TL;DR

In this series, I’ll share what I plan to do (or did) with my CSA share each week. At this early part of the season, the focus is on how to use all the greens up. Not just for salads and meals, prepping things for snacks is a big part of it too.

What We’re Getting Week 1

• Eggs
• Radishes
• Tokyo bekana
• Kale
• Head lettuce
• Bok choy
• Broccoli raab
• Basil pots
• Oregano

Great for Snacking

Radishes: when de-greened and peeled, and kept in an air-tight container in the fridge, lasts for the week.

Kale (‘chips’): can be dried out on a sheet pan with salt, maybe even some nutritional (brewers) yeast, and turned into ‘chips’. Keep air-tight otherwise any moisture in the air will de-crisp them.

Bok choy: the greens can be snapped off for salads, leaving the crispy and thick stems for dipping in your favorite nut butter. Great alternative to celery and one more way to get kids to eat their veg.

“Obviously, Salad”

Some things, particularly big leafy greens, are just best consumed without cooking. The way I like my sandwiches is more like a salad anyway, so whether between two slices or in a bowl, a heavy helping of greens makes a little dressing or protein go a long way.

Processing Leafy Greens

To process leafy bits:

• wash them in a sink of water, letting them sit for a few minutes untouched before pulling them out
• spin them dry in a salad spinner
• deposit them on to a clean kitchen towel and roll up to squeeze out any excess moisture

Since you’re likely processing your whole CSA share all at once, all leafy greens can go in plastic zip bags with a bit of paper towel on one side, then in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.

(Not) Just the Leafy Bits

We want to use everything we get in the share, not just the leafy bits. So keep stalks and stems around for later use.

• Tokyo bekana (preserve stems)
• Broccoli rabe (preserve stems and florets)
• Bok choy (preserve stems)
• Kale (preserve stems)

All that’s left is the head lettuce which is pretty much just for salads and sandwiches. While some people prefer not to eat kale stems, they are sweet when they’re young and I find them to be a good source of fiber and nutrients.

Stir Fries

With whatever plain rice is left from last week’s meals, we often do fried rice as a meal on Monday nights, something to look forward to after getting through the first day of a new week. With a little bit of prep and practice, anyone can do it.

• Tokyo bekana (chopped stems)
• Broccoli rabe (chopped stems and florets)
• Bok choy (chopped stems)
• Plain rice
• Sesame and vegetable oil
• Soy sauce
• Eggs
• Fish sauce (optional)
• Garlic, scallions, and/or green onions (if you have them)
• Pre-cooked meat (optional, diced ham or chinese sausage)

Have all ingredients opened and ready to grab on a sheet pan next to a wok on the stove. Cooking is high heat and fast, so you don’t want to be searching for ingredients while you’re wok-ing around.

Start with the rice and oil(s), then add the sauces once all the rice is separated thoroughly. Then add stalks and florets, garlic and/or scallions, and meats until everything is warm. Move everything constantly so there’s no chance for things to stick to the bottom. Move everything to one side of the wok and then crack some eggs into the other side, stirring them constantly until they’re soft but not cooked through. Then incorporate everything together bits at a time. You should end up with bits of egg here and there, not completely scrambled and separated from the rest of the ingredients.

But Wait, There’s More (Salad)

The basil (in a small paper pot), I plant in my garden. It will produce far more throughout the next month that way along with additional companions in following shares.

The oregano (bunched) can be diced up and put into vinaigrettes, sprinkled in to salads, or used in marinades or rubs for things that go on the grill.

One of my favorite simple dressings consists of orange juice, olive oil, and cashews all blended together with salt and pepper to taste. An elaborate version of it can be found here, but just those few ingredients and a fresh herb like oregano really highlights the herb. You should play with the ratios to get comfortable with the recipe and how you personally like it, but it’s mostly equal parts blended as smooth as possible.

Got Other Ideas?

I’d love to hear your ideas if you want to share them. Send an email to: me [-at-] paulsbruce [-dot-] io