What’s in the box – week 3

Welcome to week 3 of our CSA share from Siena Farms. A bit more variety in the box this week as we move beyond late spring and into early summer.

In the top row we have the ever present bag of mesclun greens, red Russian kale, a head of Boston lettuce and two bunchs of curly kale.

The middle row we have a handful of English peas, a small head of broccoli (sort of hiding admist the red kale), a bit of summer savory, an a head of fennel with the stalks and fronds attached.

The bottom row has garlic scapes, a bunch of cilantro, two small summer squash and what we are told are chioggia beets with the greens still attached.

Meal-wise we are planning to use the fennel & probably some greens with salmon, there is a while bean & kale soup on the horizon, roasted beets and, of course, some salad.

Saturday night – 06/18/11

We ended up having 10 friends over for dinner this week and with a vegetarian menu. I ended up deciding on the pasta dish and the pea dish before anything else. I figured I would find a meat protein at the grocery store when I went shopping. Nothing struck my fancy at a price I was willing to pay so we went meatless. It doesn’t happen often but a meal without meat doesn’t hurt from time to time.

Menu
Spring Vegetable Pasta
Braised peas with spring onions & lettuce
Green salad with radishes & roasted red pepper vinaigrette

Strawberry shortcake for dessert

What’s in the box – week 2

Week 2 of our CSA share from Siena Farms brings more greens than we know what to do with. 🙂

In the top row (left to right) are 3 heads of lettuce and a bag of braising greens. The middle two heads are Boston lettuce. Not sure what the other head is, I’m thinking maybe Simpson or curly oakleaf.

Middle row – dill, green onions, bok choy, thyme and a bag of mesclun mix..

Botton row – kohlrabi, radishes and either turnip or radish tops.

While there is salad in our future I also forsee the bok choy going into some kind of soup, this recipe to use the kohlrabi, and some kind of cooked lettuce dish.

Sauteed chicken & bok choy

One of the reasons we joined the CSA last year was that we hoped it would help us to cook more during the week. When you have a load of veggies just sitting there slowly wasting away there is a certain need to use them. One item we received a lot of last year was bok choy and the first box from our CSA last week contained 5 or 6 small heads. I thought of a stir fry with chicken. An search found this recipe which I used as a starting point.

Sauteed chicken & bok choy

Prep and Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
• 5 TBS low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 2 TBS fresh minced ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 TBS grape seed oil
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
• 1½ cups sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 4 cups chopped bok choy
• 2 TBS soy sauce
• 1 TBS rice vinegar
• salt and white pepper to taste
• pinch of red pepper flakes

Directions:

1. Heat broth in a stainless steel skillet.
2. When broth begins to steam, add scallions and Healthy Saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add ginger and continue to sauté for another minute.
4. Add garlic and sauté until flavorful.
5. Add oil and heat for 15-30 seconds. Add chicken and continue to sauté.
6. After 2-3 minutes, add shiitake mushrooms and bok choy. Continue to sauté for another 3-4 minutes, and then add soy sauce, rice vinegar, salt, and pepper.

We had this with some white rice. It came out quite well.

What’s in the box – week 1

We signed up for a CSA share from Siena Farms once again this year. I thought I would try to document what we receive each week. Here’s a picture of our first box of the year.

In the top row (left to right) are a bag of braising greens, a bag of mesclun mix and 3 heads of Boston lettuce.

Middle row – some baby bok choy, oregano, cilantro and kohlrabi (I think).

Botton row – some sort of kale (I think), a couple of spring onions and a bunch of breakfast radishes.