Hello,

Happy New Year! We hope you had a wonderful holiday season filled with everything you love most.

We are looking forward to the start of the Deep Winter CSA session! The first pick-up will start either next week or the week after. Look for an email with more details soon.

Hope to see you at market tomorrow!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 6th Produce

Here are the items you can expect at Market:

• Tender Collards: I love these Collard Green Falafel. They don’t take long to throw together and are a unique way to use your greens. Serve with hummus, pita and olives for a tasty meal.
• Rainbow & Ford Hook Swiss Chard: Callaloo is a Caribbean dish traditionally made with amaranth greens (which are also called callaloo). The stew is quick and flavorful and while we don’t have the greens, Swiss chard makes a great substitute. Here is a recipe worth trying.
• Siberian, Red Russian & Toscano Kale: if you need a little detox in your life after the holidays (hand raised), give this Vegan Detox Smoothie a try!
• Spicy Large Leaf Arugula: cooking tames the spiciness of these greens. Check out the recipe below for a super simple, yet satisfying pasta dish with sauteed arugula. There are many ways to make this dish your own – use different nuts or cheese and add any additional seasoning you like.
• Spicy Asian Mustard Greens: I love 1) Indian food and 2) finding ways to use whatever greens are left over in my refrigerator. This Indian Mustard Green Sauce with Potatoes fulfills both of these loves. I hope you like it as much as I do!
• Wasabi Arugula: if you are in the mood for a salad, don’t let this spicy arugula scare you away! The trick is to balance it with other flavors, like this recipe for Fresh Fig and Arugula Salad with Goat Cheese. The sweetness from the figs and the tangy, rich flavors from the cheese are a great compliment to the arugula. Check out The Essentials Elements to a Satisfying Salad post to come up with your own salad!
• Chickweed: if you haven’t tried this nutrient dense, medicinal “weed” before, now is your chance! It can be eaten raw or cooked briefly, in which case it will be similar to spinach. Check out our Chickweed Power Salad recipe for a great way to make it into a meal!
• Henbit: this edible “weed” is part of the mint family but it tastes more like raw kale. It is high in iron, vitamins and fiber and can be used in salads, smoothies or wraps.
• Dead Nettle: another edible “weed”, is very similar to Henbit (see a comparison between the two on this link). It is called “dead” because it won’t sting you like the infamous stinging nettle! One blogger notes the fuzzy texture is not great for eating raw and prefers adding it to smoothies.
• Parsley: use the parsley in the pasta recipe below!
• Lemon Balm: shrubs are a fun way to preserve fruit and herbs. Here is a quick Lemon Balm Shrub recipe which can be enjoyed on its own or used in a cocktail.
• Leaf Celery: gremolata is an Italian condiment usually consisting of chopped parsley, lemon zest and garlic. Swap out the parsley for leaf celery and you will have an easy, delicious topping for any number of meals (I sprinkled it on a mushroom pizza but it would also be great swirled into soups). Find the recipe here!
• Mint: the cold weather has me craving tea all day long. When I need a caffeine-free version, I turn to herbs. Simply steep fresh mint leaves in hot water for 5-10 minutes, add honey and lemon juice to taste, and enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Recipe :: Whole-Wheat Spaghetti with Arugula, Walnuts and Ricotta Salata

This recipe is from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound whole-wheat spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra virgin to finish
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• Several pinches of red pepper flakes
• 6 or more cups of arugula leaves, large stems removed and leaves coarsely chopped
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons parsley
• 1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts
• Thin shavings of ricotta salata

Directions:

• Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
• While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a 12″ non-stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the arugula, season with a few pinches of salt, and saute until wilted. Stir in the parsley and walnuts and turn off heat. When the pasta is done, drain and add to the skillet. Toss well and serve with cheese and extra virgin olive oil drizzled over the top.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alice O’Dea Article

Have you read Alice O’Dea’s recent article? Detox tips are always welcome this time of year!