What's in the box?

broccoli
cauliflower
rainbow chard
red leaf lettuce
butterhead lettuce
summer squash/ zuchinni
mint
green top beets
hakuri or scarlet turnips
tendersweet cabbage
spring onions

broccoli
rainbow chard
green top beets
summer squash
spring onions
mint
red leaf or butter head lettuce

Notes on the box

Returning members will recognize the tendersweet cabbage from previous years. It's a favorite of ours and perfect for fresh eating. The whole head can be stored in your fridge. Once you cut it, place the remaining portion in a plastic bag in your fridge. Coleslaw week!

Some of the broccoli got comically huge, so some boxes have some really large heads. Did you know that the broccoli stems can be peeled, chopped, and cooked? Some members say it is their favorite part of the broccoli. Give it a try if the giant head of florrets isn't enough for you! If you find yourself with too much broccoli, chop, blanch, and freeze it for winter months.

The beet greens are edible, though they look a little beet up. The globes themselves are young enough that you shouldn't need to peel them. Slice or chop, roast, saute, bake, grill, boil, shred, or.... and eat! Tops of beets and turnips should be removed and roots (and greens if you intend to eat them) should be stored in a plastic bag in your fridge. Add roasted beets, toasted nuts, and mint leaves to salad for gourmet greens.

Rainbow Chard is related to beets. So there's a stand in for your beet greens! The stalks are edible and you can cut them up and add them first (along with onions or garlic) and then add the greens at the end of cooking and cook until they wilt down (this happens quickly and dramatically). Rainbow chard works well in recipes in place of full size spinach. Store in a produce bag in your crisper. Chard is great in quiches, fritatta, or egg tarts.

Mint and be put with stems in a cup of water in your fridge and will last at least a week that way. We like to drop a sprig into a glass of water for a refreshing treat. It's also great in a salad with beets. Or in cocktails. Or iced mint tea. If you don't think you'll get through your bunch, hang it upside down in a dark dry area and you can save the dried leaves for hot mint tea in the cooler months.

Cheese Share

quark - use as you would cream cheese. It's tangier and lighter. We like adding it to mac and cheese and using it for cheese cake. And we like it mixed with herbs and spread on crackers or a sandwich.
tomme- this is a simple farmers cheese, with a flavor that is anything but simple! I read in one book that tomme means "made by the farmer", though I wasn't able to find that information elsewhere. "Tomme" is mostly described as a generic cheese word that is usually followed by the name of the place where the cheese is made. So this could be Tomme de Clear Lake or Tomme de Turnip Rock, more precisely! I am really happy with this cheese and hope that you like it. I have more aging so there will be more in the coming weeks.

Recipes

Salad Dressings:

Favorite Honey Mustard: whisk or blend together -

2 Tbsp. stoneground or dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. lemon juice or your favorite vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. minced herb of your choice (dill or parsley are favories)
3/4 cup - 1 cup oil
salt and pepper to taste

Sesame: (can be used on thinly sliced cabbage as a coleslaw) whisk or blend together

3/4 - 1 cup oil
2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
2 Tbsp. toasteed sesame oil
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp miso
if you want to make it a peanut dressing, you can add 1 Tbsp peanut butter

Creamy Herby Dressing:

3 Tbsp. minced fresh herbs - basil, dill, parsley, mint, thyme, and/or oregano to your liking (you choose your favorite combination)
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar, wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup creme fraiche, sour cream, yogurt, or 1/4 cup quark

Cabbage Slaw with Green Onion, Mint, and Parsley

1/2 large head green cabbage
3/4 cup chopped parsley
2 Tbsp chopped mint
3/4 cup thinly sliced green onion (or more)
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar or white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar, maple syrup,honey, or sweetener of your choice
salt to taste (I used about 3/4 tsp. sea salt)
freshly ground black pepper to taste (I used about 1/4 tsp.)

Thinly slice and coarsely chop slices until you have about 6 cups chopped cabbage. Wash and coarsely chop parsley and mint, and thinly slice green onions.
In small bowl or glass measuring cup, stir together the canola oil, white balsamic vinegar or white vinegar, sweetener, salt, and pepper.
Put chopped cabbage, chopped parsley and mint, and sliced green onions into salad bowl and toss to combine. Add just enough dressing to moisten salad, and toss again. (You may not need all the dressing.) Taste to see if you want more salt or pepper, then serve.

Thin Mint Smoothie