It’s perfect on pasta, roasted potatoes, or protein, or mixed with mayo or sour cream to make a nice dip for crudité.”
Kale And Feta Turkey Burgers
Adapted from “BIG BITES: Wholesome, Comforting Recipes That Are Big on Flavor, Nourishment, and Fun” by Kat Ashmore.
1 bunch kale kale
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, grated
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 pounds ground dark turkey meat
2/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Place a large skillet, cast-iron preferred, over medium heat.
Remove and discard the kale stems and finely chop the leaves. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the skillet and once hot, add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes until lightly browned. Add the kale and cook until it is wilted. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly before making the burgers.
In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, feta, oregano, salt, and pepper. Mix gently with your hands or a rubber spatula just until combined. Add the kale mixture to the turkey mixture and gently toss to distribute throughout. Spray your hands with a little cooking spray and form the mixture into 1/3-cup patties.
Heat the pan back up to medium heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and, working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, pan-fry the patties for 3 to 4 minutes per side until well browned and cooked through (a meat thermometer should register a 160°F internal temperature).