What’s In The Box with Recipe Suggestions
Arugula: To make a simple salad with arugula, toss with a drizzle of fruity vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper. Top it off with toasted pumpkin seeds, some chopped apples and a few shavings of Parmesan.
Arugula Apple Salad with Pecans
15-Minute Arugula Parmesan Pita Pizzas
Broccoli Raab or Tat Soi: Broccoli Raab is the green bunch that has little broccoli like florets. It has a slightly bitter taste with hints of nutty earthiness too! It’s tasty cooked with olive oil, garlic, onions, white beans, pork products, sweet and hot peppers and pasta. This week there may be some yellow flowers on top, they are edible so don’t throw them out. The Tat Soi is a big, beautiful green with spoon shaped leaves and light green stems. It may be eaten raw or cooked. Use it in ways similar to how you might use spinach, chard or other greens.
Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
17 Easy Broccoli Raab Recipes You’ll Love – Insanely Good
White, Purple or Yellow Cauliflower or Broccoli Romanesco or Broccoli: Cauliflower and broccoli production is slowing down. Enjoy what may be the last taste of these brassicas this season.
Creamy Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
Orange and Purple Carrots: Carrots will store well in your refrigerator for weeks, so don’t fret if you have gotten behind on your carrot consumption. Use carrots as a main ingredient such as in Carrot Soup or Carrot Muffins. Carrots may also be used to add sweetness and background flavor to sauces, broth, soups and stews.
Creamy Carrot & Red Pepper Soup with Pumpkin Seeds
Coconut Carrot Cake Bread | Tastes of Lizzy (recommended by one of our CSA members)
Italian Garlic: A little bit of garlic makes everything taste better! Try this simple recipe for Turnips Sautéed with Garlic and Onion.
Red Summercrisp or Green Boston Lettuce: Use this week’s head lettuce to make this recipe for “The Best Taco Salad”. This recipe calls for onions, tomatoes and jalapeño peppers which are also in this week’s box!
Yellow & Red Onions: Store onions in a cool, dry place out of direct sunlight. If you do not need to use an entire onion at one time, store the unused portion in a covered container in the refrigerator and use it within a few days.
Western Bacon Burgers with BBQ Mayo and Crispy Onion Strings
Jalapeño Peppers: There is one jalapeño pepper in your box this week. Use it to make a batch of flaky Jalapeño Cheddar Biscuits.
Green and/or Red Bell Peppers: Our pepper fields are slowing down, so enjoy the final tastes of these sweet peppers.
Greek Chicken Kabobs (with Peppers, Onions, Tomatoes & Zucchini)
Green Pepper Steak with Tomatoes and Onions
Orange and/or Red Italian Frying Peppers: Use this week’s sweet peppers to make a pot of Roasted Red Pepper Potato Soup!
Roasted Red Pepper Potato Soup
Salad Mix: This will be the last week for Salad Mix. Spread something tasty on a tortilla, such as mayonnaise, cream cheese, pesto, etc. Add some chopped fresh vegetables, a piece of cheese and a big handful of salad mix greens. Roll it up and you have a light lunch or snack!
Mixed Greens Salad with Pecans, Goat Cheese & Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
Variety of Tomatoes (mostly Romas): We’re very close to the end of tomato season, so the volume in your box is significantly less that peak season.
Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes & Pecans
Curried Lentil, Tomato & Coconut Soup
Baby White Turnips: These turnips are also known as “Hakurei” turnips, a mild salad turnip. The turnips are tender and have very thin skin that does not require peeling. The greens are edible too, so make sure you put them to good use as a salad green or lightly sauté them.
Turnip Noodle Bowls with Grilled Chicken & Turnip Greens Pesto
Grilled Salmon Salad with Turnips & Capers
Jester Squash: This variety is tasty & sweet with flesh that is lighter and leaner than butternut. Cut in half and roast or bake them. You can enjoy them simply with salt, pepper and a pat of butter or stuff them with a mixture of rice, sausage, fruit, etc. Because they are naturally very sweet, they will not store for very long so eat them soon!
Spice-Roasted Sweet Dumpling Squash
Butternut Squash: These are tasty, sweet and versatile, so there should be no shortage of ways to turn it into a tasty pizza, risotto, casserole, etc.
Three Cheese Pizza with Roasted Butternut Squash and Poblano Peppers
Vegetable Feature: Carrots
We usually feature a new item in the box, however this week we are dedicating our feature vegetable space and recipes to the tried-and-true carrot. We consider carrots to be a staple vegetable, which is why we strive to include them in as many boxes as we can starting in early summer and going through the end of the season. However, since they are such a common vegetable, they sometimes get overlooked and forgotten and they start piling up in the refrigerator. So, this week’s feature article is more about reminding you of all the different ways carrots can be used!
Our early season varieties of carrots are characterized by being more tender and juicier than our storage carrots. They also take fewer days to mature and are often harvested with the tops intact. Storage carrots, as the name suggests, are able to be stored for months if you keep them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator. You’ll notice they are denser (some may say hard), which lends to their ability to be stored longer.
Carrots are versatile in their uses and may be eaten raw, roasted, boiled, baked, and even fried! They can be added to soups, stews, braised meats, curries, root mashes, pancakes, bread, cookies, and a whole host of other uses. You can make a very simple, quick, and easy salad with just a few ingredients or add shredded carrots to lettuce salads, slaws, etc. Soup is another great way to use carrots—either as the main ingredient or as part of a mélange of vegetables in say, chicken soup. Carrots are also delicious in baked goods such as carrot cake, carrot cookies, apple-carrot muffins, and carrot pancakes. Additionally, carrots pair well with a variety of herbs and spices as well as fruits such as apples and citrus. We’ve even featured recipes in previous years for including carrots in oatmeal for breakfast! Of course, carrots are also a great item to keep on hand when you just need a crunchy, quick snack to hold you over until dinner is ready!
We are in our storage carrot season, so it is ok if you don’t eat all your carrots each week as they will store for several weeks. Keep them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator to keep them crispy. If your carrots do get a little dehydrated, soak them in ice water for at least 30 minutes to crisp them up again or just use them in a soup or stew where they are going to get soft anyway! Do carrots need to be peeled? Well, that’s up to you. The peel is edible, and we seldom peel them. In fact, most of the mineral content lies close to the surface and removing the skin strips them of their healthful goodness. Just give them a rinse and light scrub to remove any dirt. In closing, carrots are packed with important nutrients, specifically beta carotene which is an important antioxidant and vitamin for our bodies. It’s important for vision, immunity and a whole host of other health benefits which make them a great vegetable to eat regularly!
