This week is the last week of our summer community supported agriculture (CSA) share at the Root Connection. Through our CSA we have been introduced to some new and fun vegetables that I have to admit I probably never would have just tried on my own. The experience has definitely made me a more adventurous cook. Here are some of the new delicious veggies that David and I have discovered through the Root Connection and some of my favorite ways to cook them:
- kohlrabi – this vegetable was an instant favorite at the Fields’ family household. It is a strange looking plant consisting of a large light green orb with stalks and leaves protruding from it. The entire thing is edible, but we like to eat the bulb-looking part. It is a wonderful addition to salad or just eaten plain. Kohlrabi tastes a bit like the stems of broccoli although it is slightly sweeter and crisper.
- beets- I have always avoided these funny purple root vegetables, but I have discovered that they are actually good. Beets have a pleasant sweet, earthy flavor. These are also a nice addition to salads. My sister-in-law introduced us to a beet-containing dish called Brazilian black beans about which we are particularly fond.
- turnips- okay, so I will probably never love turnips, but I can now say that I have tried them. One must be careful to not overcook these crisp white root veggies- something that I did when I made the turnip curry that I then served to my family (sorry, Jon, Rusty, Kelly and Kat!).
- lettuce varieties- prior to the joining the CSA I bought two different types of lettuce- romaine or iceberg.Now we use all kinds of lettuce! David is a fan of green leaf lettuce and I like magenta lettuce. These make salads more interesting for sure.
- leeks- I realized after we received leeks in our share that they are sold all over the place. I had just never noticed them before. Leeks are a bit like scallions but bigger and sweeter. Like any good person of Eastern European heritage I took the leeks and made them into a leek and potato soup. Yum yum yum.
- havali squash- havali is a summer squash similar to zucchini but it is more flavorful (at least the ones grown on a farm are more flavorful. I have never seen these sold at a store). It is easy to use as a replacement for zucchini in recipes and is also good just eaten raw.
- Chinese broccoli- like the name suggests, this is a lot like broccoli. The vegetable is smaller and the florets much smaller than store-bought broccoli. I find that the florets are quite tender and flavorful. These are great steamed as a side dish to any meal.
- fennel- actually I really dislike fennel. We split the CSA share with my brother and we secretly sent all of the fennel to their house. Shhhh…don’t tell them. I tried to use fennel in a recipe once and I would only eat one bite. Yuck. But then I also have a strong dislike of licorice. And fennel tastes a lot like licorice. Watch out if you buy one of these large plants they wilt in two to three days.
- Sunshine squash- also known as an orange kabachi this is a winter squash that is a lot like pumpkin. One of the great things about the flesh of this squash is that it is not stringy. David and I roasted one up and made it into a pie. We called it better-than-pumpkin pie because this squash had been described to me as “like a pumpkin, only better.”
- Honeyboat squash- in theory I can’t put this one in here because we haven’t tried it yet. I am going to make it with dinner tomorrow with a recipe that I got from The Victory Garden Cookbook. This squash is described like this “it tastes like honey.” Hmm, that sounds good. Here is the quick and dirty on the recipe: put 3/4 of an inch of water into a steamer and add the skin of one apple. Bring water to a boil and add one sliced apple, one tablespoon of butter, and one quarter-sized slice of fresh ginger. Cut squash into chunks and place in steamer basket. Steam until squash is tender (15-20 minutes). Remove squash and strain liquid into a saucepan. Boil liquid until it is reduced to 3/4 cup of syrup. Add squash to syrup and reheat.
Hooray for fresh vegetables, new recipes, and old friends! For posterity here is a picture of me with a fennel on my head:
