Simply Fresh by Julie Wern

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This is a special edition of Simply Fresh!

Next week I am away on vacation and won’t be posting. I hope everyone enjoys their July 4th weekend!

I thought I would write up a quick note before I leave about some of the CSA cooking experiences I have had this week in case they might be helpful to any of you.

An idea for greens

There are three of us in my household and we all LOVE sautéed greens. However, I have found that sometimes the share allotment doesn’t allow for a batch of any one cooked green that is large enough for the whole family. This week I re-discovered a handy solution….mixing up different kinds of greens in the pot.

I chopped my bunch of kale and realized that once it had cooked up it would probably not feed all three of us, so I cut off the tops of the radish and turnip greens and used those as well. I also added a few leaves of another type of kale from my garden. First I sautéed the two kinds of kale in a bit of water, olive oil, and garlic, since it takes longer for kale to cook than other, more tender greens. When the kale was almost done, I added in the other greens (chopped) and let them steam with the kale with the pot lid on, stirring frequently. In minutes the greens were uniformly tender. I salted them and added a bit of lemon juice. Delicious. No one could tell that I had mixed up the greens.   I even had some leftovers, which I tossed with some cooked tortellini, pesto, and Parmesan cheese for lunch. Yum!

If you need your cooked greens to go farther, consider experimenting with mixing up the different kinds, especially the leafy tops of other vegetables…they are delicious!

Preserving Radishes

As I am soon off for vacation, I knew I would not be able to enjoy my radishes before I left so I decided to pickle them. I came up with a simple recipe using mild vinegar, salt, sugar and mustard seeds. I used evaporated palm sugar for a sweetening agent because it has a lower glycemic index than sugar, but you can use whatever sweetener you prefer.

We loved these radishes on their own or on a salad. I can’t wait to try them on burgers and tacos when we return from vacation. Here is how I did it (but keep in mind these are quick pickled…they will not last longer than a few weeks in the fridge because they have not been pressure and heat sterilized)

Simple Quick Pickled Radishes                                                   Makes 1 quart jar

INGREDIENTS:

– bunch radishes, (about 6 to 8) sliced thinly with a mandoline

– 3/4 cup white wine vinegar

– 3/4 cup water

– 2 tablespoons kosher salt

– 4 tablespoons evaporated palm sugar, (or 3 Tablespoons regular sugar)

– 2 teaspoons mustard seeds

METHOD:

1. In a medium saucepan, mix vinegar, water, sugar, salt and mustard seed. Bring just to boil and remove from heat.  Allow to cool for 15 minutes.

2. Place sliced radishes in a quart jar. Cover with vinegar solution. Allow to cool for one hour. Place lid on jar and put in the refrigerator. Allow to pickle at least 1 day before serving.

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