Baby brassicas
Baby brassicas are a spicy mix of mustard, tatsoi, mizuna, and kale. They are delicious in a stir fry noodle or rice dish with snap peas and scallions. Many of our customers like to eat them raw with a little bit of dressing on the side. I enjoy them in their raw form with chicken, uncooked ramen noodles, sesame seeds, almonds, and a quick vinaigrette. It is a 10 minute meal prep and hits the spot, especially on a warmer spring day.
- Creamy polenta with mushrooms & baby greens
- Stir-fry baby greens with garlic & ginger– We can get down with some stir fry baby greens! I would sub out the salt for a dash of soy sauce!
Storage information: should keep your baby brassicas crisp and delicious for at least 10 days
- lightly rinse your baby brassicas in a colander or a salad spinner
- dry, either with a kitchen towel or in a salad spinner
- 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
Cilantro
Some people love it, some people hate it, but I think we can all agree it’s one of the freshest tasting and feeling herbs out there! We add it as a garnish once the meal has been plated to keep it’s raw flavor. Stir fry’s, morning eggs, quesadillas, thick soup, and dips all benefit from its freshness.
- Grilled chicken with cilantro lime butter– double yum!
- Black bean and corn tacos– this is even good with canned or frozen corn.
- Green curry paste– add this to everything! We even coat it over the veggies when we do sheet pan meals.
Storage information: should keep your cilantro fresh for 14 days
- make a fresh cut on the stems of your herbs
- put them in a cup of water in your fridge with a plastic bag over their tops
- change the water every 3 days
Kale
In our house, we eat kale almost daily. Truthfully, we are often shoving it in as an afterthought, but luckily kale is versatile like a multitool! Some of our favorite ways to eat kale are in stews and chilis and as a quick wilted green next to potatoes and eggs for a weekend breakfast.
On the farm, kale comes in many types, flavors and textures. We grow lacinato (or dino), red russian, and curly, but there are many more varieties. Red russian is the most tender, lacinato the best for chips, and curly is a switch hitter.
- Kale caesar salad- this is a riff on the Harvest kale salad. This all started after a trip to Harvest when Kate’s mom said, “I bet I can make this” and now its a weekly staple. We make different versions of this every time; with or without chicken, with or without croutons, and often without celeriac (because its not often available).
- Fried brown rice with kale- we often make this meal with left over rice from other meals throughout the week. You can also throw almost any left over you have or on its way out veggie into the mix and you’ve got a whole new meal!
Storage information: should keep your kale 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
Salad mix
I think we all know what to do with salad mix; eat it like a salad. I often get stuck in the same salad routine of salad mix with store bought dressing (Newman’s Own Parmesan & Roasted Garlic). Bon Appetit’s website and magazine has provided a lot of inspiration over the last few years. Here are a few salad ideas I really enjoy:
- Green goddess cobb– I do not eat pork, so I usually forgo the bacon or pork jowl, but its still damn good! As far as the herbs go, we usually do not buy anything extra and try to use everyday herbs or whatever we have. Do what feels right for you and know that it doesn’t have to be perfect to be great!
- Tropical cobb– we often substitute the chicken in this for some type of bean and we use whatever fruit we have (apples, oranges, dried fruits) sometimes instead of mango.
- Quick pickle salad- can’t get enough!
- Classic steak salad– but if you like other meats, or no meat, or something else use that, the components are great.
- Lastly some dressing
Storage information: should keep your salad mix crisp and delicious for at least 10 days
- lightly rinse your salad mix in a colander or a salad spinner
- dry, either with a kitchen towel or in a salad spinner
- 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
Tokyo Bekana
These yellow ruffled greens with almost translucent white stalks are so crunchy and mild. They upend the typical image of a cabbage– a round, layered head of leaves– and instead grow upright and open. In both flavor and appearance they could easily be mistaken for sweet hearts of romaine. They hold up more than a lettuce though, so they can easily be stir fried, braised, or seared. Or sliced and eaten fresh as the base for a winter or early spring salad.
- Spring rolls- anything with coconut and peanut has my number. These spring rolls are so fresh and crunchy. The basil & mint give it that extra herbally-goodness and I would happily sub cilantro for basil depending on the season.
- Tokyo bekana rice bowl slaw– Chopped tokyo bekana, sliced hakurei turnips, pea shoots, and spring onion form the base. Plus some rice and a simple miso dressing. I would also add some hot sauce or minced hot peppers.
- Stir fried eggs, Tokyo bekana, tomatoes, & red chili
- Tokyo bekana kimchi– A super simple kimchi recipe with daikon, garlic, ginger, and scallions.
Storage information:
Storage information: Tokyo bekana should last 7-10 days in the crisper drawer of your fridge.
- make a fresh cut on the stems of your greens and dunk in a bowl of cold water if wilted
- store in a bag in the crisper drawer of your fridge.
freshtown farm 