Delivery 2

Delivery 2 was much like Delivery 1. I'm happy there's levels of consistency and variation so I can build on prior experience but not get too stagnant- but I do wish kale had carried over. So it goes.

Here's the haul:

Bok Choi - 1 head

Chinese Cabbage - 1 head

Red Sails Lettuce -1 head

Romaine Lettuce - 1 head

Buttercrunch Lettuce - 1 head

Mustard Greens - 1 bunch

Mizuna - 1 bunch 

Sorrel - 1 bunch

Sage with Flowers - 1 bunch

Garlic Scapes - 6 scapes
 

And the highlights:

Sorrel: I had no strong feelings about this guy when I saw it on the list, but then I ate a leaf...awesome! A really nice citrusy bite, especially the stems.

From Wikipedia: "The plant's sharp taste is due to oxalic acid, which is a poison. In small quantities sorrel is harmless; in large quantities it can be fatal." Neat!

Lots of stuff to do with this guy- there are drinks, pesto, or some kind of tart? I read the flavor mellows when it cooks, so I'm thinking the pesto.

Butter Crunch Lettuce: This is the cartoon lettuce shaped lettuce- does it come across in pics? The leaves feel nicely pliant so I may use it in a wrap situation. Like this.

Sage (with flowers): Don't get me wrong- this is very pretty- but doesn't the effort of growing flowers take some of the oomph out of the leaves? Apparently sage is good with chicken liver- which I know, gross, but I need to eat more iron and that's one of the best sources. Also- liver mousse? Nom. Here are a few choices for when I'm looking.

Garlic Scapes: The sign said take six out of the bin, so I did. Apparently they ran out of rhubarb last week- I have a feeling the shareholders showing up last minute may be scapeless. There are interesting looking dips (apparently suuuper strong, so it's in the lead), on a pizza, or in okonomiyaki or biscuits. So- basically- all the things.

And our good friend Mr Chinese Cabbage. Obviously not new, but I got a monster-sized head. It's already been cut up for a second, appropriately spiced, batch of kimchi.

Oh and I found a little slug on my kale. He was kind of cute (no pics, sorry), but yeah, guess we know it's organic!

Delivery 1

Yesterday I picked up my first CSA Share! Unfortunately I didn't take a pic of everything together until they were all bagged up, but still- gorgeous:

Contents:
Rhubarb-1 bunch*

Bok Choi-1 bunch

Chinese Cabbage-1 head*

Red Leaf Lettuce-1 head

Romaine Lettuce-1 head

Spring Time Kale-1 bunch

Mustard Greens-1 bunch*

Mizuna-1 bunch*

Garlic Chives-1 bunch*

Oregano-1 bunch

* = first time using. Technically I've cooked with mustard greens before...from a bag, frozen. So I'm not counting it

There was a small part of me that hoped that I'd be able to live solely off this CSA share, but there is a lot I'll want to pick up to supplement. I may have too many ideas :)

It'll be all salad everything for the lettuce and kale most likely. But for the new guys, here are some thoughts and non-bagged pics:

Rhubarb - Tart red veggie, usually used in desserts and jams. So excited for this, I've always wanted to try it, though wish I'd gotten more. This lovely rustic tart recipe from smitten kitchen seems my speed and requires minimal ingredient investment. Also you cook them straight from the freezer so there's no pressure to eat 10 in a few days.

Chinese Cabbage - aka Napa Cabbage. Used a lot asian cuisine- I see a super tempting recipe for dumplings, but I'm thinking kimchi! Or both- there is a lot of it. Found a nice kimchi recipe on CHOW- tho will probably omit the shrimp. It's got a slightly higher ingredient investment cost- and it may take some hunting to find that chili powder.

Mizuna - Japanese green- often compared to mustard greens or arugula, though milder. Can be eaten raw or cooked- I may try it with some lettuce in a salad and/or in stir fry recipe with Bok Choy (bonus for using another CSA veg!). Speaking of which...

 

Bok Choy - so. freaking. much. I've roasted the baby version of this before and loved it. Will probably try something similar with this big guy.

Oregano - nothing is springing to mind specifically for this (a friend suggested a lot of pizza!), but I so seldom use fresh herbs. Have to use all of it.

Garlic Chives -  It's like chive with a hint of garlic. Or a mild scallion. Another Asian veggie. I could use it in the kimchi- (oh hey! there's buchu kimchi which uses this instead of the cabbage)- or to showcase it make an omlette or garlic chive pancakes.

Mustard Greens - I've had an aversion to the flavor of mustard since I was little but recently started coming around to it in a big way. Want to try it in something cooked (maybe just a simple saute) and raw.

Tonight will be my first serious night of cooking in the new place. Sooo excited!