This Week in the Hudson Valley: Kohlrabi & Chives

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Chive and wail, Hudson Valley, we’ve got Kohlrabi!

We’ve got chives coming at you from Vannini Farms. Our farmer friend has chivesone enormous field dedicated to producing this little baby allium, beautiful blossoms and all. Check out this photo of the chive zone and their blooms (below). Chives add an oniony flavor, with a hint of garlic, and you can use them anywhere you’d use onions.

Kohlrabi is great, trust us: If you haven’t had it before, it will be your new favorite veggie. The key to it is peeling away the skin and any hard layers until you reach the light layer of crisp flesh. It may look like an alien, but it’s versatile, sweet, and keeps forever. You can eat it raw, boiled, roasted, mashed, and fried. It can also be stuffed, steamed, or added to soups. So give it a shot!

 

This Week’s Field Goods Favorite
Kohlrabi 

KohlrabiShockingly sweet and perfect with pea shoots. The WTF, CSA segment on the Huffington Post has a dozen or so recipes. You can cook the tops just as you would any green!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two Long Lost Loves: Dandelion Greens & Parsnips

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Not just for wishing, we have dandelion greens!

Also, take just a minute to say welcome back to your parsnips! Field pulled, these parsnips just came from the ground. Because of overwintering (meaning they slowed way down in growth but made it through the polar vortices) their sugars skyrocketed and they will have an even greater sweetness.

Fear Not the Dandelion Leaves: Incredibly healthy and nutrient rich. Read more on this spring tonic here.  “Weed” suggest that you cook them…get it? They are the poor man’s Cicoria, a standard cooked green on menus all over Italy. It has a pleasing bitterness offset by the richness of the oil you sauté it in (try the Full Sun Sunflower Oil). Dandelion greens make a nice substitute.

 

This Week’s Field Goods Favorite
Dandelion Greens 

dandelion greensThe root has gathered a lot of fame for its medicinal purposes. People often harvest the flowers for wine. Plus they have a ton of iron!

 

 

 

 

 

 

LET’S TAKE STALK OF THIS WEEK’S BAG!

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With their bright green stalks and purple tops, these are some glamorous vegetables coming your way. These stalks, along with their kale, spinach, and pear counterparts are all making their way from the magical land of New Jersey. They’re just south enough for growing the stuff that’s not quite ready yet in our beautiful state because of the long, long, long and cold winter.  The fiddleheads and ramps are from Massachusetts. What a stalk!

Lots of delicacies this week:  Asparagus, fiddleheads, ramps, & Asian pears. Have fun with them! Fiddleheads are incredible sautteed in a little bit of butter. Asparagus couldn’t be easier! Just roast with some garlic and extra virgin olive oil at 425 degrees for 12-15 minutes depending on how you like them.

 

 

This Week’s Field Goods Favorite
Asparagus 

stalkComes thick and thin.  If the thicker sort, peel stalk.  Two easy fast options for cooking. 1.  Microwave with a bit of water, covered, 2 minutes. 2. Blanch by pouring boiling salted water over asparagus, let sit for 10 minutes until bright green and then put in ice water.  To store:  Put the bottom in an inch or so of water and then in fridge.  Use as soon as possible. Here are pictures!