Each item has a sign indicating how much you are allotted. So, I could get one bunch of radishes, four kohlrabies, 0.3 pound of scallions, two bunches of kale, three bunches of pac choi, two bunches/heads of lettuce, 2.5 pounds of zucchini, and whatever herbs you wanted to snip. At the end of the line, you could dump stuff you don’t want to either donate to a local food pantry or trade with something already left there. I dumped my radishes and picked up a couple more zucchinis. I didn’t take my full allowance of kale, lettuce, or pac choi. It was a LOT of vegetables!!! I had a hard time getting them all into the refrigerator, and I only have a half share!!!
Now, what to DO with all that produce?
I made a couple of tried and true (for me) recipes - zucchini bread and wilted lettuce. That Girl says the name "wilted lettuce" sounds disgusting, so, if that bothers you as much as it does her, you could say it's leaf lettuce (or use spinach instead, if you prefer) with hot bacon dressing.
The kohlrabi was totally new to me. They look like slightly flattened green softballs, but are actually the swollen stems of a plant related to cabbage. I got online, searched for recipes, and found one to try. I warned That Man and The Boy that I was using them as guinea pigs in a culinary experiment. The Boy opted out, the coward, but That Man gamely gave it a try. He gave it a solid thumbs up for him ("pretty good"), and went for seconds.
I did the unthinkable and made wilted lettuce for the same meal. Again, The Boy opted out (he's not much for adventures in the vegetable realm), and That Man ate seconds.
For another meal, I made roasted zucchini.
As for the rest of the haul, scallions are easy. Pak choi - I don’t know - stir fry? Moo goo gai pan? Kale - hmmmm… I’ll have to think about that. I guess I could substitute it for the spinach in my Rustic Totellini Soup.
Getting the CSA box every other week is forcing me to try some vegetables I would normally pass up for the easy, familiar stuff. It's FUN!
If you’re interested in the recipes I used, I’ll be posting them the next few Wednesdays, starting next week.
I would say green smoothies might work for some of it. I look forward to your recipes. I have been trying to cook more and be creative and healthy about it at the same time. Now that the nest is empty, we can try things without all the whining and negative comments.
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