Crisp Bok Choy Greens in Tangy-Sweet, Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette

    I must say besides being a complete sucker for fresh produce,mason jar salad dressings just about top the list as well. Mason jars hold so much possibility : a glass of iced tea,a tangy pepper jelly just waiting for some cream cheese and of course salad dressing! It's an easy container for a vinaigrette that coats a crispy bok choy salad.

 
















Bok choy makes a fantastic,crispy stand-in for cabbage in a coleslaw so naturally it would hold it's own in a cold salad. The bok choy greens are also mixed with shredded broccoli and carrots. I was lucky to find a box of this mix at the grocery store so I knew sometime this weekend a coleslaw type salad was in the works.







     The chopped bok choy,shredded carrots and broccoli stems were missing one thing: toasted sesame seeds. Sesame seeds are fairly mild on their own but toasted the flavors really come through. Place the sesame seeds in a dry skillet and toast over low heat only for a few minutes. You should keep a close eye on them,if they begin to smell like weeeelllll toasted sesame seeds THEY ARE DONE!

      The next few steps are pretty easy: add chopped bok choy greens and shredded carrots/broccoli mix and toasted sesame seeds to a large bowl.  Pour the vinaigrette over the mixture and toss it all together. I'll be honest the steps could have been way more arduous but I had my smiling sous chef to help me out,THANK GOODNESS!

Crisp Bok Choy Greens in Tangy-Sweet ,Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette

adapted from The Cozy Apron

Salad ingredients:

1 large head of bok choy,rinsed and roughly chopped (including leafy greens)

2 cups shredded carrot/broccoli mix ( any shredded raw vegeteable mix would do just fine here)

1 TBL sesame seeds toasted

Sesame-Soy Vinaigrette ingredients:

1 garlic clvoe-pressed through a garlic press

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

1 TBL honey

1 TBL low-sodium soy sauce

3 TBL rice wine vinegar

1 TBL sesame oil ( I found mine in the Asian foods

    section at the grocery store. It is pungent so a little

     goes a long way.)

  3 TBL grapeseed oil ( I like grapeseed oil,

       but you could sub any oil you want here.)

  

Directions-

  1. Add salad ingredients to a large bowl. 

  2.Add vinaigrette ingredeints to a mason jar ,put the lid on tight and shake well.

  3. Pour the vinaigrette over the salad mix and toss well to coat salad. Enjoy!

What's In The Box? May 26,2015

  So when I was a kid on the first day of school I was super excited and nervous to begin a new year with old friends and new friends alike. I could always count on one thing that would welcome me into the classroom with so much possibility: the blackboard!
       On that note let me introduce myself,my name is Meredith Harris . I will be a contributor here on the Native Son Farm blog for a few weeks. I am a sucker for fresh produce,really there's nothing better. I also love to tell good people about good food! So with that let's talk about this week's CSA share box ingredients!

Week 6 CSA share box ingredients:
-Beets
-Kohlrabi
-Squash
-Bok Choy
-Red Leaf Lettuce
-Butter Lettuce
-Chard
-Basil

Here are a few storage tips to keep that beautiful produce fresh:
1.Beet greens are best used fresh and stored in a damp cloth or in a plastic bag in your refrigerator's crisper drawer. To maintain firmness of the beet roots,cut off the leaves and stems 1 inch above the crown.
2.Kohlrabi globes and it's leaves need to be stored separately. The globe will last for about 1 month in the fridge. Use the greens as soon as possible.
3. Squash likes that comfort of a plastic bag in the crisper drawer. Plastic bags help retain the internal moisture of the squash.
4. Bok Choy wrapped up in a damp cloth or paper towel will store nicely for up to a week in the fridge.The leaves will lose their integrity and wilt as they dry out.
5. Red leaf lettuce and Butter lettuce both need to be dry before storage in the crisper drawer. Any excessive moisture will only help the leaves to wilt quicker.
6. Chard is best used fresh but will keep for up to 4 days if kept moist and refrigerated.
7. Basil can be wrapped in a lightly damp paper towel and refrigerated. You may also freeze fresh leaves in a ziploc bag. Squeeze the air out,seal and freeze. Do NOT thaw before use.

             

What's in the box? May 19, 2015

That is a lot of produce! And with just one day left before I leave on vacation, I will have my work cut out for me if I hope to use it all up before tomorrow morning—especially since (as usual) I also have a flurry of packing, appointments, and last-minute chores.  However, I do have a family of five, and at least two of us really, really love carrots.

Here's what was in our box this week:

Lettuce, two heads
Carrots, two bunches
Strawberries
Heirloom Kale
Bok Choy
Beets (some members received Swiss Chard)
Basil

And here's how I plan to use it all in less than 24 hours. Think I can do it? I'll post an update to let you know if everything went as planned.

Breakfast
Strawberry and Kale Smoothies

Lunch
Spicy Pecan, Apple, and Chèvre Salad

Afternoon Snack
Carrots and Kale Chips

Dinner
"Pickled" Beet, Feta, and Pistachio Salad
Buttered Carrots
Lemon Sautéed Bok Choy

*Make and Store for Later
Freezer Pesto

What to do with ... Kohlrabi?

I confess, when I pulled this beautiful purple vegetable out of our CSA box this week, I had to sit an think for a moment about what it could be. My kids guessed it instantly: a mandrake!

In fact, purple kohlrabi is a member of the cabbage family, even though it looks more like a turnip. While popular in many German and South Asian dishes, it is often overlooked in North America, which is a shame because its beautiful color and mild flavor gives it many uses—raw or cooked.

Here are our top five:

1) Shredded or grated and added to a salad

2) Sliced and served in a raw veggie and dip platter

3) Sliced and steamed with butter and a dash of salt

4) Added to a stir fry

5) And served just about anyway you would a turnip: in turnover and fritters, in a vegetable soup, or mashed and smashed with potatoes.

For a quick tutorial and other great ideas for preparing kohlrabi, visit this primer at The Kitchn.

What are your favorite ways for eating kohlrabi?

What's in the box? May 12, 2015

One of the best parts of having a CSA share, is that each week brings a surprise—or two or three.

This week's surprise was beets (my favorite!) and basil (can you believe the size of that basil?!), and a funny purple root vegetable whose identity I could only guess at. Bonus points for anyone who correctly identified Purple Kohlrabi.

I love that my CSA box stretches my cooking skills and my palate, just as I encourage my own kids to try a new vegetable. It also makes following Michael Pollan's food rule to "eat your colors," incredibly easy. This week, my box was a rainbow of color, with:

Strawberries, one pint
Carrots
Easter Egg Radishes
Lettuce, two heads
Bok Choy
Purple Kohlrabi
Beets
Basil

So what will I do with it all? My family's weekly meal plan is below, and this week I'm focusing on salads.

In addition to the giants heads of lettuce I get in my box each week, my own little home garden is in peak salad production, so I've got to eat one, maybe two, salads every day if I want to stay on top of it all. But no one wants to eat the same carrot-radish-and-tomato salad twice a day, least of all me. So I've chosen salads that are so packed full of flavor and ingredients that they are meals unto themselves. I've also included my "recipe" for the simplest salad of all, which some days is really all you need or want.

Wednesday Lunch
Pear Salad with Blueberries and Blue Cheese

Wednesday Dinner
Spaghetti and Shaved Salad

Thursday Lunch
Jana's Simple Strawberry Salad

Thursday Dinner
Stir Fry with Shrimp, Bok Choy and Purple Kohlrabi

Friday Dinner
Homemade Basil and Mozzarella Pizza with Simple Salad

Saturday
Niçoise Salad (recipe to come!)

Sunday
Eat Your Greens Salad (with Avocado, Green Onions and Pumpkin Seeds) (recipe to come!)

Monday
Pickled Beet Salad with Feta and Pistachios (recipe to come!)

Jana's Simple Strawberry Salad

Simple Strawberry Salad

Native Son Strawberries

Hakurei (small white) turnips

green leaf lettuce

freshly ground pepper

balsamic vinaigrette or your favorite olive oil with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

That's it. Nothing fancy.  But it's one of my favorites when the strawberries and turnips are in the shares.

Submitted by Jana E.

Simple Salad

Wash lettuce, add vinaigrette and serve.

That's it. Crazy right? But it is so satisfying and delicious, you won't believe you never thought of it before. 

The first time I had this salad was at a dinner party in Germany. When I saw this giant bowl of salad leaves sitting out on the buffet table, I asked the hostess, "Would you like me to slice the vegetables for you?"–thinking she'd simply been too busy preparing the main meal to cut them up herself.

"Oh!" she said, surprised, and no doubt a little amused at my American naiveté. "But this is a delicacy here."

Then she went on to explain how in her part of Bavaria, everyone looks forward to the first tender lettuces of the spring, and that you would never detract from their sweet flavor by serving them with anything but the lightest of vinaigrettes. 

I was skeptical, but she was right. It was an enlightening salad. I had three servings.

Today, I love making this salad whenever I don't have the time to chop a lot of vegetables. I'll also make it right after I've thinned a row of my baby lettuces, and I don't have the heart to toss the thinnings in the compost heap. 

It goes well as a palate-cleansing compliment to a heavy dish, like cheesy shrimp and grits or turnip turnovers. And it's a great way to try out new combinations of flavored Balsamic vinegar and olive oil. My current go-to combination is Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar with Basil Olive Oil, which practically turns this simple salad into a dessert.

Shaved Salad

Shaved Salad

Radishes

Turnips

Carrots

Bitter Greens (tender radish greens, arugula, watercress, microgreens—whatever you can find)

thinly shaved hard cheese slivers (Parmesan, Gruyere, Manchego)

olive oil

lemon juice

sea salt and pepper

Thinly slice the roots, using a mandoline slicer if possible.  The carrots are especially lovely if you use the "carrot peeler"—you know, the ancient one in the back of your drawer? An oldie but a goodie!  

Shave the carrot lengthwise for long ribbons of carrot.  Place shavings in a bowl with the chives and any tender radish greens you salvaged. Toss with just enough oil to coat.  Add a splash of lemon juice, season.  Top with cheese slivers/slices and additional salt. I recommend grey sea salt, or the finest you have.  

This recipe is wide open, depending on what you have on hand.  It is particularly beautiful when the watermelon radishes are on and you have access to multi-colored carrots, but it is just as delicious when using the basics.

Submitted by Jana E.

Pear Salad with Blueberries and Blue Cheese

Pear Salad with Blueberries and Blue Cheese

Lettuce
Bosc Pear, cut into thin wedges
Blueberries
Blue Cheese crumbles
Walnut pieces
Balsamic Vinaigrette

I love how the crispness of the pears compliments the creaminess of the blue cheese in this salad. But if you are not a fan of blue cheese, simply substitute a goat cheese such as feta or chèvre.

I have become a real fan of flavored balsamic vinegars in recent years, and I'm always looking for new combinations to try on my favorite salads. For this salad, my favorite dressing is a vinaigrette made with one-third Black Mission Fig Balsamic Vinegar to two-thirds extra virgin olive oil. Massage the lettuce with the vinaigrette before adding the other ingredients to evenly distribute the flavor.

Simple Strawberry Shortcake

I'll be the first to admit that it was the strawberries that sold me on the Native Son Farm CSA share. I'll bet I'm not the only one.

I mean, fresh, local, organic strawberries, is there a more perfect food? Even as a kid, I had made up my mind that if I had a choice, my last meal on this earth would be nothing but fresh strawberries. Indeed, I am a bit of a strawberry purist, and I believe there is no more perfect way to eat this harbinger of summer than picked straight off the plant. My kids agree with me.

However, once in a while there is an occasion that calls for elevating this delicious ground fruit just a little, so long as the recipe doesn't detract from the strawberries' innate perfection. So last week, when my middle child, Archer, asked for strawberries at his fourth birthday celebration, I knew just what to make: a strawberry shortcake, with homemade whipped cream, and a whole pint of Native Son strawberries on top.

I used this recipe as my base, although I am not above using "cake in a box," as Archer calls it, in a pinch. The cake is really not the focal point of the dish, anyway.

I do, however, always make my own whipped cream. In my opinion, canned whipped cream is simple not worthy of fresh strawberries. In fact, I cut out the vanilla and lemon zest this recipe called for because I didn't want them taking away from the flavor of the strawberries.

Simple, yes, but it was so good I may have to amend my "last meal" to include a little shortcake and whipped cream to go with my strawberries. And I will probably be making this dish—or maybe this one, which uses a cream scone as its base—again this week.

We will just pretend it's someone's birthday.


Some facts about Native Son Strawberries:
Native Son Farm grows the only commercial organic strawberries in Mississippi. Strawberries are generally the most chemically intense crop. Most berries are sprayed every seven days. Native Son strawberries are chemical and pesticide free. The strawberry season lasts for about four-to-five weeks.

What's in the box? May 5, 2015

We drove over to Tupelo yesterday to pick up our share, as the sunshine and dry weather kept Will in the fields planting rather than making the weekly trip over to the Oxford City Market. But what a beautiful day for a drive! I forget how lovely the landscape is in that part of state.

It was also nice to meet so many of you who were also picking up your shares at the farm stand yesterday—and hear that you like the blog. Please do send in your own recipe and meal plan ideas to nativesonproduce@gmail.com.

We hope that this will be a forum for sharing, rather than me just publishing my own ideas. Believe it or not, I don't have that many! In fact, I'm quite out of ideas for turnips! Anyone? Anyone?

Here's what all came in the box this week:

Strawberries, 2 pints
Carrots
Leeks
Kale
Bok Choy
Lettuce, 2 heads
Turnips

And here's what I plan to do with it. My meal plan looks a little funny this week because Wednesday is my son Archer's fourth birthday, and I let him plan the menu for his party: kale chips, carrots, and strawberry shortcake! I have never met a child who loves fruit and vegetables as much as this boy does, and he will make quick work of much of what was in our box this week. Next Tuesday's box can't come soon enough.

Wednesday
Kale Chips*, Carrots and Hummus
Strawberry Shortcake
*This is a great tutorial for "Flawless Kale Chips" as well as some ideas for "dressing them up."

Thursday
Tofu and Bok Choy Stir Fry

Friday
Leek and Potato Soup with salad

Saturday
Turnip and Bacon Risotto with salad