Red Wagon Farm

Simple Celtuce Salad

Posted on June 28, 2022 by mo

Last year was the first year we grew celtuce and I absolutely fell in love with it. I really hope you try this wonderful vegetable.

It’s easy to prepare, peel the tender outside to reveal the crunchy, juicy, tender, delicate mild flesh.

You use it exactly like a cucumber or zucchini; raw in salads, simmered in soups, ribboned in a pasta or stir-fried.

Try making this simple salad. I think you too will fall in love with celtuce.

1 to 2 large celtuce peeled and cut into bite size pieces
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs; basil, sorrel or mint are all nice
2 to 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tsp agave or honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and taste and see if you need more salt or sweetener

Simple and delicious.

Have a great week. See you at pickup.

Posted in 2022, Celery Celeriac, Recipes | Comments Off

Young Grilled Fava Beans

Posted on June 21, 2022 by mo

This fava preparation is a fun summery dish I think you will really enjoy.

The fava beans you are getting this week are very young and tender.

We harvest the plants young so you can eat the whole bean pod. Not just the innermost bean as with the more mature favas and edamame.

This couldn’t be easier to make. You can use your outdoor grill or oven broiler. Heat your grill or broiler up to high. While it is heating toss your washed favas in some oil and salt and pepper.

Grill or broil them for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are charred and blistered.

While the favas are cooking I like to chop up some herbs to toss the favas into after they have cooked. You don’t have to do this but it is really nice. I had a handful of parsley, mint and spring onions.

When the favas are nice and charred and you can see steam coming out of the skin they are done. Toss them in the herbs if you are using them, and a little more olive oil and salt and pepper.

That’s it. I finished it with a little squeeze of lemon last minute. Grilled favas are great hot or room temperature and leftovers are just as good as when you made them.

It’s a little messy but licking your fingers is part of the summery fun.

Have a great week. See you at pickup.

Posted in 2022, Beans, Fava Beans, Recipes | Comments Off

Green Tacos

Posted on June 14, 2022 by mo

Aylyn sent me a couple ideas for dishes using our CSA vegetables. I really like soft tacos using vegetables so I had to try the green taco recipe she sent.

The recipe is quite simple. I only changed a couple things using what I had.

It was quick to make and very satisfying. I had some kale, walking onions and garlic scapes and a little asparagus. You could use collards or broccoli and any allium you like. I loved the creamy tang of goat cheese but any cheese or yogurt or vegan option would work.

As always, use what you like and have. My changes are in parentheses

Green Tacos makes about 12 tacos. Great for leftovers.

1 large bunch of greens, washed and tough stems discarded
1 1/2 tablespoons oil
1 large onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick (I used walking onions)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I used garlic scapes)
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup water (I needed a little more)
12 corn tortillas, warmed with a bit of water in a kitchen towel in the microwave (I heated mine on the stove)
1 cup of any cheese or cheese substitute you like. (I used goat cheese)
A large handful (6-10) cherry tomatoes (I used radishes and avocado)
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (a store-bought salsa or hot sauce will work) (I didn’t use this and didn’t miss it)

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high, add the onion and cook until golden but still a bit crunchy, 4-5 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the greens crosswise into 1/2 inch slices.

Add the garlic and chili flakes to the onion and cook for an additional minute, then add the water, a large pinch of salt, and the greens.

Reduce heat to low and braise, cover, for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the greens are nearing tender, but not quite finished.

Meanwhile, put the cherry tomatoes (I didn’t use these, but feel free to if you have them) into a dry skillet over medium-high heat until blistered, transfer to a small food processor with the chipotle pepper in adobo and a large pinch of salt, and blend until smooth.

Remove the cover from the greens and cook off the moisture until they are nearly dry.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill each taco with a tong full of the greens, top with cheese and or salsa.

Enjoy!

Have a great week. See you at pickup.

Posted in 2022, Greens, Recipes | 1 Comment

Pea Shoots

Posted on June 7, 2022 by mo

One of the best parts of being a part of a CSA is getting unusual or unfamiliar vegetables. This week everyone will be getting pea shoots in their shares and to some of you I bet this is a new item.

Pea shoots are the top tender growth of the pea plant. Can you see the tip-top of the plant with the tendrils and delicate leaves? That is all we harvest for pea shoots.

Unsurprisingly they taste just like peas! They are very tender with a fresh-crunchy texture.

You can store them in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for at least a week.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy pea shoots is in pesto.

You can use them in salads, on sandwiches, or add them to a stir fry or fold them into scrambled eggs.

I think you will love using them in different dishes all week.

Have fun eating and I’ll see you at pickup.

Posted in 2022, Peas, Recipes | Comments Off

Asparagus and Spring Herbs Two Ways

Posted on May 31, 2022 by mo

Is everyone enjoying the lovely asparagus and herbs we got in our CSA share as much as I am? It’s so great to have fresh vegetables and herbs again!

I made a couple really simple dishes with my asparagus. I felt like I was eating in a restaurant while eating these, the addition of the herbs really elevates dishes and really made these special. I wanted to share what I made.

I sauteed my asparagus with walking onions, chive blossoms and some mint (recipe below) – it made enough for two herby asparagus side dishes. The first one, I made some polenta and topped it with the asparagus and herbs.

The second, we had an arugula salad with chopped eggs and topped it with the asparagus herb mix. Asparagus and eggs are classically delicious and this was so good with the beautiful arugula from our CSA share. Yum.

I really like the bigger stalks of asparagus, I think they are more tender and have more flavor (not everyone agrees, some people really like the skinny stalks!). I do peel the bottom of the thick stalks because they are a little stringy but I don’t mind the extra step, I love the crisp thicker stocks.

Prepare your asparagus by trimming and peeling it and chop up any herbs you are using.

Any soft herb would be delicious here, basil, chives, tarragon, sorrel, walking onions aren’t really herbs but they cook very quickly so I used them just like herbs.

I like to sauté the vegetables in olive oil and a little chicken or vegetable stock. I used Better than Bouillon mixed with about 1/3 cup water.

Here is the asparagus, oil, stock and walking onions after just a few minutes of cooking when they are just starting to soften I add the soft herbs.

Let that cook until it is tender enough to your liking, serve alone or with polenta or as a salad.

Sauteed Asparagus and herbs

1 pound of asparagus trimmed of stringy ends
2-4 tablespoons of oil
1/3 cup stock or broth
a large handful of soft spring herbs
3 or 4 stocks of walking onions or green garlic

Sautee oil and onions or garlic if using with asparagus until it is just starting to soften and add the stock. When the vegetables are just beginning to look glazed add the herbs. Continue cooking until the asparagus is done to your liking. Serve with a salad or over polenta making sure to scrape up all the herbs and onion clinging to the pan.

We are getting asparagus again this week. What a treat! I hope you enjoy it as much as I am.

See you at pickup.

Posted in 2022, Miscellaneous, Recipes | 1 Comment

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