Mizuna

• Mizuna has dark smooth green leaves with a glossy surface, deeply serrated edges, and a fringed, feathery appearance. The thin, narrow, and white stems are firm and offer a crunchy texture.

• Younger plants have mild taste whereas older mature plants can be peppery, piquant, and have a mildly bitter-sweet taste.

• High in vitamins A, C, and K, folate, and iron. It is also a source of B-complex vitamins and the essential minerals calcium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, zinc, and selenium.

• Best suited for both raw in salads and cooked by steaming, stir-frying, or boiling and adding to soups or sautés. 

• Pairs well with Parmesan, goat cheese, arugula, spinach, bok choy, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, green onions, parsley, miso soup, chicken noodle soup, noodles, vinaigrette, faro, barley, pork chops, poultry, tofu, pear, pecans, and sauces such as lemon, ponzu, and soy sauce.

• Best stored in containers or in bags in the refrigerator.

RECIPES

Simple Mizuna Salad 

• 1 large bunch of mizuna

• 2-3 radishes, very thinly sliced

• 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + additional to taste

• flakey sea salt

• 2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds, lightly toasted on the stovetop for  a few minutes

• a few thin slices of fresh Parmesan cheese (optional)

• a few pinches of micro greens (optional)

In a large bowl toss the mizuna with the radishes and drizzle in the olive oil and lemon juice. Toss well. Sprinkle the salad with a few healthy pinches of flakey sea salt, the toasted sunflower seeds, shaved parmesan (if using) and micro greens (if using). Serve immediately. (https://dishingupthedirt.com/recipes/simple-mizuna-salad/)

Mizuna and Minced Chicken Stir Fry

Mizuna, Cheese, and Sausage Sandwich Toast

Vegan Nabe (Hot Pot with Miso)

Green Garlic Risotto

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The Encyclopedia of Food

Specialty Produce

Minutina

• Minutina made its debut here at KCSA in 2020 and has been a hit ever since!

• Minutina has light green leaves that are slender and spiked with forking antler-like horns.

• The leaves have a crisp yet succulent texture with a flavor likened to a cross of spinach and parsley.

• Great to add to salads for a crunch, stir fries for a great flavor, or even with your eggs in the morning.

• Pairs well with feta cheese, parmesan, garlic, lemon, balsamic vinegar, pears, apples, browned butter, sesame oil, seafood and poultry.

• Did you know Minutina has been grown in the United States since at least Colonial times? It was used then as a medicinal plant, thought to relieve fevers and protect against a host of other maladies and was also once popular in fancy jellies.

• Best stored in containers or bags in the refrigerator.

RECIPES

Eggs and Greens 

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 2 cups stemmed and chopped rainbow chard

• 1 cup fresh minutina 

• ½ cup arugula

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 eggs, beaten

• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese 

• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Saute chard, minutina, and arugula until tender, about 3 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Mix eggs and cheese together in a bowl; pour into the chard mixture. Cover and cook until set, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/260473/eggs-and-greens-breakfast-dish/)

Crispy Chicken Cutlet with Minutina Zhug and Ranch

Misticanza

Old-fashioned Minutina Jelly

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The Encyclopedia of Food

Specialty Produce

Claytonia

• Claytonia, also known as Miner’s Lettuce, has bright green disk-like leaves that are crunchy, mild, and sweet, with a subtle earthiness flavor.

• A great source of vitamin C and vitamin A and also contains iron, beta-carotene, and protein.

• The flowers, leaves, and stems are all edible and can be eaten raw or cooked by steaming, boiling, stir-frying or sautéing.

• Can also be cooked and served with meat dishes, paired with other spring vegetables, mixed into soups, or added to pesto. 

• Did you know that Miner’s lettuce, aka claytonia, got its name from the workers who traveled to California during the Gold Rush? Needing a source of vitamin C, gold miners discovered from the Native Americans that Miner’s lettuce could be consumed both raw or cooked to prevent scurvy and other vitamin C related issues.

• Best stored in containers or bags in the refrigerator.

RECIPES

Claytonia Smoothie

• 1 cup claytonia 

• 1/2 ripe pear

• 1/2 ripe banana

• 1/2 cup blueberries or strawberries 

• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (Seven stars OG Plain or Maple recommended) 

• 1/4 cup milk

Put all ingredients into a blender. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes. Pour into glass and enjoy immediately. (http://fat-of-the-land.blogspot.com/2012/05/miners-lettuce-smoothie.html)

Wild Green Salad with Claytonia

Claytonia Pesto/Dip

Claytonia with Sundried Tomatoes and Apricots

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The Encyclopedia of Food

Specialty Produce

Garlic Chives

• Garlic Chives, also known as Chinese chives, Oriental garlic, Asian chives, and Chinese leeks, have green, flat, wide leaves and white star-shaped flowers at the top that are edible and bloom in the spring.

• Unlike garlic, the bulb of garlic chives is actually inedible. 

• Very similar to your standard chive, but with a rich flavor that is often described as a mix of garlic and onion but less pungent than a clove of garlic.

• Even Vincent Van Gogh was inspired by the beauty and flavor of Garlic chives, painting a simple still life of a pot of chives in 1887.

• Garlic chives are rich in vitamin C, and contain carotene, vitamin B1 and B2, calcium, and iron.

• Garlic chives can be used in both raw and cooked applications or used to finish dishes.

• Pairs well with fresh herbs, soft cheeses, mushrooms, noodles, meats, and chilies.

• Best stored in a container or bag in the refrigerator.

RECIPES

Chive Pancakes (Buchujeon)

• 7 ounces garlic chives/buchu

• 1.5 cups flour or GF flour

• 1 cup water

• 1 egg

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon sugar

• 1/2 cup vegetable oil or canola oil

Clean chives and cut into 2 inch long pieces. Make batter by mixing flour, water, egg, salt and sugar. Whisk well until batter is smooth. In a mixing bowl, add chives and then pour batter but do it in gradual amounts to make sure you don’t have too much batter. Heat frying pan on medium high heat. Add 2 tsp of vegetable oil for a 10 inch pan. When oil moves around freely like water, when swirled, pour chive pancake mixture and spread it out with spatula on pan. A mistake you can make here is to make the pancake too thick. Cook for about 2 min or until about 70% of surface looks cooked. Turn it over and add another 1~2 tsp vegetable oil around the edges of the pan. Cook for another 2 min or so until nicely browned. Transfer pancake onto a cutting board and cut into squares or diamonds. You can also just serve it whole and allow people to just cut it at the table. (https://food52.com/recipes/68113-chive-pancakes-buchujeon)

Spiced Tofu Stir-Fry with Garlic Chives 

Bucatini with Lemon Garlic Chive Pesto Sauce 

Niratama (Chinese Chives & Eggs)

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For more information see:

The Encyclopedia of Food

Specialty Produce

Chives

• Chives grow in clusters with pointy blade-like leaves that are hollow and have globular spikey, pinkish-purple flowers that bloom in early summer.

• Both leaves and flowers share a mild onion flavor and are edible! 

• Common Chives are part of the classic French herb blend called fines herbes (pronounced fien erbs), along with flat leaf parsley, French tarragon and chervil.

• Leaves can be used to flavor salads, dips, soups, stews, vinegar’s, cheese dishes, sour cream and butter but are best added at the end of the cooking process because they lose flavor when heated.

• Chives are a good source of calcium, iron, phosphorus, sulfur and contain high amounts of potassium, vitamins A and C.

• Great for freezing and drying.

• Best store in containers or bags in refrigerator

RECIPES 

Cheddar Cheese and Chive Popovers

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter plus extra for greasing the pan

• 3 large eggs

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup milk

• 3/4 cup cheddar cheese freshly grated

• 1/4 cup chives finely diced

Preheat the oven to 450°F, and thoroughly grease your popover pan. Melt the tablespoon of butter in your bowl and set it aside to cool slightly. Break the eggs into the same bowl (with the butter) and whisk gently. Then whisk in the flour, salt, and milk until just barely blended; a few lumps are fine.

Add in the cheddar cheese and chives and, using a rubber spatula, gently fold the cheese and chives into the batter. Don't over mix.

Fill the cups 2/3 full (3/4 full for large popovers), and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Then, reduce the oven temp to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes. (Do not open the oven! Opening the oven door in the first 20 minutes can cause them to collapse.)

When they are brown and crusty, remove them from the oven, and make a small slit in their sides with a sharp knife. Serve immediately. (https://hipfoodiemom.com/2015/03/03/cheddar-cheese-and-chive-popovers/)

Make-Ahead Layered Salad (For a Crowd) 

Greek Yogurt Onion Dip 

Tomato Toast with Chives and Sesame Seeds

Roasted Fingerling Potatoes with Chive Pesto

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For more information see:

The Encyclopedia of Food

Specialty Produce

Sorrel

• Sorrel has dark large elongated arrow-shaped green leaves that have a distinct sour note and sharp lemony tang due to their oxalic acid content.

• According to food historian John Mariani, the word “sorrel” probably comes from the Old French word surele, meaning “sour.”

• Lemony sorrel is super high in Vitamin C; just 1/2 cup of the leafy green provides you with about half of your daily Vitamin C needs. It is also high in Vitamin A and potassium and is a good source of iron.

• Sorrel may be used raw as a salad green, a fresh herb, or sautéed similarly to spinach. The young leaves are tender and mild, best for fresh eating, while larger leaves become sharp and bitter, best for cooked applications.

• Complimentary flavors include, hard aged cheeses, cream, eggs, fish, caviar, oysters, lentils, potatoes, spinach, onion, shallot, mustard, parsley, tarragon, mint, chervil and nutmeg.

• Best stored in containers or bags in the refrigerator.

RECIPES

Sorrel And Hazelnut Pesto

•  1/2 c Hazelnuts

• 1 tsp Kosher Salt

• 1 clove Garlic

• 2 c Sorrel Leaves

• 1/2 c Olive Oil

• 1 tsp Lemon Zest

• 1 c Parmesan, Grated

In a food processor (or with mortar and pestle if you feel like it and have the extra time) process the hazelnuts and salt until the nuts are very finely ground.  Add the garlic and process again until it is uniform with the nuts. Add the sorrel, about 1/2 cup at a time, when it gets too thick to process, start adding the oil slowly, alternating with the remaining sorrel until all incorporated. Stir in the lemon zest and grated parmesan and season to taste with salt. Serve with hot pasta like fettuccine or pappardelle or as a condiment with some grilled or poached fish or chicken. Another delicious option (or use your leftovers) is as a spread on bruschetta and topped with sliced cherry tomatoes. (https://sabrinacurrie.com/recipe/sorrel-pesto-recipe-west-coast-food/)

Potato and Sorrel Gratin

Sorrel Soup, French Style

Sorrel Salad

Sorrel Smoothie Dream

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For more information see:

The Encyclopedia of Food

Specialty Produce

Kohlrabi

• Kohlrabi is in the brassica family and is related to kale, broccoli and cabbage.

• Often referred to as the "German turnip," it is actually the stem, not the root, that is eaten. Think of a bulbous broccoli stem!

• It should be peeled before use. Sometimes they have red skin but both green and red varieties have the same white flesh inside.

• You can use kohlrabi as you would a turnip or cabbage. It's delicious sliced into thin wedges and sprinkled with salt or grated into salads.

• The kossak variety that we grow is meant to be that big! I've seen some bigger than my head at a farmers market in VT.

• Kohlrabi goes well with butter, sour cream, dill, mustard and horseradish.

• Store like greens, in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.

RECIPES

Kohlrabi with Horseradish:

• about 1 pound peeled kohlrabi

• 2 to 4 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream

• prepared horseradish in vinegar

• 2 teaspoons of chopped dill

• salt and pepper

Slice the kohlrabi into julienne strips or wedges. Steam until tender, 5 to 8 minutes, then remove to a bowl and toss with creme fraiche, horseradish and dill. Season with salt and pepper to taste. (Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison, p384)

Kohlrabi Fritters with Garlic and Herb Cashew Cream

Kohlrabi Slaw

Kohlrabi Fries

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For more information see:

The Encyclopedia of Food

Specialty Produce

Sweet Potatoes

• At the KCSA we are introducing two new types of sweet potatoes…

•  Covington, which has copper and rose colored skin with sweet, smooth, bright-orange flesh.

• Murasaki, which has a purple to burgundy color with a slightly sweet taste and robust nutty flavor. 

• Though most people know what sweet potatoes are, there are a lot of misconceptions about this vegetable. Did you know that sweet potatoes are actually not related to potatoes at all? The potato is a stem tuber in the nightshade family, while Sweet potatoes are the edible enlarged roots of a flowering vine in the morning glory family.

• Also yams and sweet potatoes are not the same thing. Yams have a bumpy, tough brown skin (that looks almost tree trunk-like) with starchy, not sweet flesh and are native to Africa.  

• Sweet potatoes can be baked, roasted, steamed, boiled, simmered, or fried. 

• Best stored in a cool, dry and dark place. 

RECIPES

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries 

• 2 pounds orange fleshed sweet potatoes (yams), about 3 large ones

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

• 1 to 2 tablespoons spice or spice combination of your choice: chipotle powder, smoked paprika, Chinese five-spice, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, Cajun seasoning, etc.
  
  

Preheat oven to 450°F. Place a roasting pan or heavy duty baking sheet in the oven to preheat.
Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then, if they are very long, in half crosswise. Cut each piece into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick wedges. Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the oil. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with salt and spices of your choice. Use your hands to mix well, so all pieces are coated with oil and spices.

Remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven. Carefully spread the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on the baking sheet. (Watch out, the pan is hot!) Bake for 15 to 25 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, remove the baking sheet from the oven and use tongs to turn over all of the sweet potato pieces. Return to the oven and bake for another 5 to 15 minutes, or until they are well browned. (https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/oven_baked_sweet_potato_fries/)

Sweet Potato Biscuits with Honey-Safe Compound Butter 

Sweet Potato, Kale, and Chicken Soup 

Spiced Sweet Potato Sandwich with Feta 

Sweet Potato Hummus 

Roasted Sweet Potato with Garlic and Chile

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For more information see:

The Encyclopedia of Food

Specialty Produce