Week 5: Sweet Greens Are Made of These

This week's box: Heads of Bok Choy, beautiful radishes (limited supply cuz high cull rate) or heads of lettuce or other substitute, and sweet carrots from Yonder farm, early carrots – so special. 

Painted Sky Warrior uses the giant salad spinner to dry the triple washed greens.

The stir-fry bag from 8^th Street is an odd-ball mix, not our usual “prototype :),” but it's still good food that we've rinsed 3 times. Big and small kales, chards, tokyo bekana, pea shoots and flowers, tatsoi and yukina savoy. We're giving the salad and spinach a rest from being picked so hard. It's been slow-growing, but this week's blend has two new plantings in it! Next year I will plant 3 times as much when I do my 1^st march planting!

Heather harvests Yukina Savory

What's with all the Pac Choi? Last week's bag, this week's blend AND heads from Yonder? Well. . . that's what we've got out in the fields! I ate some chopped, sauteed in butter then cracked a couple eggs in the pan, stirred and flipped and scrambled, then spritzed with braggs or soy sauce, yum!

“Bok Choy is a great nutritional gift and often touted as the garden vegetable higheset in calcium. Whether this is the truth or not, you can be confident that bok choy is an exellent source of vitamins A, B-complex, C and some minerals. All of this for only 24 calories per 1-cup serving!”

For stir-fry: separate leaves from stem, put stems in first to start cooking. Bok Choy can compliment other ingredients or it can be the stir-fry. Good with rice or noodles. Or, simply steam the Pac Choi and toss with a favorite marinade. Toasted sesame oil, soy sauce and rice vinegar are good basics. Storage: Wrap bok choy in a damp towel or put it in a plastic bag and place in the hydrator drawer of the fridge. Store up to 1 week. Leaves will lose integrity and wilt if allowed to dry out.

Beautiful Austrian Winter Pea shoots are included in this weeks stir-fry mix.

Grilled Pork Chops and Bok Choy with Sesame Garlic Glaze -From Asparagus to Zucchini

3 TB soy sauce//1 ½ TB sesame oil//1 ½-2 tsp chili garlic sauce//4 chops//8 large stalks bok choy

Combine sauces and oil in a large, deep plate or dish. Place chops in the mix, turn and coat. Let stand at room temp., turning occasionally, while prepare grill to med-hi heat. When coals ready, remove chops from marinade and grill them until just done, 3-4 min. p/side. Meanwhile, grill the bok choy stalks until tender, about 3 min., basting with remaining marinade while they cook. Serve with rice or asian noodle dish. 4 servings.

The watercress, never before in the csa boxes, is from a creek at one of Michael Pilarski's fields. I'm looking forward to eating it! A love of mine is wildcrafting and when out on a walk, nibbling foods from the old lands... last week, while thunder was rolling, I munched on a few fern tips that were just thinking about unfurling the next day. (Michael taught me about eating fern tips about 14 years ago in Bellingham). Then I looked at the nettle tips with buds, still tender, and remembered our friend Sonya who taught me that you could munch them too. (No, I didn't get stung:)) Little moments of wildcrafting food or medecine, and recognizing what's out there without farming gives good feelings and good memories. I always feel moments of thankfulness and gratitude right then...

4-star review on this simple recipe~~~

Watercress Guacamole//Bon Appétit | December 2009 //by Selma Brown Morrow //yield: 8 servings

Ingredients: 3 large avocados, halved, pitted, peeled//2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 cup chopped fresh watercress tops//Coarse kosher salt

Preparation: Cube avocados into medium bowl of cold water; drain well. Place in large bowl. Add lime juice and mash coarsely. Mix in watercress; season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and chill. ~~~shannon

photo by Shannon Gilbert

Albert from Pine Stump Farms unloads hay for mulching at 8th Street Greens while Eisa looks on with admiration from a safe distance.

Shannon planted blackberry "tissue cultures" and keeps them warm and protected from weeds in a nest of hay mulch.

Vetch grows freely at 8th Street Greens. Vetch (the purple plant) is a often used as a cover crop, as it fixes nitrogen and other nutrients into the soil.