Spring CSA Week 3: Picking in the Rain!

Reminder! Please return your empty CSA boxes! We have 2 boxes per CSA share, and each week we fill one and hope to get one empty back.

I love the spring rain. One of my favorite outdoor activities is running in the rain, but I also like picking veggies in the rain. Shoes become useless weights, and I get to feel the squish of mud between my toes–somehow that squish makes my feet feel cleaner, less embalmed and more alive.

This week we have another full box with a couple of new non-green items, plus more spring greens! Read on after the break.

Have a favorite way to serve fresh veggies? Share yours in the comments!

  • Radishes: The noble radish is relegated to salad garnish by many people. Don’t fear the radish! Radish tops make a great creamy soup, and the radishes themselves can be easily pickled for extra zip.
  • Onions: White and red onions this week; the onions are bigger, so we put fewer per bundle.
  • Turnips: I never liked turnips, until recently. The greens are great, but the only way I had eaten the root was boiled. Then a friend turned me on to roasted turnips: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash turnips, remove the tops and the root, then cut them into bite-sized chunks. Drizzle them with olive oil and honey; add salt and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet in a single layer with a little space between each piece. Roast until browned, turning once. The roasting brings out the hidden sweetness in the turnip and highlights the flavor of the root.
  • Collard greens! Our collards are happy and healthy this year. Looking for a new recipe? Try them cooked Indian style. Yes, I’m serious.
  • Russian red curly kale (not pictured) Our kale is bundled without roots, and is a curly, leathery leaf tinged with red. Not to be confused with the curly lettuce. So begins the kale harvest. Please try kale chips!
  • Curly red leaf lettuce (not pictured) The lettuce this week is a curly red heirloom variety, still on the root. We rinsed it once, but please wash it before eating, since the curls tend to hold on to garden soil.
  • Cilantro (not pictured) Some people really, really hate cilantro (to which I say, more for me!) If you fall into this category, let us know and we will try to spare you in future boxes. There is only a sprig, but it is enough to flavor a soup, salad, or other dish.

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