Greens

Published at

spring, and again in the fall

Collards, kale, mustard greens, turnip greens (off the root): I have one standard treatment for all these sturdy, leafy greens. Dump them all into a sink full of cold water. Especially in hot weather, rehydrating the leafy greens will extend their life by days. You need enough water that the leaves float and the dirt sinks. Swish things around, then let them sit so the dirt settles. Scoop the leaves off the top and wrap them in a dish towel or paper towels and then maybe put all that into a plastic bag. Leave the bag open so moisture can escape. If you can make the time, it’s really best to go ahead and prep the leaves the way you’ll want them for your recipes. Strip leaves off stems, for example, maybe chop the leaves. Just remember that the smaller the bit of green you’re storing, the shorter the time it will keep. So chopped kale – a day or two. Whole kale leaves? Weeks. (Although weeks means the leaves get more and more wilted.)

We do receive enough greens that you may want to freeze them for using over the winter when there’s no weekly Riverview box. Best to do the traditional blanching. Prep the leaves in the form you’re most likely to use for cooking, put them into boiling water until they just turn color, then put them into a bowl of ice water to quickly cool. Drain them, squeeze out excess moisture and place in freezer storage containers.

(2023) Gut-Nourishing Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing

I’m also adding a recipe from purelyplanted.com for Gut-Nourishing Salad with Creamy Peanut Dressing which I know we will need both pre-and post-Thanksgiving’s crazy meals. Use your cabbage, daikon and greens from this week’s box to make that salad.

~Conne

(2023) Greens Grilled Cheese

I’ve been wanting to make the Greens Grilled Cheese from Steven Satterfield’s new cookbook so that, along with a pot of vegetable soup (white potatoes, peppers, greens, carrots) is what’s for dinner tomorrow. Sarah Dodge’s Colette Bakery opened just two blocks from our house and I will get down there for a loaf of her sourdough levain for those sandwiches.

Atlanta chef Steven Satterfield describes this sandwich as a “healthy-meets-decadent mash-up,” and it’s true. Use a mix of greens if possible. These sandwiches are large, half of one is plenty. Because the bread slices are so thick, the oven helps melt the cheese.

Adapted from “Vegetable Revelations” by Steven Satterfield (Harper Wave, 2023).

~Conne

(2023) Garlic-Braised Greens and Potatoes

And if you need another idea for the kale and potatoes, how about the recipe for Garlic-Braised Greens and Potatoes down below? I have two heads of garlic left from earlier in the year, and again, maybe you do, too.

(2023) Chickpea and Kale Shakshuka

I’m a big fan of shakshuka so when I saw the Chickpea and Kale Shakshuka recipe below I clipped it to try. Maybe it will appeal to you as well.

Adapted from “Family: New Vegetarian Comfort Food to Nourish Every Day” by Hetty McKinnon

(2023) Dandelion Food’s Beef Curry Noodles

After last week’s raw green bean salad, this week I’m cooking the beans. I have been craving a hearty stew and will make Stella Dillard’s Beef Curry Noodles and add green beans to her recipe. It’s down below – a long one but delicious and well worth the time. With temperatures in the 40s coming our way, I love having a recipe like this on tap. Just cooking it is warming enough. The AJC ran this recipe in October 2022.

Stella uses leafy greens in her recipe, and any of today’s greens would work just fine. I’m subbing in those green beans.

Dillard suggests that Kaffir lime leaves, fresh spices in small quantities and wide array of yellow curry pastes can be found at Buford Highway Farmers Market. For the curry paste, she recommends reading the ingredient lists and trying a few to find your favorite.

(2023) Sheet-Pan Roast Chicken With Tangy Greens

But I can never seem to walk away from the box without just one more recipe from the New York Times, there’s another option below for using up those greens. I’ll probably make it next week! I just bought new sheet pans after using mine for more than 20 years. I deserved some shiny new kitchen equipment. The old ones won’t get tossed aside, but the shiny new ones are what I thought I needed for all these sheet pan dishes that are a thing these days.

(2023) Fennel Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple, Kale and Sweet Potato

Tomorrow night I’m going to make the pork chop recipe below because I deserve a nice dinner. And it will use up a number of things from the box. I’m not sure what I will do with those cucumbers. I truly feel as if I am cucumber-ed up this year and I love cucumbers. I’ll probably share with my neighbors. The apples will keep, the okra will get pan-fried to go with the pork chops, and the peppers will go into the refrigerator to come out when I return. My husband is a huge fan of pimento cheese, he may get a big batch next week.

The recipe calls for kale, but I’m going to make this with what I think is our bunch of turnip greens. And substitute our big white sweet potato for the two medium ones called for here.

(2023) Green Sesame Soba Noodles

Here’s a recipe for Green Sesame Soba Noodles from the Washington Post Eat Voraciously newsletter and CSA subscriber Linda Jones. The receipe uses tahini to boost the protein content of the sauce. So delicious.

(2022) Eve’s Pot Liquor

Last week we had turnip greens (without the turnips) and I juiced them. I juiced apples. And I made Eve’s Pot Liquor, a cocktail from Keyatta Mincey-Parker that I found in an old issue of Atlanta magazine. Recipe is down below. Have you tried aloe liqueur? I had to buy it for a recipe for the AJC. Lightly sweet, yummy, glad to find another use for it. And loved putting turnip greens into a cocktail.

(2022) Crustless Quiche Loaded with Kale

And yes, we have lots and lots of greens recipes, too, but here’s one more, Stoddard’s Crustless Quiche Loaded with Kale. I love anything that looks like a pie but doesn’t make me prepare a crust!

(2022) Chicken and Kale Casserole

This recipe is from Martha Stewart – and it’s pretty quick to make. The ricotta basically makes the sauce, so it’s not a very complicated recipe.

(2022) Grits and Greens

I’m cooking for a friend who is unable to cook for himself right now. I want to make something a bit more stick-to-your-ribs and so I’m going to make the Grits and Greens (again, recipe below) adapted from the New York Times. Their original recipe called for quick-cooking grits but I have Riverview grits in the freezer, and for collards and Swiss chard. I’ll be using the kale and Swiss chard from this week’s box.

(2021) Braising Greens Pancakes

And for a new recipe, I’m sharing another recipe from Aluma Farms, one they adapted from SmittenKitchen.com. It’s totally adaptable for whatever greens were in your box … or will be in next week’s box …. or the box the week after that.

(2021) Salade Lyonnaise

I have two new ideas for you this week. The first is for that bunch of mustard greens with this recipe for Salade Lyonnaise from Mark Bittman via the New York Times. It’s a simple salad that uses bitter greens – usually frisee or escarole – but I’m substituting those mustard greens. The warm dressing tenderizes the greens and the poached eggs are a perfect complement.

(2021) Freekeh Salad with Roasted Kale & Cabbage (or chard!)

here’s an idea from Alexandracooks.com (one of my favorite recipe sources) for using both cabbage and kale (or chard). She adapted it from “Food 52 Vegan” by Gena Hamshaw. Almost seems like a waste to chop that pretty Savoy cabbage into pieces but … I was in South Carolina for the weekend and picked up “The Twenty Bag” for Harleston Towles. So now I have a South Carolina cabbage to go with my Georgia cabbage. The only thing they seem to be ahead of us with was their sweet onions. There were two huge onions in that bag. Can’t wait until the Riverview onions start arriving.

I love grains and greens with sweet dried fruit like raisins (or dates or even dried cranberries). Hope you’ll enjoy this, too.

Her notes about the recipe: So many vegetables could work here: cabbage, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, parsnips, carrots, squash, etc. If you are using kale and cabbage, slice the leaves relatively finely or at least try to make the vegetables you are roasting together be uniform in size so that they cook evenly. Freekeh is not something I’ve cooked with many times, but I happened to have a bag of it on hand, and I think I’ll be buying it more often. It cooks quickly and has a nice, chewy texture — it reminds me of bulgur. Freekeh is harvested when it’s young or “green” then roasted, which gives it a slightly smoky, nutty flavor. Use any grain in place of the freekeh: farro, wheat berry, quinoa, bulgur, etc. I’ve used both currants and golden raisins, but chopped dates would be nice, too — anything to add a touch of sweetness. Nuts would be a nice addition here.

(2021) Braising Greens Pancakes

I am also excited to see collards this week. If you don’t use your beet greens in the crispy beets recipe, how about adding them to the collards and making these Braised Greens Pancakes from Aluma Farm. Do you know Aluma Farm on the Westside Beltline? They put out a weekly e-blast with information about what’s available at their farmstand and occasionally provide recipes, like this one they adapted from Smitten Kitchen. It’s a valuable recipe because you can use any greens you have on hand. They cook the pancakes in a bit of oil. That’s delicious, but not necessary. I’ve made these on the griddle with just a brushing of oil or nonstick cooking spray to keep the pancakes from sticking. Served with a lemon-yogurt mixture, the result is a bit like spanakopita but without the fiddly rolling of things in phyllo. Definitely a win.

(2019) Grilled Something and Arugula Salad

If you don’t want to mix that arugula with lettuce but want to enjoy its sharp flavor on its own, how about this arugula salad? Delicious with any grilled meat but an especially good complement to beef. The original idea came years ago from Prevention magazine. 

(2018) Autumn Vegetable Potage

I’ve shared this recipe before but it’s worth repeating. Save it for when next week’s box when there will surely be a bundle of greens of some sort.

Demonstrated by Virginia Willis at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. As she says, feel free to substitute with what’s in season and in your box. And she recommends the two pots specified here to keep the greens crisp..

(2018) Warm Collard Green Dip 

Chef Michele Tompkins, “executive foodie” and managing partner of Urban Foodie Feed Store: Kitchen & Bar in College Park sends us this recipe that updates your favorite spinach dip with extra-healthy collard greens and a nice chive topping. No more frozen spinach and packaged onion soup mix. 

Tomkins says she likes to serve this with crisp tortilla chips, although you can use warm tortillas if you prefer. And if you like your food on the spicy side, add a bit of your favorite hot sauce.

For the wine, she suggests a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc. 

(2018) Meatless Meatballs

Here’s one more idea. I found it in a post at Food 52. The recipe is from Twelve Recipes by Cal Peternell, who notes that these “hot little balls make a nice snack or appetizer, but are also good later, to eat at room temperature out of hand on the go.” Sort of spanakopita but no filo. I’m making these tomorrow with a mix of mustard greens and kale.

(2017) Susan Rebecca White’s Poached Egg with Greens and Cornbread Croutons

Just in case you needed an inspiration for your eggs and greens. You’ll have to have some cornbread made from Riverview Farms to do this up right.

It was originally published by Susan Puckett in Atlanta magazine. Here’s what Puckett had to say:

“Hints of Susan Rebecca White’s Georgia upbringing appear on her table as regularly as they do in her books—but rarely in the form of a Southern-fried cliche. Take her riff on a childhood favorite. “When I was little, my mom would make fried toast with a hole cut out in the middle and an egg cooked inside it,” says the Atlanta native. “We called them ‘cowboy hats’; some name it ‘toad in the hole.’”

“Later, living alone in New York, she began preparing a healthy variation of the dish she discovered in Judith Jones’s cookbook The Pleasures of Cooking for One. She’d saute spinach, form the greens into a nest, and slide an egg into the center to poach. Now living back in her home state, White fuses the two versions with a Southern inflection. She uses whatever local greens look freshest at the farmers market. And for croutons, she cuts leftover cornbread into rounds and fries them in butter and olive oil. This recipe makes one serving, though it is easily doubled.”

(2017) Potato and Collard Green Soup

This is an adaptation of a recipe from Pine Street Market, Riverview’s partner in cured and fresh meats. I’ve had this recipe around forever. No salami, just skip it or use some other sausage. The fennel and thyme go well with their salami – if you’re using something else, you might want to swap out seasonings based on the flavors in your sausage. By the way, their dried salamis are small – maybe 4 ounces?

(2017) Sweet Potato and Greens Stir Fry

This is adapted from another recipe from Paolo. She used bok choy in her recipe, and we’ve adapted it for what’s in today’s box. I haven’t tried all the peppers to see if any are slightly hot. Maybe you still have a jalapeno from weeks past?

(2017) Twice-Baked Green Potatoes

We love stuffed potatoes. This recipe came from Southern Living and called for stuffing russet potatoes. But you can precook our little potatoes and layer them, gratin style, then top with these delicious greens.

(2017) Spaghetti Squash with Kale Pesto and Burrata

So I’ll be honest. I have no idea what those greens were in today’s box. But I do know they’ll make good pesto – so where it says “kale” here, substitute “unknown greens.” It’s a recipe from Food 52.

No burratta? Fresh mozzarella will work just fine.

(2017) Baked Greens Rice

Another go-to recipe that works for all kinds of greens including cabbage. Fancier than the pasta, works great for a special dinner. Love the addition of dried fruit.

(2017) Wilted Greens Pasta

This is my go-to for any greens that show up in the box. Delicious with kale but amazing with cabbage. (If that bok choy from last week is still in the refrigerator, try it in this recipe.) Takes no longer to make than it takes to cook the pasta. No idea where I got this idea originally.

Health Soup

So a little more complicated, a recipe from the New York Times. Delicious and worth pulling together. I’m finding lots of dried shiitakes these days at local farmers markets – a great way for the farmer to add value to shiitakes he/she might not have been able to sell fresh.

If you prefer, use instant dashi for the whole kombu/bonita flake thing. All available at Sevananda or wherever you buy such things.

Collard and Olive Pesto

At our house, collards seldom show up undisguised. I make a fabulous collard tabouli and my husband has no idea he’s eating collards. He’s also not a fan of basil pestos, but this collard pesto from Southern Living is a delicious substitute.

In case you need a few ideas for using it up, the magazine suggested stirring some into hot mashed potatoes, into egg salad or just into mayonnaise and then using that as a sandwich spread. Perfect for a ham sandwich, I think.

Stuffed Delicata Squash

I’m particularly fond of stuffing delicata squash and have adapted from a recipe in from a Freedom Farmers Market email newsletter. No idea who to credit for the recipe. Try these with your mustard greens or with something milder you pick up at a local farmers market.

Creamed Greens in the Slow Cooker

A recipe that tastes more decadent than it really is. And the slow cooker means you don’t have to pay attention while it cooks. Even people who say they don’t like greens like this dish. I have no idea where it came from.

Pork Sausage and Greens

Scott Serpas of Inman Park’s Serpas True Food demonstrated this recipe at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market as well. It’s going to use up your mustard greens and some of your okra. Truly, this dish goes together in about 10 minutes.

Sesame Mustard Greens

An easy way to cook all kinds of greens. The toasted sesame oil is really good with mustard greens, though.

Cathy Conway’s Collards with Smoked Tomatoes and Cornmeal Dumplings

Chef Cathy Conway is the founder/executive chef of Avalon Catering – completely dedicated to local food. I do not remember how I got this recipe from her, but it’s delicious. I’m just loving dumplings these days.

Do you have some Riverview cornmeal leftover from last year’s boxes? Then you’re all set.

Pulled Pork with Italian-flavored Greens

Yes, this one is a little complicated, but worth it. The smell of that pork shoulder roasting is an incredibly fragrant way to perfume your house on a cool weekend afternoon. Serve it as a sandwich as given here, or skip the rolls and cheese and plate it up for dinner. Pick up the biggest pork shoulder you can find at one of Riverview’s many farmers market booths this week.

Mustard Greens with Yogurt-Parmesan Dressing

This recipe is a direct lift from Southern Living. Hmmmm …. bacon ….

To keep things local, Pine Street Market in Avondale Estates is known for their bacon and sources their pork from Riverview!

Spring Garden Hodgepodge

This recipe, adapted from “Vegetable Literacy” by Deborah Madison, is the perfect way to use so many of the bits in the box this week.

Notes on Greens

Greens storage: All of the sturdy greens (chard, bok choy, cabbage, kale) should be stored the same way. Put them into a plastic bag and leave it unsealed. Put into your vegetable crisper. The outer leaves may wilt, but the inner leaves will be fine. And for other uses for your greens: think about braises, making Read More…

Savory Grits with Slow Cooked Greens

Adapted from a recipe in “Afro-Vega: Farm-Fresh African, Caribbean, and Southern Flavors Remixed” by Bryant Terry. Use a little bit of one of the Scotch bonnets in place of the jalapeno, if you like.

Skillet Pasta with Wilted Mustard Greens

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add bacon and cook until fat begins to render and bacon is lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Stir in mushrooms, tossing until coated with oil. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms have browned and bacon has rendered most of its fat, about 5 minutes longer. Stir Read More…

Pickled Mustard Greens

From a recipe in Saveur magazine. Pickled greens are a traditional accompaniment to spicy meat dishes in all kinds of Southeast Asian cultures.

Mustard Greens Salad with Anchovy Dressing

So nice to have mustard greens in our box this week. I love these spicy frilly leaves. This recipe makes a Caesar-type salad dressing. Don’t be afraid of the anchovies – they really stand up to the bite of the greens. I’ve adapted this recipe from chow.com.

Swiss Chard Quinoa

Speaking of quinoa – here’s a recipe with sauteed onion and greens. Similar in many ways to the ingredient list above but with a very different result. The original recipe was in Southern Living.

No corn? Skip it. Still delicious.

Kale Tabouli

For years I was a tabbouleh purist. I grew up with a Syrian mom, we ate tabouli every week. And it was four ingredients – chopped parsley, chopped tomatoes, sliced green onions and softened bulgur – dressed with salt, pepper, olive oil and lemon juice. That was it.

But, I’ve come to appreciate tabouli as a way to enjoy all kinds of greens. And when faced with a huge mound of beautiful greens as in this week’s box, I’m glad to have a way to reduce some of that volume in a delicious way.

This recipe is adapted from one on the Food52 blog. No parsley? No cucumber? Don’t let that stop you. They used quinoa – I’d still just make it with softened bulgur (cracked wheat). Bulgur requires no cooking – much friendlier in the kitchen on these steamy days.

Spicy Greens

This recipe from a chef demo at the Sunday morning Clarkston Farmers Market is a great way to use up any number of greens. You could make this with your kale, chard, daikon radish greens …. even the bok choy or napa cabbage.

Slow Cooker Red Curry Soup with Chicken and Greens

I’ll be making this recipe adapted from one on seriouseats.com because I have some red curry paste leftover from testing recipes and am delighted to have yet another use for it. Not to mention, what’s not to love about a slow cooker recipe? Easy, and dinner is done while you’re off doing other things. You could use the Swiss chard or the bok choy if you have another plan for your kale, and vary the other vegetables by what you have on hand.

Indonesian-Style Collard Greens Curry

Combine turmeric, shallots, garlic, chiles, and ginger in a small food processor and purée, adding up to 4 tbsp. water, to form a smooth paste; set aside. Trim tip and root ends of lemongrass stalks and remove tough outer layer. Using a meat mallet, smash lemongrass to flatten and tie into a knot. Heat oil Read More…

Notes on Turnips and Greens

Hakurei turnips as big as the ones in today’s box are probably too grown up for eating raw. I can’t swear to that – haven’t tried them – but when I saw them, I decided these would be good candidates for a long, slow simmer. If you want juicy turnips and greens, bring about 2 cups of water to a boil, add a little salt and some sugar, some bacon fat if you’re into that, and bring the mixture to a boil. After 5 minutes, reduce heat and add the diced turnip roots and chopped greens. Cover and simmer for as long as you like. I’m running a recipe in the paper this January that calls for cooking them for 3 1/2 hours. Yes, 3 1/2 hours. But I tell you, they are delicious, cooked to succulence. You can see why that style of cooking roots and greens has persisted for years.

Are you a juicer? I’ve just (finally!) become a fan of juiced greens. Those collards, kale, beet and turnip greens? This week they’re going in the juicer with some apples. My new favorite way to get some of those delicious K vitamins.

Linton Hopkins’ Slow-Cooked Collards with Mustard Potlikker

Clean, de-stem, and cut collard greens into wide strips. In a large, heavy pot, add sorghum and vinegar and bring to a low boil. Add fatback (or bacon) and onion and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add greens, chicken stock, and cayenne pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss thoroughly and Read More…

Grits-and-Greens Breakfast Bake

A great make-ahead dish from the pages of Southern Living. Use your collards, or your kale, or your beet greens, or a combination of all three. Make up a big batch of greens and then reserve some for this dish.

Grilled Kale Sandwich

I love hiding vegetables in sandwiches. Sometimes, those are the only vegetables my husband may eat all day. Sorry that I don’t remember the provenance of this recipe. This idea works well with any cooked greens you have on hand – as long as they’re well-drained. Who can resist a grilled cheese (and vegetable) sandwich?

Pasta with Tart Greens

This recipe would work with arugula and mustard greens. They’re tender enough that everything could be cooked quickly. I can’t remember the recipe’s original source.

Classic Collards

Let’s start collards season with this classic recipe. You can mix in your mustard greens if you like. (I like – I love the combination. But then, mustard greens are my favorite greens.)

Mushroom-Greens Noodle Kugel

You know, I’m just not sure what those greens are in this week’s box. They taste like a mild form of mustard greens – perhaps they are an Asian variety that I just don’t know. But they’re delicious. I like this in this recipe adapted from one put out by Whole Foods Market.

Curried Sweet Potato and Mustard Greens Salad

No, we haven’t received our first sweet potatoes yet, but they’re on their way soon. In the meantime, you could make this with the white potatoes that have been part of our recent boxes, or just make the mustard green salad and serve it alone. Demonstrated by Joey Ward of Gunshow at Peachtree Road Farmers Market. Love the yogurt chutney.

Greens and Onion “Souffle”

This recipe is great for using up some more of those greens. It will work with your beet greens, radish greens, turnip greens or chard. I wouldn’t use the collards, they just need a little more cooking to be tender. An adaptation of a recipe from Rebecca Lang’s “Quick-Fix Southern: Homemade Hospitality in 30 Minutes or Less.” Greens and onions are such natural companions.

Cold Noodles with Fresh and Preserved Greens

Preserved mustard greens can be found canned at most Chinese markets but I’ve included a recipe for preserved greens that you could make with your collard greens. Yes, you’ll have to plan ahead of this dish, but you’ll have an interesting way to use up some of your collards.

Try your romaine lettuce in this dish, or the tender radish and beet greens. Or the cabbage! Or use the kale and cook the greens a little longer than called for here.

Adapted from recipes on seriouseats.com and Saveur magazine.

Wilted Greens Salad with Butternut Squash and Apple

This recipe appeared in the February 2012 issue of Bon Appétit. It’s very like the wilted kale salads that have become ubiquitous on high-end salad bars.

This recipe is from Michael Paley of the Garage Bar in Louisville, Kentucky. As the magazine put it, “This dish flips conventional Southern cookery on its head. Rather than cooking greens into submission, they’re quickly brined to soften their texture and mellow their bitterness, then married with the sweet, salty, and creamy elements of a composed salad.”

I can’t wait to try this. And yes, I still have a butternut squash from last year’s box that’s been waiting for just this recipe.

Beets and Greens Gratin

Sadly, I do not know where this recipe came from, but as the beet harvest is winding down, thought you might enjoy one more way to use those beets. It provides very detailed directions for dealing with your beets. For those of you who are not fans of goat cheese, substitute any soft cheese, even cream cheese. This recipe is a bit of trouble, but would make a great entrée or side dish for entertaining. You can prepare everything ahead of time and refrigerate, then bake just before you need it for dinner.

Savannah Peanut Collard Greens

This idea for collard greens comes from “From The Food, Folklore, and Art of Lowcountry Cooking” by Joseph E. Dabney (Cumberland House). The book includes this note:

“Brimming bowls of collard greens infused with peanut butter are one of the most popular side dishes served at Andrew and Eileen Trice’s Angel’s Barbecue located on West Oglethorpe Lane in Savannah’s historic district. Andrew picked up the idea from a friend who had visited West Africa and witnessed firsthand how it was done there. On occasion, Andrew adds hot chili peppers, following another West African practice.

“On the raining late October day that I visited their small restaurant tucked in a lane behind the Independent Presbyterian Church, Andrew and Eileen had sold out of the unusual dish. So unfortunately I did not get to try it firsthand. But they still shared the recipe with me!”

Beet Green Strata

This recipe is adapted from one in “Super Natural Every Day: Well-Loved Recipes from My Natural Foods Kitchen” by Heidi Swanson. The recipe was written for spinach, but your beet greens will work perfectly here. The only caveat, any time you cook with beet greens, you’ll end up with a pink-tinted dish. Just warn your guests and all will be well. Serves 6.

Stratas are one of the most forgiving and accepting of dishes. Combine anything tasty, let it sit overnight and bake the next day. Hot breakfast/dinner as easy as can be.

Stale bread is great, but fresh bread works fine. You may not want to soak it quite as long. As a matter of fact, if you want to skip the “sitting” step, you can assemble a strata and bake it right away, as long as you use fresh bread.

Not a fan of feta? Substitute whatever cheese you like.

Collard Greens and Cheddar Cheese Pakoras

Here’s a recipe for when you run out of ideas for collard greens this fall. It comes from the Food 52 blog. Besan or chickpea flour is traditional and can be found at the DeKalb or Buford Highway Farmers Markets or at stores that sell Indian groceries. Not sure if Whole Foods or Sevananda carries it. You could substitute all-purpose flour if that’s simpler.

Roasted Garlic and Smoky Greens Soup

Adapted from a recipe chow.com. You can dress up this soup with a poached egg for a very elegant dinner. Another option for using up some of that garlic! And if you don’t have smoked paprika in your pantry, buy some!

Soba Noodles with Beet Green-Miso Pesto

This recipe from chow.com used Swiss chard in the original, but I think the beet greens (same family, after all) will work beautifully. Easy, healthy, vegan. Love the idea of making a pesto with miso. You could add some daikon in here, too.

Baked Scented Beets and Greens

Elizabeth Schneider, the author of “Vegetable from Amaranth to Zucchini: The Essential Reference” (William Morrow & Company, 2001) loves root vegetables nested in their greens. She does something similar with hareuki turnips.

Sweet Potatoes with Collard Greens and Field Peas

With apologies to those of you who get emails from Whole Foods, this is a recipe that just arrived in my inbox today. “Sweet potatoes, collard greens …. and how about substituting those field peas for the aduki beans called for in the recipe,” I thought. And so, here it is.

Smoked Chile Collard Greens

One more collard green recipe – this one from Bobby Flay’s “Bar Americain Cookbook”. You can always cook the beet greens along with the collards to make up that 2 1/2 pounds the recipe calls for.

Garbanzo Beans and Hearty Greens

This is a recipe from Cooking Light magazine. Just the collards or beet greens. Either will work. You may want this dish longer in the last step, depending on how tender you want your greens.

No smoked paprika? It’ll be fine. But really – buy some the next time you’re at the market. It’s wonderful.

Greens and Scape Frittata

If you want to blanch the collard greens or bok choy, you could use them in this recipe, or try it with the arugula specified.

Winter Greens with Olives and Capers

And we can certainly be sure that more greens are in our future. Here’s an idea from “Okra”, the magazine of the Southern Food and Beverage Association.

Steamed Tokyo Turnips Nested in Their Greens

You may have seen a comment on Riverview’s Facebook page about a recipe in the AJC a few weeks ago for hareuki turnips. That’s from my In Season column, and here it is for you. Couldn’t be easier. I noted in my column that all over Atlanta farmers markets, these turnips are called hakurei, but it seems that for much of the rest of the world they go by the name of Tokyo-type.

Greens with Peppers and Ham

Our final pepper recipe also features greens. Now you have an amazing assortment of greens in this week’s box. My box had a few collard leaves, a bunch of mustard greens, all the tops from those hareuki turnips and the greens from the kohlrabi. I have to say that the kohlrabi bulbs are so small (believe me, they’ll get bigger as the season goes on) that I just cleaned them and sliced them up to eat raw with the hareuki turnips. Then the greens went into the sink with all the others. I’ll be making the gumbo z’herbes we featured last year. I can’t find the recipe in the archive, so I’ll make a note to include it next week.

Anyway, here’s a recipe from chef Eddie Hernandez of Taqueria del Sol, also demonstrated last year at the Peachtree Road Farmers Market. It uses greens and peppers. Hernandez’ version was all collards, but this mixture of greens in the box would work just fine. You cook the greens separately, then add them as an ingredient. Just steam the greens unless you have some leftover from another meal. Love that this will use up some of your jalapenos and tomatoes as well.

Winter Greens Lasagna

And one more recipe for greens, this one for a variation on lasagna. It’s from a recipe writer named Amy Wisniewski. If you haven’t used your greens in lasagna, give this a try. With the heavy cream and crème fraîche it’s pretty rich. You could substitute a white sauce made with skim milk instead.

White Bean Stew with Greens and Tomatoes

I am sorry to say that I have no idea where I got this recipe. The combination of white beans with greens is a classic though, and the addition of Parmesan adds a jolt of umami that makes the combination so satisfying. You could use every green in the box in this stew – mustard, kohlrabi, collard and turnip. And substitute that jar of canned tomato sauce if you don’t have fresh tomatoes left from previous weeks.

Lynne Sawicki’s Collards with Maple Bacon Vinaigrette

This next recipe amuses me. It’s from Lynne Sawicki of Sawicki’s Meat Seafood & More in Decatur and it calls for 1 part bacon to 3 parts raw collard greens. Now we all know that both bacon and collards cook down – but the proportion seems to favor the bacon, and I guess that’s appropriate for the owner of a meat shop.

Potato and Greens Cakes with Rouille

Last January, Bon Appetit featured a recipe for Potato and Kale Cakes. I’ve adapted this to use collard greens (and/or the tops of your kohlrabi and your turnip greens). It makes a beautiful entrée and all the parts can be made ahead of time, leaving just the cakes to be sautéed when you’re ready for dinner. Try sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes. Ought to be just as good.

Collard Green-Olive Pesto

One of the ways many of us preserve a bounty of basil is by making pesto. How about adapting that idea for the collard greens in this week’s box so you can enjoy them for another few weeks? Stir it into pasta, add some to a batch of field peas, serve it as bruschetta at your next party.

It seems this is an idea that’s been around for a while. Here’s one version I found adapted from a recipe originally in Gourmet magazine in 2004. Now you can adapt it to suit your taste.

Macerated Collard Greens with Ham

One more idea from Jason Paolini. You see raw kale salad recipes by the dozens. Why not something similar with collards? You could make this with ham, speck or prosciutto, or just serve the salad without any pork at all.

notes about beet greens

You may be looking for something different to do with those beet greens. Of course you can saute them a little olive oil with the onions and garlic scapes, and just enjoy them that way. At my house, I find that everything goes with potatoes, so if I pan fry some...

MellowBellies Frittata

And here’s one more recipe for greens – a frittata. Bake it in a pie plate and cut into wedges for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Bake it in a square pan and cut into bite size pieces for a pre-dinner nibble. It’s good at room temperature, hot or cold, and accommodates whatever greens you want to put into it. The recipe will also accommodate whatever cheese you have on hand. It’s hard to go wrong here. I’ve included a method for steaming greens in the microwave. I prefer to do that instead of heating up the kitchen with lots of boiling water. But you should use whatever method you prefer.

Raw Thai Spring Rolls with “Peanut” Sauce

And then there’s the arrival of that other green – collards. I was reminded that someone once demonstrated dolmades – grape leaf rolls – where collards stood in for the grape leaves. Makes perfect sense. And given the small bunches of collards we’re going to get right now, that idea might be just the way to use up the dozen or so leaves that are in our boxes.

I also ran into lots of raw food recipes using collard greens to wrap “spring rolls”. Here’s one from goneraw.com. Adjust the vegetables, the amounts and the sauce ingredients to suit your household. You can substitute peanut butter for the almond butter if you’re not a stickler for a raw food diet.

Brown Butter Creamed Winter Greens

he following very chef-y recipe is from Linton Hopkins, he of Restaurant Eugene/Holeman & Finch fame. It was published in the Southern Foodways Alliance Community Cookbook. It’s a little time consuming, but what a beautiful indulgence that will use up all the greens in the box this week. It’s a nice reminder of how delicious a little browned butter can be.

Andrew’s Peanut Collard Greens

“Brimming bowls of collard greens infused with peanut butter are one of the most popular side dishes served at Andrew and Eileen Trice’s Angel’s Barbecue located on West Oglethorpe Lane in Savannah’s historic district. Andrew picked up the idea from a friend who had visited West Africa and witnessed firsthand how it was done there. On occasion, Andrew adds hot chili peppers, following another West African practice. On the raining late October day that I visited their small restaurant tucked in a lane behind the Independent Presbyterian Church, Andrew and Eileen had sold out of the unusual dish. So unfortunately I did not get to try it firsthand. But they still shared the recipe with me!”

Spicy Orange-Scented Collard Greens

If you need still another idea for collard greens, I found my ancient (1998) Flying Biscuit cookbook. I was actually looking for the cookbook from Agnes & Muriel’s which has Glen Powell’s yummy healthy collard recipe – cooked with lemon and sesame seed. I couldn’t find that one, but I did find this recipe from April Moon. Just a bit of restaurant history – back at that time, Lynne Sawicki, now proprietress of Sawicki’s Meat Seafood and More in Decatur, was cooking along with April at the Flying Biscuit back in the mid 90s when this book was being written. And do you know the easy way to peel fresh ginger? Just use a teaspoon to scrape off the peel. No need for a paring knife.

Beet Greens Ideas

Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and...