In the Standard Box:
Carrots, Juice 3 lb
Red Cabbage 1 hd
Arugula 1 bu
Apples 3 lb
Green or Purple Beans 1 lb
Red Onion
Italian Parsley 1 bu
Potatoes, Alaska Bloom 2 lb
Rainbow Chard 1 bu
Leek
In the Small Box:
Red Cabbage 1 hd
Carrots, Juice 2 lb
Arugula 1 bu
Leek
Green or Purple Beans 1 lb
Red Chard 1 bu
Apples 2 lb
Red Cabbage
Red cabbage will often turn blue while cooking because the compound that gives it its characteristic hue, anthocyanin, reacts with alkaline minerals in tap water.
To bring back its red color, add a little lemon juice or vinegar (a teaspoon may be enough), or cook the red cabbage with something acidic, like apples. Add a little cinnamon or cloves with the apples for fragrance and a delicious taste.
Red cabbage is one of the most nutritious vegetables available, packing formidable amounts of vitamins C, K, and folate, as well as dietary fiber, vitamins B2 and B6, phosphorus, potassium, and manganese. A 1-cup serving of shredded raw cabbage contains 22 calories. Like other cruciferous vegetables, cabbage contains abundant phytonutrients, which have proved in studies to fight cancer.
Warm Red Cabbage–Bacon Salad
3 slices turkey bacon, or a local pork bacon
1½ tablespoons olive oil
½ large onion, peeled and chopped
3 large ribs celery, sliced
⅓ cup cider vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon celery seed
½ large head red cabbage, shredded (about 6 cups)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
1 apple, cored and chopped
Cut the bacon slices into 1-inch pieces and sauté them over medium-low heat in a very large, deep skillet until they are crisp but not overdone. Transfer them to absorbent paper towels and reserve. Drain off all of the bacon fat from the pan, wipe it clean, and replace with the olive oil.
Heat the oil in the skillet over high heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté briefly. Add the vinegar, sugar, and celery seed. Heat until the mixture boils, then immediately add the cabbage, apple and bacon pieces all at once. Stir and toss for about 1 minute, or until the cabbage is warm but not cooked. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve the salad immediately while it is still very warm, with a garnish of chopped parsley.
— Adapted from Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook, by Mi Ae Lipe.
Green/Purple Beans
Studies show that beans have as much carotenoids as carrots (such as beta-carotene, the pro-vitamin of vitamin A)
String beans, such as your green and purple beans, have one of the highest antioxidant capacity when compared to other foods in the bean and pea families
They have significant amounts of silicon, a lesser-known mineral that is no less important in bone health and the formation of healthy connective tissue. The form of silicon that beans provide is particularly available to us when we ingest it.
String Beans with Lemon and Garlic
We love beans just plain raw, dipped in hummus. This recipe captures the raw crunch, along with the deliciousness of a sauté with key ingredients such as garlic and butter. Enjoy!
2 lbs. green or purple beans, ends trimmed
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. butter
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. lemon zest
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Blanch the beans in a large stock pot of well-salted boiling water until bright green in color and tender crisp, roughly 2 minutes. Purple beans will turn green. Drain and shock in a bowl of ice water to stop from cooking.
Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the oil and the butter. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the beans and continue to saute until coated in the butter and heated through, about 5 minutes. Add lemon zest and season with salt and pepper.
Recipe from www.foodnetwork.com
If you need to perk up any tender greens, place them in a lukewarm water bath for 10 minutes. It really helps! Your arugula (above) this week is tender and peppery, and its bold flavor goes a long way in green salads, in tabouli, or ini tuna-chicken-pasta salads.
We have begun harvesting carrots mechanically out of the first rotation at the Delta Farm. The crew has been working hard to harvest, wash and pack hundreds of pounds of carrots for the CSA program, the Farm Store, farmers markets and our wholesale accounts. Gleaners are also starting to take advantage of the packing line culls, and share some of the broken or blemished carrots with food banks and soup
kitchens on the Peninsula.