Week 3, July 25: Both boxes have: A Walla Walla sweet onion, red chard, mizuna, cilantro,  and Nash’s red kale plant starts.
The Small box also has: Heirloom tomatoes, green beans
The Standard box also has: Golden beets, zucchini,
lettuce, snow peas

Great Ways to Use Walla Walla Sweet Onions

The sweetness of the Walla Walla onion is due to its low sulfur content, rather than more sugar. Onions are an excellent source of chromium, vitamin C and B6, and a good source of dietary fiber and a number of flavonoids. The sulfur compounds, chromium and B6 work together to lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Onions also help in the maintenance of healthy bones.

Here are some ideas on how to use your Walla Walla Sweet Onion:

Grilled Sweet Onions—Peel and cut onions crosswise into thick slices or into medium-sized chunks.  Toss or brush with olive oil, then skewer and grill!  Sprinkle with salt or drizzle with sherry or red vinegar and serve with thick slices of raw tomato or other grilled goodies.

Roasted Sweet Onions—Peel the sweet onions, toss them with olive or vegetable oil to coat, sprinkle them with S&P and roast at 375°F until browned and tender, about 30 minutes. Combine with radishes, cauliflower, broccoli or other summer roastables. Leftovers are great with eggs or on cold salads.

Slow Cooked with Ham Hock—Chop a huge onion into the crock pot, add two cups of dried beans and a ham hock, cover with water about two inches above veg/beans, and simmer on low or med heat for 6-8 hours, or until everything is cooked and tender!   You can also add spices and fresh herbs, a can of tomatoes, or additional veggies.

Sweet Onion & Avocado Salad—Peel and chop Walla Walla and 2 avocados. Drizzle with olive oil, a splash of lemon/lime juice, fresh cilantro, dash of ground cumin/cayenne, and salt to taste. Chopped radish, cucumber, sweet corn kernels, or chopped red pepper all make excellent additions.

Sweet Onion Raita (Yogurt Salad)—Peel and finely chop onion. Add enough plain yogurt to coat onions, and season with salt and pepper. Add freshly chopped dill, parsley, mint, and/or cilantro. Serve with grilled meats or salmon.

Sweet Onion Rings—Cut onions into thick slices and separate into rings. Dip in buttermilk and dredge in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and a bit of cayenne. Heat an inch or two of vegetable or organic canola oil in a large, heavy pot until oil is about 350°F. Fry onions rings until golden brown, drain, and season with more salt.

Sweet Onion Sandwiches—Spread two slices of bread (dark rye is best) with mayonnaise. Sprinkle each side with chopped parsley or basil, if you like. Place a thick slice of sweet onion on one slice, top with a thick slice of tomato, sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and close sandwich with second piece of bread or go open-face.

 Sweet Onion Taco & Enchilada Topping—Peel and finely chop a sweet onion. Toss with fresh lime juice, add a generous amount of finely chopped cilantro, and season to taste with salt. Use to top tacos and enchiladas.

Sweet Onion Tossed Salad—Sweet onions are a mild addition to your favorite tossed green salad. They match particularly well with mild Boston lettuce or butter lettuce leaves, cucumber, carrots, and radishes.

Onion Egg Scramble—Saute chopped onion on med-high heat until they begin to soften and are caramel colored.  Crack egg into pan, season with fresh herbs and S&P, scramble until cooked and enjoy atop a bed of quinoa or favorite toast.

Colleen, one of our subscribers, sent us this great sweet onion sandwich idea: “Just wanted to share one from my childhood created by my father Bill, (a possible peanut butter addict).
Walla Walla Sweet Sandwich—2 lightly toasted slices of hearty bread, one side smeared with peanut butter the other with mayo, a thick slice of Walla Walla Sweet. Optional additions: fresh lettuce or sprouts.”

 About Mizuna

Mizuna is a leafy Japanese vegetable that is used in a Japanese soup called nabemono. The taste is a combination of bitter and peppery. Mizuna can be stir-fried, pickled, eaten in salads, or added to sandwiches.

Chop mizuna roughly and sauté it with boiled new potatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper for 3-5 minutes. This really mellows out the spicy greens but still allows the flavor to shine through.

For an excellent mizuna salad, toss together
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1.5 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. minced Walla Walla onion
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 bunch mizuna, trimmed, and roughly chopped

This goes really well with sliced spicy beef.

What’s in your box for Week 2, July 18

Green onions, spinach, carrots, curly parsley
Small box also has: Napa cabbage, beets with greens, snowpeas
Standard box also has: Cucumber, cauliflower, tomatoes, arugula, garlic, green beans, edible flowers

Check out Nash’s Recipe Blog for recipes with your veggies.

Storing tender greens

The summer heat  makes storing tender greens like arugula and parsley a challenge. Here are some storage tips to keep them fresh.

• Refresh wilted bunched greens by trimming the bottom, and then soaking them in room-temp water for 15 minutes.  They will perk right back up!
• Store greens wrapped in a damp dish towel/paper towel, and tucked in a plastic bag.  Leaving them directly exposed to the circulating air of your refrigerator will cause them to wilt quickly, so don’t store them unwrapped in your crisper.
• Plan to eat fresh tender greens sooner rather than later. If they hang out longer than you had planned, and are beyond “reviving,” chop them up in soup, saute or add to pesto.

Arugula

Arugula has tons of flavor and and bit of a kick. It is a very rich source of phytochemicals that have been shown to combat cancer, plus vitamins A, C, and K, a bone
and brain health booster. It also has high levels of iron and copper.

The ancient Romans thought it  was an aphrodisiac and combined it with other herbs like  lavender and chicory to create love potions!

Arugula is a natural in salads, but don’t stop there! Add it to pastas, grains, sandwiches, wraps, and soups. It also makes a great pesto.

Flea beetles made the holes when the plants were tiny. Being organic, we don’t spray chemicals to stop them. The holes are completely harmless and do not affect flavor or nutrition at all.

Napa Cabbage

Raw Napa cabbage is FABULOUS in salads.  It’s so crunchy and sweet, you can do a simple salad of just rough-chopped Napa and your favorite dressing. Large Napa leaves are also wonderful for tacos.  Just fold up your favorite fillings and toppings into a big, outer leaf and chow down.

Snow Peas

Also called Chinese peas, they were once found only in Asian restaurants.  Since they grow quite well in the Northwest, they are available at their freshest off of local farms. They can store for up to 5 days in your fridge crisper in a perforated plastic bag if left unwashed.  Snow peas are an excellent source of vitamin C, iron, and manganese.

Snow peas can be steamed, sautéed with other veggies, stir-fried in a wok, and even roasted until tender and lightly browned on the edges (use sesame oil instead of olive, and sprinkle them with toasted sesame seeds when done). Combine steamed snow peas with sliced cooked carrots, a little organic soy sauce and honey, and top with chopped peanuts.  They go particularly well with salmon. But the best way to enjoy them is just as they are—raw and crunchy! Add them to a veggie tray, or a summer salad. All you have to do is break the little stem, pull the string away from the pod, and voila! A tasty, low calorie, sweet snack.

Your box has Fava Beans, Spinach, Basil, Bunched Carrots, Lettuce, and Baby Bok Choy.

The small box also has: Cucumber
The standard box also has: Red Bunched Beets, Napa Cabbage, Broccoli

Your first box has some  veggies that need no introduction, such as spinach and the first carrots of the season. Here are some that might be new to you.

 FRESH FAVA BEANS

Fava beans are rich in vegetable proteins, fiber and iron. In Charles Dickens’ time, they were called “the beef of the poor.”

Split the pod at the seam and remove the beans. They look like large lima beans. You can cook and eat them with the pale outer skin still on, but they will be a little more chewy.

To remove the second skin, make a small slit with a knife along the edge of the bean to pop it out of its skin. Blanching the beans for about a minute, then plunging them in ice-cold water to stop the cooking process makes it easier to extract  them.

1.25 lbs. favas in the pods make about 1 cup beans. This may seem like a lot of work, but the rich, buttery flavor is worth it. You’ll find recipes on Nash’s website Recipe Blog.

WHAT TO DO WITH YOUR FRESH BUNCHED BASIL

• Make pesto.
• Stuff some sprigs into  your favorite olive oil to infuse it.
• Stack slices of tomato, mozzarella and a fresh basil leaf and drizzle with Balsamic vinegar for an appetizer.
• Make tomato, watermelon and basil skewers. Add to pizza, soups and salads.
• Grill halibut, shrimp or salmon, and add tomato and basil at the very end.
• Add punch to your favorite side dishes.
• Serve basil with fruit like watermelon, lime, lemon, mango and strawberries.
• Don’t forget your cocktails! Muddle basil into lemon or berry-based drinks, like daiquiris.

Once you get your basil home, place the cut stems in an inch of water and keep it away from light and air currents. The water should be changed every other day.

You can also wrap it in a damp paper towel and store in the refrigerator crisper.  Be sure to keep the towel damp.

 NAPA CABBAGE

Instead of using green cabbage for cabbage rolls, try some of the larger outer leaves of Napa cabbage. Cut them in half and steam or boil them until they just turn soft and then fill with a mixture of cooked rice and browned mild sausage or hamburger, and onion. Top with tomato sauce, a little cheese, and bake until bubbly.