Welcome to Summer! This is when gardens really start putting out the goods, it truly is a veggie lovers dream.  This weeks basket has plenty root crops including carrots, radishes and beets.  There is a modified stem crop, kohlrabi. This variety is named Supershmultz.  They are great because they get large yet keep their crisp texture and don’t get woody.  We typically eat kohlrabi raw. Just peel, cut into appropriate sized chunks and add a little salt if desired.  They are also wonderful boiled with a little butter, or boiled and mashed as a sweet substitute for potatoes. 

Also in the basket are a few modified leaves, the red onions and the German Hardy Garlic.  The garlic is classified as a hardneck garlic.  Hardnecks have the hard stem in the center and typically only have one ring of cloves, but the cloves are huge! They work great for making roasted garlic either to cook with or use as  a spread for bread.

Kale and Cilantro are present to represent the true leaves.  Kale is one of those super foods people talk about.  It can be used in soup, juiced, but a great favorite are Kale Chips.  While it is not typically used in salad, there is a great Mexican Kale Salad as a way to eat some kale raw.

Finally we have some fruiting structures.  There is a bag of beans and a few summer squash/

Have a great week!

Kale Chips

1 Bunch Kale

1 tablespoon Olive Oil

1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

Remove leaves from stem and tear into bite size pieces.

Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.

Bake until edges are brown, but not burnt, roughly 10 to 15 minutes.

Mexican Kale Salad

Recipe courtesy of Linda Szarkowski

1 Big Bunch of Kale

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons lime juice

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 avocado, diced

¼ cup diced tomato

¼ cup diced red bell pepper

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Dash Cayenne pepper

Direction:

1. Stack two of the kale leaves with the stem end facing you.  Fold in half lengthwise and roll tightly like a cigar.  Slice crosswise into thin strips. Repeat with remaining kale leaves.  If the strips are too long, they can then be cut down a bit more.
2. Place the kale in a mixing bowl along with the olive oil, lime juice, and salt.  Toss well with your hands, working the dressing in to the greens.  This helps to soften the leaves.
3. Mix in the cumin and cayenne.
4. Mix in tomato, bell, pepper, and avocado.