Standard

Celery   1 hd
Walla Walla-variety Onions   2 lb
Lacinato Kale   1 bu
Broccoli   2.5 lb
Romaine Lettuce   1 hd
Garlic   2 bulbs
Green Beans   1 lb
Cilantro   1 bu
Curly Parsley   1 bu

Small

Celery   1 hd
Walla Walla-variety Onions   2 lb
Broccoli   2 lb
Red Butter Lettuce   1 hd
Golden Beets   2 lb
Cherry Tomatoes   .5 pt
Cilantro   1 bu

Golden Beets

Golden beets are a good place to start for beet skeptics, as they are sweeter with a less earthy flavor than red beets. They have one of the highest sugar contents of all vegetables, but are fairly low in calories, at 74 per cup. They are extremely high in folate and manganese and are a decent source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, calcium, and potassium.

Golden beets will not stain your hands. You can steam, boil, roast or sauté them, or grate raw on a salad.

Golden Beet Borscht

½ Tbsp. vegetable or olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 to 5 cloves garlic, minced or
pressed
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 or 2 carrots, sliced
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
6 cups water or vegetable stock
½ Tbsp. fresh dill or ½ tsp. dried dill
4 cups sliced beets
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
1 baked potato, skinned
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 to 2 Tbsp. granulated sweetener

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil and onion. Stir, decrease the heat, cover, and “sweat” the onions until they are translucent. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots. Stir and cook for about 5 more minutes. Stir in the tomato paste. Mix well and continue to cook for another minute or two. Add the water, dill, and beets. Bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the beets are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a medium bowl, use a hand blender or electric blender to puree the potato, lemon juice, zest, granulated sweetener, and approximately ½ cup of the soup liquid until it turns smooth and creamy.

Stir potato mixture into the rest of the soup and adjust the salt and pepper seasoning. Serve topped with a dollop of plain yogurt or sour cream.

Cilantro

Cilantro, or coriander, is one of humanity’s earliest spices. The plant likely originated in North Africa or the Middle East, but it also grows wild in Mediterranean Europe. Coriander seeds have been found in Bronze Age ruins and Egyptian tombs, are mentioned in the Bible, and were brought to northern Europe by the Romans. Spanish conquistadors introduced it to Latin America, where, paired with chilies and tomatoes, it became a staple. Cilantro is the Spanish name, and it refers to the fresh leaves.

Cilantro is a good source of vitamins A and K, as well as dietary fiber, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and trace amounts of B vitamins. Coriander and cilantro have both been used as an aphrodisiac, diuretic, and appetite stimulant, and cilantro leaves actually contain an antibacterial agent in their essential oils.

Serving Suggestions

• Use cilantro generously in fresh salsa, pico de gallo, and chutneys.
• Add several tablespoons of chopped fresh cilantro to green salads.
• Try tossing it into your potato salad or adding it to soups for a fresh zing.
• Use cilantro instead of basil to make pesto.
• Cilantro and fresh lime juice are nonnegotiable ingredients in guacamole.
• Use cilantro like dill—in dips, hummus, and butters.
• Mix cilantro with lime juice, honey, and shredded cabbage to make an unusual coleslaw.
• Cilantro makes an interesting addition to stir-fries. Toss in fresh leaves at the very end of cooking to preserve its distinctive flavor and oils.
• Add a handful to a smoothie or when making juice blends. Especially good in tomato juice!
• Curries and cilantro harmonize together better than most siblings. Coconut and cilantro are also an especially wonderful combination.

Standard

Carrots  2 lb
Green Beans  .75 lb
Red Onion  1
Spinach  1 bu
Red Chard  1 bu
Golden Beets  2 lb
Basil  .25 lb
Celery  1 hd
Lemon Cucumber  1
Baby Red Russian Kale  1 bu

Small

Carrots  2 lb
Red Onion  1
Garlic  2 bulbs
Red Chard  1 bu
Celery  1 hd
Lemon Cucumber  1
Baby Red Russian Kale  1 bu

Lemon Cucumber

The lemon cucumber is believed to have been introduced to the United States in the early 1900s. However, there are texts that support the idea that it originated in the Middle East as early as the 16th century. It retains a strong modern market presence in India where it is added to soup, daal, and chutney.

Use this delightful individual-sized cucumber in fresh green salads, or juice into cocktails, agua frescas and smoothies. Pair with tomatoes, summer squash, carrots, other cucumber varieties, fresh herbs and cheeses, citrus, olives, vinegar.

The great thing about lemon cukes is that you don’t have to peel them! The skin is very soft and fully edible. Rub with a dry kitchen towel to remove the tiny bristles. You get an nice cucumber flavor and snap, but the texture is a bit silkier and juicier than the familiar English variety.

Cucumbers with Sesame

Take a few tablespoons of sesame seeds and toast them in a pan until light golden brown, scented and slightly darker. Take care not to overdo them.

After the sesame seeds have cooled to room temperature, mix in a bit of salt and blend thoroughly. Next, slice your cucumber and simply press both sides into the sesame seeds. It’s a fabulous appetizer and super easy.

Or mix the following together. You’ll need more cucumbers than is in your box, but it works well with either type of cucumber or a mix of the two.

One cup sour cream
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. garlic
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. dill
Half a medium red onion, sliced
2 medium cucumbers, sliced, or 4 lemon cucumbers, sliced

Ways to use your celery

• Combine celery and green olives for a refreshing, unusual salad.
• A traditional Italian dish is braised celery with tomato sauce—a surprisingly good combination.
• Celery, along with carrots and onion, forms mirepoix, the basis of many stocks, broths, soups, and stews.
• Use the celery leaves, finely chopped, as a flavoring agent in salads and cooked dishes.
• There’s the time-honored kids’ classic of celery stalks heaped with peanut butter. Consider also soft cheeses,
  Boursin dip, flavored mayonnaise, sour cream, yogurt, hummus, even Nutella.
• Chopped celery is a great way to add crunch to pasta, tuna, stir-fries and egg salads.
• Celery makes a great pickle!

Green Beans

Green beans are a vegetable that even a lot of picky kids like, maybe because they are fun to play with. But don’t discount them because of that—studies have shown that they contain impressive amounts of carotenoids, important antioxidants usually associated with carrots and tomatoes. We don’t see these carotenoids because of the beans’ concentrated chlorophyll content. Green beans also provide the mineral silicon, very important for bone health and for healthy formation of connective tissue.

Fresh Green Bean Sauté

1 lb. green beans, rinsed, ends snapped off
1 cup chopped red onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped organic red bell pepper
2 Tbsp. bacon grease (or 1 Tbsp. each butter and olive oil)
1 cup chicken or veggie broth
1/2 tsp. salt
Ground black pepper

Melt bacon grease/butter-oil in a skillet over medium low heat. Add garlic and onions and cook for a minute. Then add green beans and cook for a minute until beans turn bright green. Add the broth, chopped red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Turn heat to low and cover with a lid, leaving lid cracked to allow steam to escape.

Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until liquid evaporates and beans are fairly soft, yet still a bit crisp. You can add more broth during the cooking process, but don’t be afraid to let it all cook away so the onions and peppers can caramelize.

We thank thepioneerwoman.com/ for this recipe.

Standard

Red Kale 1 bu
Red or Green Cabbage 1 hd
Broccoli 1.5 lb
Bunched Carrots 1 bu
Dill 1 bu
Cucumber 1
Garlic 2 bulbs
Leeks 2
Rolled Oats 2 lb

Small

Green Beans  .5 lb
Broccoli  1.5 lb
Leek 2
Red or Green Cabbage  1 hd
Chioggia Beets with Greens 1 bu
Basil  .25 lb
Cherry Tomatoes .5 pt

Red Cabbage

Red cabbage’s primary characteristics — its red hue and bitter, peppery flavor — signify that you’re getting two types of cancer-preventing substances. The red pigment comes from plant-based chemicals called flavonoids, while the sharp flavor is the result of sulfur-based compounds. In addition to these important phytochemicals, cabbage contributes to your overall health with fiber and a range of vitamins (especially C, A, E and K) and minerals (including manganese, iron, calcium, zinc and phosphorus).

Raw cabbage, either red or green, is soothing for the digestive system and great for cleansing the body. It is a rich source of calcium and iodine. Outer leaves are better than inner leaves for calcium and vitamin E content since the inner leaves are not exposed to the sun.

Shred for use in salads or slaws. To cook, lightly steam, sauté, or stir-fry. Serve hot with one of the following: garlic and butter or olive oil; coriander; chopped fresh parsley, cilantro or dill; sour cream and caraway seeds or paprika. It is also delicious cooked slowly and gently with onions and a dash of red wine.

Raw Red Cabbage Salad

Thinly slice 1/2 head red cabbage and put in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon salt and work through the cabbage with your hands. Squeeze and massage it for about 5 minutes, until juice starts to run from the cabbage. Rinse in cold water to remove the salt, and squeeze dry.

Juice one orange and peel and cut another into bite-sized pieces. Mix with the cabbage, add cut up apples and pears, diced walnuts, golden raisins, and any other dried fruit you may have. Mix well and enjoy!

Recipe from snapguide.com.

Chioggia Beets & Greens

Chioggia beets are distinguished by their concentric ring pattern of magenta pink and white.

This beautiful and flavorful beet is an Italian heirloom variety developed around 1840. It was named for the town in which it was first cultivated, the island fishing village of Chioggia, near Venice.

Also called Candy Stripe and Bull’s Eye beet, Chioggias can be roasted, steamed, braised, and pickled. Roasting the beet will bring out the most flavor. They can be served cold or hot, and are a great salad beet, whether served alongside greens or as the main ingredient. They pair well with bacon, apples, butter, cheeses, cucumbers, creme fraiche, hard-cooked eggs, fennel, mustard, oranges, parsley, smoked fish, shallots, vinegars, and red wine.

Chioggia Beets in Vinaigrette

1 lb Chioggias
3 Tbsp. thinly sliced scallions
2-to-2 1/2 Tbsp. raspberry vinegar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice, or to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
1 Tbsp. finely grated fresh orange zest
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Cover beets with water in a saucepan and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold running water. Let stand until cool enough to handle, then slip off and discard skins. Cut beets into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Stir together scallions, 2 tablespoons vinegar, lemon juice to taste, mint, zest, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add oil in a slow stream, whisking until combined. Add warm beets and toss with vinaigrette and vinegar and salt to taste. Serve warm or slightly chilled. Don’t forget to steam and enjoy those nutritious greens!