Standard Box

Lacinato Kale, 1 bu
Purple-Skinned Potatoes, 2.5 lbs
Bulk Onions, 1.5 lbs
Corn, 4
Garlic, .5 lb
Apples, 1.5 lbs
Lettuce, 1 hd
Baby Leeks, 1 bu
Cauliflower, approx. 2 lbs

Small Box

Carrots, Nash’s Best, 5-lb bag
Corn, 4
Bulk Onions, 2 lbs
Curly Parsley, 1 bu
Fava Beans, 1.25 lbs
Lettuce, 1 hd

Lacinato Kale

Lacinato kale’s bumpy texture gives it the name “dinosaur kale.” Its taste is described as slightly sweeter and more delicate than curly kale.

Like other kale varieties, Lacinato can be blanched, steamed, sautéed, or added to soups, sauces and casseroles.  The stems are tender and edible too, so be sure to include them in your dish, or if you prefer, strip the greens from the stems and save the stems for your juicer or stock pot.

In Tuscan cuisine, Lacinato kale is often used in Ribollita (“twice cooked”), a thick, hearty soup made up of ingredients that are cooked for a meal the day before.

Lacinato is high in vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, and manganese. It is also rich in easily digestible dietary fiber. Like other kales, it is a superstar of carotenoids and flavonoids which are 2 powerful antioxidants that protect our cells from free radicals (there are 45 distinct flavonoids in kale!) It also provides a whopping dose of vitamin K, needed to strengthen our bones—132%!

Easy Lacinato & Garlic

1 bunch Lacinato kale roughly chopped
4 cloves of garlic sliced thin
Splash of good olive oil
Splash of white wine or water
Salt & fresh ground black pepper to taste
Squeeze of lemon

Heat a large pot with a lid over high heat until hot. Add a splash of good olive oil and then garlic. Sauté the garlic quickly until lightly browned and fragrant.

Add the kale, a small splash of white wine and the salt and pepper and stir. Lower the heat to medium low, cover and cook for another 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning if needed and serve with some lemon juice squeezed on top.

Sweet Corn

An ear of sweet corn has about the same number of calories as an apple and less than one-fourth the sugar. But go easy on the butter and salt if you want to keep it healthy!

Phytochemicals, substances in plants that help protect the body from cancer and heart disease, are actually increased when corn is cooked. And sweet corn is loaded with lutein and zeaxanthin, two phytochemicals that promote healthy vision. A midsize ear also offers a helpful 3-gram dose of dietary fiber.

Although corn lovers often profess to have favorite varieties, the real key is freshness. Avoid corn with dry, pale husks and silks that are desiccated where they enter the cob. If pricked, kernels should squirt whitish juice. As for choosing the best-tasting corn, don’t buy a cob that’s more than 24 hours out of the field.

Sweet Corn Soup

1-1/4 cups boiled sweet corn kernels
¼ cup boiled and crushed sweet corn kernels
1 cup finely chopped and boiled mixed veggies (carrots, cauliflower, de-husked fava beans)
4 Tbsp. corn flour
1 Tbsp. butter
1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped garlic
1-1/2 tsp. finely chopped ginger
Salt to taste

Combine corn flour and ¼ cup water in a small bowl and mix until the flour dissolves completely. Set aside.

Heat the butter in a deep pan. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté on medium heat until fragrant. Add the sweet corn, crushed sweet corn and veggies. Mix well and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Add 4 cups water, corn flour/water mixture, salt and pepper, mix well and cook on medium for another 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve immediately sprinkled with diced peppers as an optional garnish.

Grilled Corn with Cheese and Lime
8 ears corn, shucked
1 Tbsp. organic safflower, sunflower, or canola oil
Kosher salt
½ cup crumbled Queso Fresco or Feta
1/4 to ½ tsp. cayenne pepper
2 limes, cut into wedges

Heat grill to medium-high. Brush the corn with the oil and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Grill, turning often, until tender and charred, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle the corn with the cheese and cayenne. Serve with the lime wedges. If you are not feeling like firing up the grill, this recipe works just as well with steamed corn.

Recipe adapted from www.realsimple.com

Standard Box

Corn, 2
Bunched Beets, 1 bu
Spinach, 1 bu
Carrots, 2 lbs
Cornmeal, med grind, 1 pt
Fava Beans, fresh, 1.25 lbs
Green Cabbage, 1 hd
Leeks, 2
Crispy Pears, 1.5 lbs
Italian Parsley, 1 bu
Yellow Potatoes, 2 lbs

Small Box

Corn, 2
Bunched Beets, 1 bu
Spinach, 1 bu
Garlic, .5 lb
Collard Greens, 1 bu
Cauliflower, 1 hd
Apples, 1.5 lbs

Collard Greens

Collards are a member of the cabbage family, but with a lighter taste. Romans and Greeks attributed great therapeutic powers to collards to the point where Julius Caesar ate a plateful after a heavy banquet to ward off indigestion.

Low in calories, collard leaves contain lots of soluble and insoluble dietary fiber that help control LDL cholesterol levels and protect against hemorrhoids, constipation, and colon cancer. They are rich in phytonutrients with potent anti-cancer properties and are an excellent source of folates, vitamins C, A, K and the vital B-complex group, plus anti-oxidants that boost the body’s autoimmune system. The leaves and stems are also high in minerals like iron, calcium, copper, manganese, selenium and zinc.

Collards are hardy growers and can withstand hot summers and will grow well into the winter.

Green Timbale

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 large onion, finely shopped
1 lb. collard greens, stems and leaves chopped separately
¼ cup milk
½ cup heavy cream
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
½ cup grated Jarlsberg cheese
5 eggs, lightly beaten

Melt 1 Tbsp. butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and cook until transparent. Stir in the collards and cook, covered, until tender, about 3 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high and remove the cover. Cook tossing constantly, until all the liquid has evaporated. Cool in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Melt the remaining butter and add it, plus all the remaining ingredients to the greens mixture. Mix well and pour into a buttered soufflé dish. Place the dish in a roasting pan and pour boiling water in the pan to half the depth of the dish. Bake until a knife comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Remove the dish from the pan and let stand 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges and carefully invert onto a shallow serving platter.

Fresh Fava Beans

One of the largest beans and certainly the richest in flavor, favas are a real harbinger of summer. People all over the world enjoy their rich taste and generous nutrition. Called “broad beans” in Great Britain, they are high in fiber and iron, and low in sodium and fat. They have no cholesterol but so much protein, they were called the “meat of the poor” in Dicken’s day.

Sauté them with peas and morels, or with shrimp and thyme for a delicious and elegant summer supper. If the beans are young, the whole bean can be chopped up and used, pods and all. Otherwise shuck them to your preference. They have a green pod and a white-ish skin around the bean itself, that some people like to eat, and others prefer to discard. (See below) Shucking them can be a bit of work, but we think the flavor is definitely worth it.

Toss them into soups, stir-fries or pasta. Roast favas with garlic, olive oil and salt to taste, or use them raw, whole or chopped into salads. Puree favas for an alternative green base to pizza or pasta. Boil and mash them, and spread the paste on crostini.

Shucking favas

• First, remove the beans from the pods by splitting the pod at the seam and removing the beans. There are about 4 to 5 beans per pod.
• To remove the second skin, there are two different methods. The first is to make a small slit with a knife along the edge of the bean to pop the bean out of its skin.
• The alternate, and more popular, method is to blanch them for 30 seconds. Remove the beans from the boiling water and submerge them in ice cold water to stop the cooking process. This step softens the second skin, making it easier to remove.
• With your fingers, squeeze the bean out from its skin.
• Now, you can use the beans as directed in any recipe of your choice.

Standard Box

Juice Carrots, 3 lb
Red Chard, 1 bu
Collard Greens, 1 bu
Rainbow Carrots, 1 bu
Nectarines, 3 lb
Corn, 2
Broccoli, 2 lb
Mixed Herbs, 1 bu
Apples, 1.5 lb
Green Onions, 1 bu
Cauliflower, 2 lb

Small Box

Juice Carrots, 3 lb
Green Kale, 1 bu
Rolled Oats, 2 lb
Nectarines, 3 lb
Purple Potatoes, 2 lb
Red Chard, 1 bu

Juice Carrots

Juice is a super way to get lots of nutrients into your body FAST. You are, in essence, separating the water portion of a fruit or veggie from the pulp portion, and just consuming the liquid, along with a concentration of the vitamins and minerals. There are those who promote vegetable juice as the main way people should get their nutrients, but then you are not eating the good fiber that veggies and fruit also provide. We recommend juicing as an addition to your healthy diet, and to give you a real boost of energy when you need one.

If you don’t have a juicer, you can run fruits and veggies through a food processor, than strain the resulting slurry through a mesh strainer. A little more work, perhaps, but then again, juicers can be expensive and they take up room on your kitchen counter. On the other hand, Farmer Nash wouldn’t dream of not having a juicer, especially as the weather changes from summer to fall and into winter, and he needs that additional vitamin boost as he works outside.

Carrots are a terrific base ingredient for any juice, but if you are diabetic, be careful adding items like apples, beets and carrots to your juice. Yes, they make the juice more palatable, but they have a high sugar content. You can juice almost any vegetable, including cabbage, kale, collards, parsley, turnips, kohlrabi, etc. Most people find the rich earthy flavor of those veggies too much to drink, but if you want to try them, you can cut the earthiness by adding half a lemon.

One important tip: Drink your juice FRESH. It starts to oxidize almost immediately and lose precious vitamins and minerals. Try to drink it within 10 minutes of preparation for maximum nutrition.

Carrot-Apple-Ginger Juice

Besides being delicious, this juice is also incredibly healthy with vitamins A, K and beta carotene from the carrots, vitamin C and polyphenols from the apples, and anti-inflammatory benefits from the ginger. Carrots are also high in B complex vitamins like folate and many minerals including calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, and iron. Juice together 3 carrots, one medium apple and about 1 inch of peeled ginger.
Enjoy!

Purple Potatoes

Purple potatoes are an invaluable staple in South American kitchens. Native to the Lake Titicaca region of Peru and Bolivia, they are among thousands of varieties that have been cultivated for nearly 8,000 years in the Andes. Their diversity, resistance to disease, and ability to withstand harsh conditions has enabled them to evolve into a 21st century food crop.

The purple potato can be utilized in any cuisine that would otherwise use potatoes. Purple potatoes can be roasted, braised, boiled, baked, and fried for chips. They pair well with savory herbs, garlic, pork, poultry, artichokes, both rich and mild cheese, other starchy vegetables such as corn and shelled beans and, of course, salad greens.

Purple Potato Gratin

1 1/2 cups milk
1 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. flour
2/3 cup grated cheddar cheese
2 lbs. purple potatoes, unpeeled and sliced thinly
1 cup sliced shallots
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 slices bacon
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Salt/pepper to taste

To make the gratin sauce, place the butter into a small pan and melt. Add flour and stir to combine, cooking over medium heat for about 1 minute. Whisk in the milk and stir until thickened. Stir in cheese; when melted remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

Sauté the shallots in the olive oil until slightly brown and caramelized. Remove from the pan. Add bacon and cook until cooked through but not crispy (it will get crispy later). Cut bacon into 1 inch pieces.

Grease a shallow baking dish. Add half of the sliced potatoes to the dish. Sprinkle the shallots over the potato layer. Add the remaining potato slices to the dish. Pour the gratin sauce over the top of the potatoes, spooning into any visible cracks and crevices. Top with Parmesan cheese. Add the bacon over the top. Place into a preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.