CSA Week 4: It’s Kale Week! (Like Shark Week, but with kale)

In their shares this week, members will receive the following: microgreens, kale, garlic scapes, green garlic, kohlrabi for all. Everyone will receive one of the following: collard greens, Swiss chard, broccoli. Farm pickup will receive either Napa cabbage or cauliflower.

Keep reading to find out how you can participate in Kale Week and have the chance of winning some Rising Phoenix gear (plus, more kale!) (Please note, this offer is only available to our CSA members.).

This newsletter includes a roundup of news from the farm as well as information and recipes. Feel free to jump to the bottom of the newsletter to find the section titled, “This week’s veggies and recipes.”

Here is this week’s video check in:

How Kale Week was born

Kale has a bit of a bad reputation. A common crop grown by CSA farmers nationwide, these sturdy leafy vegetables are the butt of many jokes. However, over the course of the next two weeks, we hope you’ll help us discover what’s amazing about kale by sharing your recipes and your photos of what you made. By doing so, CSA members will have a chance to win a Rising Phoenix Community Farm T-shirt as well as… another bunch of kale!

So, why, you might ask, are we doing this?

Well, there’s a couple of reasons. The first is simply that we have a lot of kale right now and it looks really great. A combination of an improved fertilizer plan and wet weather has given us ideal harvests.

At the same time, other plants have not done as well in this early season. The wet weather has resulted in the loss of several plantings of crops we should have had in shares this week but that were literally drowned out: broccoli, bok choy and collard greens, to name but a few. We also have some delays in getting plants into the ground.

We are very optimistic about the rest of the growing season and most crops look like they are on their way to being very productive, very soon. But, in the meantime, we have kale.

How will Kale Week work?

The rules of Kale Week are pretty straightforward:

Each member will recieve a nice bunch of kale in their shares. (To make sure everyone can participate, we’ll do this over two weeks.

You can then use your kale however you want. Once you use it, snap a photo of what you made.

Share your photo and your writeup of how you cooked your kale with the rest of our CSA — we’ll send out an email on Wednesday you can reply to.

Then, in two weeks, we’ll randomly choose a name from those who submitted a recipe. That person will win a Rising Phoenix T-shirt and, of course, more kale!

So, that’s it. See below for some of our own ideas and recipes for how to use kale.

Images from the farm

This week’s veggies and recipes for Kale Week

Here’s a roundup of recipes and suggestions on how to eat them, store them, enjoy them. Recipes and suggestions compiled by Kristina (Farm Queen).

Kale & Garlic Scape Pesto

This super simple nut-free pesto can be used for pasta or potato salads, as a dip, or as a sauce with grilled meats or even eggs. You can also freeze this pesto for later use. Simply place portions into an ice cube tray and freeze. Once frozen, transfer the pesto cubes to a freezer-safe container or bag for easy use.

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup garlic scapes, roughly chopped
• 1-2 cups kale, de-stemmed
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt (plus more to taste)

Instructions:

• De-stem the kale and roughly chop the garlic scapes.
• In a food processor or blender, add the ¾ cup olive oil, 1 cup garlic scapes, 1-2 cups de-stemmed kale, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon sea salt.
• Process thoroughly until everything is mixed well and the pesto has a smooth consistency.
• Taste the pesto and add more salt if needed.
• Transfer the pesto into a jar to refrigerate if not using immediately

Kale Crisps with Sea Salt

The perfect salty/savory/crispy snack. Kale chips are fast, easy, and so delicious. We like to think of them as the gateway dish to kale adoration. Also, hot tip, leftover chips are awesome crumbled over pasta with a sprinkle of parmesan.

• 1 pound kale (1 to 2 bunches), stems removed and leaves sliced crosswise into 2-inch ribbons
• 2 Tb extra-virgin olive oil
• Finely grated zest of lemon, optional
• Flaked sea salt or coarse salt, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Toss kale with oil, and spread in a single layer on each of 2 rimmed baking sheets.  Bake, tossing kale and rotating sheets halfway through, until crisp, about 15 minutes.  Watch carefully so kale does not burn!  Let cool on sheets.  Sprinkle with lemon zest and salt, and toss to coat.

Grilled Garlic Scapes

A simple and delicious way to enjoy this seasonal treat. Makes a great side dish, or goes great with pasta or eggs.

• Rinse the Garlic Scapes and trim off any woody ends
• Optional: some folks like to give the scapes a quick blanch in boiling water to make them extra tender!
• Toss with a light coating of your favorite oil–Olive Oil is perfect
• Season with Salt & Pepper
• On a a clean grill grate, grill over medium-high to high heat
• Place directly on grate and turn frequently until tender and well-charred
• To serve, drizzle with Lemon Juice and/or Parmesan Cheese OR add to your favorite pasta or egg dish (frittata?).

Cabbage Pancakes

These Korean-style pancakes are simple but so fun. Yum!

Ingredients:

• 4 to 5 washed leaves Napa Cabbage, dried and slit so they lay flat
• Vegetable Oil for cooking

Batter:

1 cup of stock (chicken, vegetable, or other)

• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour (gluten-free 1:1 flour also works)
• 1 egg

Sauce:

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp Gochu Garu (Korean hot pepper flakes)
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 1 chopped green onion
• 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Choose-Your-Own-Adventure Frittata

Everything in your share box this week would be fantastic in a frittata. Especially KALE!

In case you aren’t already familiar, a Frittata is a versatile, one-pan egg dish that has been likened to a cross between an omelet and a quiche. Making a frittata is a fantastic way to use fresh herbs & vegetables, but the options don’t end there.

Any combination of things you have on hand is pretty much fair game! Fresh herbs, a bit of cheese, some cooked sausage or bacon would all be obviously delicious additions.

Some things you might not have considered adding, but I assure you are unexpectedly delightful, include: potatoes, pesto, pickled red onions, chickpeas, seafood, artichoke hearts, barbecued meats, croutons, olives/capers, curried vegetables, even leftover pasta from last night’s dinner!

Pre-cooked additions are basically limitless, and you get to decide what combination sounds good.

Combining morsels of yesterday’s delights with some top-notch fresh vegetables might just make you look at your food in a whole new light! It’s as fun as designing your own gourmet pizzas, but without the fuss of making crust.

Frittatas can be a nice, easy option for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Or brunch.

Or breakfast-for-dinner. You decide. It’s your own culinary adventure! Now, grab your cast iron skillet, or whatever oven-safe pan you love. Here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

• 3 Tbsp. olive oil or butter
• ½ cup diced onions (Onions are definitely a good foundational ingredient, but can totally be optional.)
• Assorted mix-ins (This week, I’m recommending kale, diced cooked potatoes, grilled garlic scapes, and kalamata olives, and I’ll be serving it with fresh microgreens on top)
• 8-12 large eggs
• ½ cup milk of your choice (whole is great, or half & half, or any non-dairy milk)
• 1 tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat the Oven: Place the rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
2. Cook Onions and your Chosen Mix-ins:
3. Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil or unsalted butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
4. Add ½ cup diced onions and any fresh mix-ins that need to be cooked (e.g., sturdy fresh vegetables).
5. Sauté your combination, stirring occasionally, until softened and ready to eat, about 5 minutes.

Prepare the Egg Mixture:

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 8-12 large eggs, ½ cup whole milk, 1 tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper.
2. Combine and Cook:
3. Pour the egg mixture into the skillet with the cooked onions and mix-ins. Add any uncooked additions (e.g., spinach, cheese).
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, just until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan, about 5 minutes.

Bake:

Transfer the whole oven-safe skillet to your preheated oven and bake until the frittata is set, about 10–15 minutes.

Serve:

Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, slice, and serve warm. Looks great topped with fresh microgreens or served alongside some mixed greens in a zippy vinaigrette.

Enjoy!

Green Garlic/Spring Garlic Tips and Ideas

• Green Garlic can be used like onions, scallions, or leeks in recipes.
• It is essentially immature garlic, harvested before the bulbs have a chance to fully form and harden. In the culinary world it’s a fun, specialty produce item that is only available for a short window at farmers markets.
• The bulb and lower greens are generally tender enough to chop and use fresh or cooked.
• The green tops are highly regarded as a dried seasoning. Simply dehydrate and pulverize in your blender or food processor. Store in a jar and use it just like garlic powder–but better.
• The green tops can also be left whole and used as a great addition to stocks, sauces, and soups. Simply simmer the dish with the green in whole, and remove before serving as you would with bay leaves.
• The flavor of Green Garlic is milder than regular garlic, but a bit stronger than scallions.
• Delicious in a wide range of dishes:
  • Chopped fresh as a topping for salads, eggs, pizza, frittata
  • Sauteed with other vegetables in a stir fry, pasta, soup, or risotto
  • Amazing in sauces, dressings, and dips like hummus

Green Garlic Butter

Here’s a great way to savor the amazing spring flavor of green garlic for. This garlic butter can be used in any recipe that calls for butter to add a rich garlic flavor. Makes awesome garlic toast, but the possibilities are pretty much endless! 

Ingredients

• 250g (1 cup or 2 sticks) unsalted butter
• 1 green garlic plant (or substitute with 1-2 cloves of regular garlic)
• Salt

Instructions

Step 1: Sauté the Garlic

1. Take 50g (1/4 cup or 1/2 stick) of the butter and place it in a pan.

2. Roughly chop the green garlic and add it to the pan with a big pinch of salt (approximately 1/4 teaspoon).

3. Gently sauté the garlic for 10 minutes, until it becomes translucent and aromatic.

Step 2: Blend and Mix

1. Tip the contents of the pan into a blender.

2. Pulse a few times to help break up the garlic.

3. Transfer the blended mixture into a mixing bowl with the remaining 200g (3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks) of butter.

4. Stir until completely mixed together.

Step 3: Shape and Store

1. Place the butter mixture on a sheet of baking parchment.

2. Roll it up into a tightly compacted sausage shape. If the butter is too soft, refrigerate it for 10 minutes and try again.

3. Once wrapped, store the butter in the fridge or in the freezer for extended shelf life.