*Last* week's share (Week 3)

Whoops, I dropped the ball on blogging last week- sorry! In case you were wondering about any of those things in your share, here's the rundown: (and look for another blog posting tomorrow with THIS week's share (for Sat and for Tues coming up) . Napa Cabbage: the big, light green-leaved, white-ribbed head vegetable, with savoyed, or crinkly, leaves. Use just like lettuce, possibly with an Asian-themed dressing, OR saute/stir-fry. . Komatsuna: The elegant, long bok choi-like thing (dark green leaves, lighter green ribs/stems). Use just like choi (in a stirfry is my favorite) OR enjoy raw for just the tiniest bite of spice (it's in the mustard family; so it has a little kick, but cooking it nullifies the bite). . Radishes: for your salad? roasted? chopped, salted, and piled on Pleasanton rye toast with cream cheese? options are really endless.... . Beet greens: more beet thinnings! It is a GREEN share this week, hey? that time of year :) Use beet greens any way you'd use chard or spinach; bonus is you get little beets on the ends of some of them! My fave: see last week's chard recipe- sub beet greens. . Scallions- to complement your Komatsuna and/or Napa stir-fry: slice thinly on a diagonal and sprinkle on top after removing from heat. voila. delicious, fresh onion flavor with crisp, fresh texture- USE THE GREEN AS WELL AS THE WHITE PART! I once had a farmers' market customer tell me she discards the green part because it's tough -- guess what; tough scallions are NOT fresh, and fresh scallions aren't tough! Eat the greens. They're fresh, tender, and delicious. . Cilantro- to round out your Asian meal, depending on the cuisine you're going for. Did you know cilantro is technically a cool weather crop? That means that for all its association with tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers, etc (all heat-loving crops), it would rather grow in spring and fall (sometimes through winter in the hoophouse!), so I'm mystified as to how these heat-loving crops came to be paired, culinarily, with cilantro. Try it as a generous sprinkle on top of a coconut milk curry with all the greens in your share- served over rice. (I use Thai Kitchen curry -red OR green- in the little jar with a black lid; directions on the jar). . Garlic Scapes! The very last of these for the season- if you're tired of scapes here are two ideas: 1. "onion" rings: first, steam scapes (whole) to tenderize. If there are multiple curls, or if they are very long, cut into manageable pieces. Use a simple egg-and-flour batter to coat, then fry in hot oil til crispy (in a deep fryer OR in a generous amount of peanut or vegetable oil in a skillet). Follow a tempura recipe for specifics. 2. Scape pesto: scapes, olive oil, parmesan cheese (optional), salt, pepper, lemon juice, nuts/seeds of your choice (toasted pine nuts=optimal, but expensive; toasted walnuts= nearly as good, toasted sunflower seeds=surprisingly also nearly as good, mix of any of the above=delicious). Blend to a smooth green paste. Use or freeze. mmmmm.....potent! . Baby Salad Mix- the famous and delicious mesclun mix. We normally wash salad mix once (or twice if it's extra muddy, like after a hard rain), but still recommend that you wash it before eating. Enjoy!