In Your Share (March 15th edition)

This week your share may include…

  • Kale: I love these beautifully frilly kales! The dark purple one is called Redbor and the green is Winterbor. They are stalwart performers through the winter and well into spring when they start to bud and we can pick…  
  • Kale Raab: Comes from the flowering stalks of the kale plant. Most of our winter brassicas are biennials. They are planted in the summer, grow through the fall and winter. Then as the days start to lengthen in the spring, their biological clock goes off and they start to flower. These flower buds are the delicious raab you will see in your share over the next few weeks. 
  • Leeks: This variety, King Richard, is unusually long and white which means more tender flesh. The green tops are tougher, but still have good flavor – I often use them in soup stock. 
  • Onions, Copra: A long-standing favorite – stores well & good eatin’.
  • Potatoes, Red: From our friends at Mustard Seed Farm
  • Purple Sprouting Broccoli: Everything is edible – tender stem, leaves and that cute little florette. 
  • Collard Raab: The tender new shoots from collards are unbelievably sweet this time of year. 
  • Rosemary: What could be better with roasted with potatoes?
  • Shallots: A small member of the onion family, they have a sweet yet pungent flavor. Like garlic, they grow from a single clove into a head composed of multiple cloves. When chopped into a tiny dice they’re great in salad dressing. Or thinly slice and fry the for a fabulous topping – crispy fried shallots are traditionally used in SE asian cooking, but I like them on almost anything from hamburgers to pasta.
  • Winter Squash, assorted Hubbard types: This is the last squash of the season and we’re celebrating with  a HUGE one! You can choose from several types of hubbards – Sweet Meat, Pink Banana, or Blue Hubbard. All of them are large enough that you should be able to invite all your friends for a squash party and still have plenty to put in the freezer.  I like to freeze in serving size containers so that I can make  squash pie whenever I want to. CSA shareholder Kristin also reminded me that these squash make great pumpkin pancakes & pumpkin bread. Try the link to her favorite recipes here.