Week 2 Community-Shared Agriculture (CSA) Box (plus how to make vegetable stock, freeze bok choy & kohlrabi recipe ideas)

Here’s a peek at my CSA box this week:

You’ll recognize some of the usual suspects from last week, I bet.

That’s… 1 bunch of radishes – Some raw in a salad and I’m still deciding what to do with the rest…

3/4 lb. to 1 lb. asparagus (again, I forgot to weigh it before I started eating it, but I enjoyed it, ha!) – I enjoyed it mixed with the broccoli and sauteed in a dribble of coconut oil. I let it get a bit “roasted” because I love the depth of flavour this simple preparation can give the veg. Seasoned with pepper, sea salt and powdered garlic, this is super basic and good.

1 broccoli crown – I used most of the broccoli in the dinner side above but I do have one thick stalk left over. I think it must be destined for a lovely green juice.

1 large bag of fresh spinach – Enjoyed in a few omelets, a smoothie and the rest will be devoted to my recipe trials and finalizing my dairy-free spinach dip. The recipe is so good and I can’t wait to share it with you!

1 bunch of green onions – Omelets and a stir-fry. I think I have one left.

1 giant bok choy – I froze most of the bok choy because I knew I wouldn’t get around to eating it.

1 head of romaine lettuce

– Who doesn’t love a fibre-tastic green smoothie?

2 yellow cooking onions – Good for pretty much any and all meals you can conjure up. Definitely the workhorse of my kitchen, especially in cooler weather.

4 sunflower starter plants (my garden now feels like home to them)

2 purple kohlrabi The curveball in this week’s basket were undoubtedly the kohlrabi, such knobbly and awkward perfection. They’re not the easiest veg to peel but you can gently remove any scrabbly bits for a rounder surface if you want. I mostly eat kohlrabi raw (as crudités or raw veg) so I did a little research to find some unique ways to use this veg.

Here are two options:

• a spicy, sweet, Thai-inflected Kohlrabi Salad
• this Shredded Kohlrabi Quick Pickle (so special!)
• Craving something warm and creamy? Maybe this Coconut Kohlrabi Lemon Soup.  

• Based on this week’s bounty, here are a few kitchen tips and tricks for your kitchen (and CSA) toolbox:
• How to make vegetable stock from your veggie tops, bottoms and ends: Any leftover veg (or inedible vegetable parts like onion skins or asparagus bottoms) that are still fresh and usable can be tossed in a container or plastic bag and stored in the freezer. Then, when you have a full container, it’s easy to make a quick vegetable stock. Just cook the vegetable ends with 6-8 cups water for 45 minutes to an hour covered over medium-heat heat. Add salt or other seasonings (optional) and use it as you would any vegetable stock.

• How to handle extra bok choy: In my experience, bok choy can be frozen raw and then simply defrosted (if you like) or cooked from frozen in dishes like stir-fries, stews, soups and other warming meals. I haven’t eaten it raw after frozen; I suspect the texture would suffer. If I’m wrong, please let me know in the comments!

Want more kitchen and cooking tips like this? Check out my free e-zine and get a free copy of my “10+ Breakfasts in 10 Minutes or Less” e-cookbook.   Did you sign up for a CSA share this season? What’s in your local basket? Life is a plate… Eat up!

   

P.S. Did you miss the earlier editions of my CSA series? Check out Week 1 Community-Supported Agriculture Box