Komatsuna
Komatsuna is a graceful, light, and crunchy Japanese cooking green with a slight spicy zing. It is excellent in spring and fall soups and porridges. It is also lovely chopped very fine and added to day old kale salad, wilted with white beans and topped with an egg, or seasoned with a little soy sauce and butter sandwiched in an english muffin with any quick pickled item you have on hand.
- Komatsuna and eggs– this is a super simple recipe. You could also wilt the greens in the pan, push them to the side and fry an egg for a more rich experience. We keep quick pickles in the fridge, they go great with eggs and greens.
- Komatsuna sesame– try this on toast, with rice, or grits!
Storage information: should keep your komatsuna greens crisp for 7 days
- make a fresh cut on the stems of your greens
- put them in a cup (or if you have multiple types of greens, a bowl) of water in your fridge with a plastic bag over their greens
- or put in a perforated, closed plastic bag in your crisper drawer
Mustard
Mustard was the green I most explored in 2017. It is beautiful when bunched, carries a spice that fills your sinuses when eaten raw, and is delicate and slightly sweet when cooked. I have most enjoyed mustard in baby salad mixes with a parmesan vinaigrette dressing and as a bed when roasting a full chicken. It has been most surprisingly delicious baked as one might bake a kale chip and wilted in an egg sandwich!
- White bean stew– we do not eat pork at home and so I would substitute the pork for 2 tablespoons of miso paste or better than bouillon, and cook the beans in either chicken or veggie stock.
- Mustard green salad with roasted potatoes & tomatoes– in this recipe I would substitute the potatoes for sweet potatoes. Nothing against regular potatoes, but the sweet potatoes will compliment the bitterness of the raw mustard greens.
Storage information: should keep your mustard greens crisp for 7 days
- make a fresh cut on the stems of your greens
- put them in a cup (or if you have multiple types of greens, a bowl) of water in your fridge with a plastic bag over their greens
Peas
I can’t be too sure, but I think everyone loves peas. At home, the majority of the peas go raw, straight into our mouths and often those intended to go home do not make it past the car ride. Here are a few of the recipes we’ve used when they make it home:
Storage information: Peas are best eaten right away. The longer you keep them the sugars in the peas will start to convert to starch and they will become less sweet.
Radishes
Round, breakfast, daikon, black, and watermelon are the 5 types of radish we grow on the farm. The general rule with radishes (and many other types of veggies) is that the darker they are in color the spicier they are in flavor. The french breakfast radish and the watermelon radish are our least spicy radishes while the deep purple round radish and the black radish are our most spicy. The radish greens can also be eaten. I do not enjoy the radish greens raw because they have a little prickliness to them, which disappears when cooked.
- Spicy steak salad wraps– this is a good entry into the radish for the meat eaters out there. It can be topped with any of the radishes we grow.
- Roasted radishes and radish greens– I would add some garlic to this recipe.
Storage information: should keep your radishes crisp for 10-14 days or longer depending on the season.
- cut off the green tops of your radishes
- you can use the greens in a stir fry or soup
- store your radishes in your vegetable or crisper drawer
Spinach
Almost every morning Kate and I put a few handfuls of spinach into a blender with a banana, almond milk, a splash of orange juice, yogurt, and flax seeds. It is a really great way to get your greens in without doing anything too labor intensive.
If you are looking for something less easy with more spinach-y deliciousness check out one of these recipes:
- Chickpeas with leeks, spinach & smoked paprika
- Spinach shakshuka– I prefer this without the cinnamon, but do what feels good.
- Spinach lasagna– if you have some time and are looking for a challenge.
Storage information: should keep your spinach crisp and delicious for at least 10 days
- lightly rinse your spinach in a colander or a salad spinner
- dry, either with a kitchen towel or in a salad spinner (if you use a kitchen towel try not to crush the spinach too much)
- put in a perforated ziplock with one paper towel (we have a ziplock that we have put a bunch of holes in with a thumbtack, once we are done with the item in the ziplock we just rinse that ziplock out and put it on the drying rack to use for the next round)
- store in your crisper drawer
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