Week 12: Your CSA Box

We hope you've had a great week!

It's been a good one at the farm, including a trip to Chicago for Jeff this week. If you head out to eat at Uncommon Ground on Devon this week, you may notice a familiar fingerling potatoes on the menu. We're partnering with our friend and Executive Chef, Brian Millman, to provide our freshest fare to one of our favorite green Chicago restaurants. If you haven't already, give them a visit!

We hope you'll enjoy your fingerlings this week, too! In your box this week, you'll find:

Chard - Unlike our usual bunches, these bunches include everything from small to large leaves. There's a lot of salad mixing you can do this week with the smaller leaves (see suggestions below).

Stir-Fry/Braising Mix - The mix includes items such as Hon Tsai Tai, Komatsuna, Red Russian kale, Southern Giant and Red Giant mustards, and Tatsoi for great flavor and color.

Tat Soi - We love this green so much that we grow it separately from our stir fry mix. Tat soi tastes like a milder version of mustard greens (sometimes called mustard spinach) and has a texture similar to bok choy. It's high in minerals, vitamins, and health-promoting antioxidants. We love to eat raw in salads or cooked like spinach and used in place of spinach in your favorite recipe.

Baby Beet Greens - Mix these into your salad mix, arugula or take some of the smaller chard leaves and make a mixed salad with this spicy Mediterranean dressing recipe!

Salad Mix

Arugula

Red/Yellow Onions

Shallots

Garlic

Okra - Every year, we experiment with a few crops and this year was our first year with okra. There are only a few in your box, but throw them into a gumbo recipe and let us know what you think!

Heirloom Purple Tomatillos - Here's our favorite tomatillo salsa recipe:

Tomatillo Salsa
Gourmet | September 2007

Gina Marie Miraglia Eriquez

Yield: Makes about 2 cups Active Time: 20 min Total Time: 45 min 1 pound fresh tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered 1 fresh serrano chile, seeded and chopped 1/2 large white onion, cut into 4 wedges 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1/2 cup water 1/2 cup chopped cilantro 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice Coarsely purée tomatillos, chile, onion, garlic, water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a blender. Transfer to a large heavy skillet and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature, then stir in cilantro, lime juice, and salt to taste.

Heirloom Tomatoes - Here's the one minute salsa recipe from our picnic:

Makes about 1 cup.

This quick salsa can be made with either fresh or canned tomatoes, but if you're using fresh, make sure they are sweet, ripe, in-season tomatoes. If they aren't, canned tomatoes are a better choice.

1/2	small jalapeño chile or 1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
1/4	small red onion , peeled and root end removed
1	small clove garlic , minced or pressed
2	tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
1/4	teaspoon table salt
	pinch ground black pepper
2	teaspoons lime juice from 1 lime
2	small tomatoes (about 3/4 pound), ripe, each cored and cut into eighths, or one (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained

Pulse all ingredients except tomatoes in food processor until minced, about five 1-second pulses, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Add tomatoes and pulse until roughly chopped, about two 1-second pulses.

1. The salsa can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days. Season with additional lime juice and salt before serving.

Fingerling Potatoes - Delicious roasted in your oven on a pan with olive oil, kosher salt & fresh ground pepper.

Ground Cherries - Pictured here, these are a sweet delicacy of summer. In the same family as a tomatillo, you simply remove the husk (pinch at bottom) and fruit will peek through. Then, eat the center cherry -- orange color is ripe, and green-ish needs more time to ripen. Some describe ground cherries (or husk cherries) as somewhere between a pineapple and tomato in flavor. We can barely get them into a recipe (they are a favorite for snacking!), but if you can, use them to create a simple salsa for pork or as an addition to your salad. Enjoy!