the ways of GREENS

By now you've noticed all the various greens that come with your weekly shares. Aside from the lettuces, you've gotten spinach, arugula, beet greens, mustard, bok choy, chard and kale.  More is to come as the season unwinds.They may not look as handsome as an August tomato, but generally they all provide vitamins A,C,K, iron and calcium.  My understanding is some of these vitamins are fat-soluble, requiring a bit of fat (oil,butter, cheese, dressing) to unlock their nutrition and let your body absorb them.  They can all look quite bulky in their fresh state, perhaps intimidating.  Thankfully they reduce ALOT when cooked, ridding themselves of some water while taking in the flavors they are cooked amongst.  I like 'em a whole lot raw or cooked.  We go for sauteing more often than not, though steaming or boiling is simple as well. When sauteing, you can add ingredients one at a time, building the dish up all in one pan starting with some kind of onion and garlic.  Since the greens reduce so dramatically, just add a handful at a time until they're all incorporated. From that point, depending on your tastes you can go in for some flavorings. Salt and pepper do alot to bulk up the flavor, as does sesame oil or tamari/soy sauce.

Here's one in the seas of possibilities.  It calls for mushrooms (which alas will not be in the share baskets).  That's not something we have around, so I'd be more likely to toss toasted nuts or sunflower seeds on it.  Either way, enjoy.

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Chard or Beet Greens in Dijon Mustard Sauce
from "More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden", by Shepard & Raboff
2 1/2 T olive oil
1 large bunch green onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch of chard or beet greens, finely shredded
     (including stems)
1 T dijon mustard

Heat the oil in a large skillet. Sauté the green onions and garlic for 2 minutes until softened and tender. Add mushrooms and cook 4 to 5 minutes more. Add chard, cover and cook over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until chard is tender but still crisp. Mix in mustard and heat 1 to 2 minutes more. Stir and serve immediately.

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That's all for now.  Remember that greens can be cooked and frozen for the lean future, to be added into soups, stews, omelets.....

adios- flip

Garden Update

hi folks,

by now you all can see that the green beans are on.
that can only mean one thing, that the tomatoes are not that far off.
so far this season we have no sign of blight and plenty of fruit forming on the vines.

all of the late brassicas are in the ground and under row cover.
thanks to all that pitched in under short notice.

the late potatoes have had their second hilling.
these plants are in the front field on your right as you enter the park.
as for the early potatoes, we will begin digging and distributing them in the coming weeks.

the bulk of the fall storage roots are planted, the balance along with all of the fall greens and asian vegetables will be going in the ground over the next couple of weeks.

the shallots and garlic are very close to being ready.
we will start by harvesting and distributing the shallots next week with the garlic to follow there after.
as will be the case for all storage crops, those of you in for the whole year share will receive your share of the  garlic and shallots all at once. we will provide post harvest handling and curing instructions with each crop.

please note that the blog has a link for many a recipe.
they are categorized by vegetable and include some of the more obscure veggies and their parts less
familiar to some.

we hope you are all enjoying your shares and look forward to any feedback.
see ya' in the garden

bob