Hello,

The “Walking to Spring” CSA starts tomorrow! We are transitioning from Winter crops to Spring crops so this week we are including double Toscano kale and double collard greens, along with the other items listed below. We have lots of recipe / preservations ideas included below and on the website!

If you have a share, you should have received an email from Mark with details on our get together tomorrow after market. We hope to see you there!

See you tomorrow at market!

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

March 23rd Produce

Here are the items you can expect at Market {M} and in the CSA {CSA}:

• Toscano, Red Russian & Siberian Kale {M/CSA}:
  • Salad: you can use all types of kale in salads but I particularly like Toscano. There is this one with currants, pine nuts (or sunflower seeds) and Parmesan or our Easy Kale Salad with Russian Dressing.
  • Super Greens Soup: check out the recipe below – it is a pureed soup using Swiss chard and kale but you could mix and match with any of your favorite greens. It can be easily frozen so make a big batch and save some for later!
  • Kale Chips: dehydrating is always a great option for all your greens! Check out this post for great tips plus a yummy recipe!
• Tender Collards {M/CSA}:
  • Pot ‘O Greens: I am not a born Southerner but boy-o-boy do I love a mess of greens with beans and cornbread! While collards are traditionally made with meat products, there are plenty of vegetarian preparations. Check out this, this and this!
  • Relish: if you can’t get through all of your greens while fresh, check out our Collard Greens Relish recipe. I have had a batch in the refrigerator for a couple of months and it is still good!
• Rainbow Swiss Chard {M/CSA}: you can add your chard to the Super Greens Soup below or any number of the recipes in our archives: Swiss Chard and Orange Muffins, Barley and Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard, or Millet & Quinoa Patties with Curried Swiss Chard.
• Spring Radishes {M/CSA}: if you are planning an Easter dinner this weekend, you might like the Spring Dinner Menu posted on the Main Street Farmers Market blog. It includes an idea for pimento cheese toast with sliced radishes on top which is a tasty start to any meal!
• Dragon Tongue Mustard Greens {CSA}: get to know your greens a bit more – check out this link for more information on this beautiful green!
• Sweet Mint & Peppermint {M}: here is a great line-up of savory and sweet recipes that incorporate mint!
• Edible Spicy Asian Flowers {M}: need some ideas on how to use edible flowers? Check out this post for lots of great ideas!
• Organic Fed Pastured Hens {M}: there isn’t a shortage of ways to use eggs but here is a great way to make eggs into a meal that works great any time of day – Greens and Cheese Frittata Muffins!

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

Recipe :: Super Greens Soup with Lemon-Tarragon Cream

This is a great way to use up a lot of greens at once. The base of the soup is pureed and can be easily frozen. You don’t have to make the lemon-tarragon cream but it makes it a little more special. This recipe is from The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook and serves 4-6.

• Ingredients:
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plust 1/2 teaspoon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh tarragon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 onion, halved through the root end and sliced thin
  • 3/4 teaspoon light brown sugar
  • 3 ounces white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced thin
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup Arborio rice
  • 12 ounces Swiss chard, stemmed and chopped coarse
  • 9 ounces kale, stemmed and chopped coarse
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 2 ounces (2 cups) baby arugula
• Directions:
  • Combine cream, sour cream, 1/2 teaspoon oil, lemon zest and juice, tarragon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  • Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in onion, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion releases some moisture, about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring often and scraping up any browned bits, until onion is deeply browned and slightly sticky, about 30 minutes. (If onion is sizzling or scorching, reduce heat. If onion is not browning after 15-20 minutes, increase heat).
  • Stir in mushrooms and cook until they have released their moisture, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 30 minutes. Stir in water, broth, and rice, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
  • Stir in chard, kale and parsley, 1 handful at a time, until wilted and submerged in liquid. Return to simmer, cover, and cook until greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
  • Off heat, stir in arugula until wilted. Working in batches, process soup in blender until smooth, about 1 minute. Return pureed soup to clean pot and season with salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle individual portions with lemon-tarragon cream, and serve.

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

Alice O’Dea Article

Have you read Alice O’Dea’s recent article? This week she gives us an overview of Coconut Soup, a comforting dish for those with colds and allergies!