Below are a few of our favorite early to mid-summer recipes as well as some basic information about the produce you are likely to find in our farm stand (link to farm stand page)this summer.

Bok Choi, Napa Cabbage, and Asian Greens
Bok Choi (Pac Choi) is a loose-leaf Asian cabbage with sweet and spicy flavor and wonderful texture.  It is a must for stir-fries. Use both the stalks and leaves.  Or, slice the heads into two halves and grill with a delicate grilling sauce. For a fancy presentation, grill bits of the stalk on skewers with onions and garlic, using leaves as a serving bed.

Napa, also known as Chinese Cabbage, is another excellent choice for stir-fries. Napa makes delicious coleslaw, tender and flavorful - use it in your favorite coleslaw recipe.

Tat soi, Mizuna, Arugula, Broccoli Raab, and Purple Osaka are tender asian greens with sweet and spicy mustard-like flavors.  They can be eated raw or cooked and make an excellent addition to salads and stir-fries.

Braised Chard
Wash and chop leaves of a fresh bunch or two of red, green, or bright lights chard. Slice a large sweet onion and sauté in some olive oil in a pot large enough to hold all the chard leaves. After the onion softens, add the chard leaves, season with salt and pepper, cover and stew for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every so often, until chard is bright green and wilted. Although additions such as garlic, pancetta or lemon can be made, the chief virtues of chard cooked this way are its own sweet flavor and a meltingly tender texture.

Classic Pesto
2-3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup pine nuts or walnuts
2 cups basil
Optional other greens (substitute for all or part of basil): parsley, cilantro, chives
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine garlic, nuts, basil, and cheese in food processor.  With processor running, slowly drizzle in oil until a smooth paste is formed.  Taste for salt and pepper.

In the kitchen with Kale
Kale - a hardy, leafy brassica - contains extremely high quantities of vitamins and minerals.  The many varieties of kale are the most vitamin-rich of all garden greens.  If this doesn...trade;t provide enough incentive to eat more kale, it...trade;s also wonderfully versatile in the kitchen, not to mention delicious!  In general, three cups of raw, chopped kale will equal one cup cooked kale.  You may wish to strip the leaves from the ropy stems that run down the middle of each leaf.  Here are a few dining suggestions:

-Tender, young leaves can be chopped up and added to salad.

-Cook in salt water until tender - 5 to 10 minutes - drain well and return to the pan with butter, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon (perhaps a bit of garlic) just until butter is melted.  Serve hot on buttered toast.

-Serve steamed kale with a dressing of 2 T. apple cider vinegar, 2 T. tamari, 2 T. maple syrup, 2 T. olive oil, finely chopped garlic, ginger, and toasted sesame seeds.  Toss well.

-Add to your favorite soup or make Caldo Verde, a Portuguese soup made with kale, potatoes, and spicy sausage.

Kale with Tomatoes and Onions
1 lb. kale, washed, stemmed, trimmed
2 teaspoons oil
1 cup chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon black pepper

Steam kale until tender.  Heat oil in a skillet, cook onion until translucent.  Add tomato and cook a few minutes more.  Add kale and remaining ingredients.  Cook 4-5 minutes more, stirring constantly.

Leeks Glazed with Maple and Sage
8 medium leeks
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 teaspoons fresh sage
1 teaspoon coarse, Dijon-style mustard

Trim leeks, removing all but 1 inch of the greens.  Wash, dry, cut into 1 inch slices.  Heat oil and butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add leeks and garlic, stirring to coat with oil/butter.  Add water.  Cover and continue to cook over low heat, stirring occasionally.  Cook for 20 minutes or until tender.  In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients and pour over cooked leeks. 

Magenta Soup
5 large beets, with tops
5 cups lightly salted water
2 large ripe tomatoes
juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cream
1 small onion, finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste

Wash beets and scrub well.  Cut off tops, rinse leaves, and chop coarsely.  Place whole beets and greens in pot and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cooking for 20 minutes until beets are tender.  Remove beets, strain cooking water and reserve 3 cups.  Rub skins off beets and chop beets coarsely.  Core tomatoes, cut crosswise and squeeze out seeds.  Puree tomatoes, beets, and 2 cups beet water until smooth.  Pour into bowl and stir in lemon juice, vinegar, buttermilk, and cream.  Add minced onion, taste for salt and pepper.  Add more beet water, if desired, for thinner soup.  Refrigerate 24 hours, taste again for lemon and salt.  Serve with small bowls of diced cucumber, hard-boiled egg, minced herbs (chives or parsley), and sour cream.

Market Ragout of Turnips, Kohlrabi, and Peas
1 tablespoon butter
6 spring onions or shallots
6 or more small turnips, quartered
2 to 3 small kohlrabi, peeled and quartered
1 thyme sprig
sea salt and pepper
1 pound peas, shelled
few handfuls baby spinach
dollop of crème fraiche
4 large basil leaves, slivered

Melt butter in skillet, add onion, turnips, kohlrabi, and thyme.  Add water to cover halfway, simmer as you shuck peas.  After 12-15 minutes (and vegetables are tender) add peas and spinach.  Cook until wilted, a few minutes more.  Stir in crème fraiche and basil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with a starch such as puff pastry, ravioli, or buttered toast.

Napa Cabbage salad with peanuts and cilantro
For the salad:
1 cup skinned, raw peanuts
1 large carrot, sliced thinly into matchsticks
4 cups thinly sliced Napa Cabbage
2 cups slivered lettuce leaves
3 scallions, sliced
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons each chopped mint and basil

For the dressing:
1 jalapeno, finely diced
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup roasted peanut oil

Spicy Coleslaw
2 small heads cabbage
1 small red onion
2-3 jalapenos
a few sprigs cilantro
juice of 1 lime
2-3 teaspoons white wine vinegar
1/3-1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Quarter cabbage heads and remove cores.  Slice quarters crosswise into 1/8 inch strips.  Slice onion crosswise as thin as possible.  Cut jalapeno, removing seeds, and slice thinly.  Chop cilantro.  Combine vegetables.  Whisk together remaining ingredients and toss with vegetables.  Allow time for flavors to marry in refrigerator - a few hours to overnight.  Serve at room temperature.

Summer Herb Salad
2 cups butter lettuce leaves
2 cups mezclun mix
2 tablespoons marjoram or basil
1 ½ cups chopped herbs - your favorites or one of the following combinations:
-purslane, celery leaves, lovage, and parsley
-dill, cilantro, watercress, and mint
-Thai basil, spearmint, chives, cilantro, lemon verbena
-cilantro, parsley, spearmint, garlic chives, lemon thyme
-chervil, chives, parsley, marjoram, salad burnet
-dill, salad burnet, tarragon, sorrel

Top with sea salt, olive oil, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, and edible flowers.