Tag: Chard

Welcome to our new blog! We’re excited to be able to share our recipes, ideas, and farm news with you here. This 4th of July weekend, we thought we’d start off with some great tips for handling those rugged greens and crazy garlic scapes that have been in your past few CSA shares. Keep checking back for new kitchen tips, each week. We’ll also be adding the recipes from this season’s previous newsletters, to create an archive of helpful information that’s all in one place. Enjoy! Preparing Kale, Chard, and other hardy leafy greens If you prefer to chop your greens, lay each leaf face down (brighter, flatter side down) on your cutting board. Run your knife along either side of the stem to cut it out. Set stems aside as you go, and roughly chop the leaves. If you prefer an even more hands-on approach, hold each leaf up and separate the green from the stem by ripping it away. Set stem aside and tear each leaf into smaller pieces. Once all the leaves are chopped, rinse and dry or spin them like you would any salad greens, then proceed to the raw-eating or cooking stage. Stems can be saved and frozen to use later on in making meat or vegetables stocks for soups. Chard stems, specifically, can be pickled. (See Sriracha Pickled Rainbow Chard Stems.) White beans are a delicious addition to any cooked green recipe. The beans must be cooked separately, prior to adding to the greens, but they can be sauteed along with the greens in recipes like the one listed below. (See Zesty Sautéed Kale.) For an added twist, in the winter months, stuff a baked potato or baked sweet potato with the cooked greens and beans! What to do with Garlic Scapes If Garlic Scapes are tender and young, they can be eaten raw, sliced thinly like scallions and added into salads. Scapes can be blended into oil, butter, sour cream, yogurt, cream cheese or even cottage cheese, for a delicious savory twist on your usual dressing or dip. (See Tangy Garlic Scape Dressing.)