Category: What the veg?

Information about common items in the vegetable shares

Collard greens

Long a staple of the Southern United States, collards are leafy green vegetables that belong to the same family that includes cabbage, kale and broccoli. Although they are available year-round they are at their best from January through April. Their dark blue-green leaves are smooth in texture and relatively broad, distinguishing them from the frilly edged leaves of kale. Some describe collards to be bitter, though many find they have a mild, almost smoky flavor.

Nutrition:
1 cup of boiled collard greens (190 grams) has 50 calories, 23% of RDA calcium, 44 of folate, 21% of dietary fiber and 57% of vitamin c. Studies have shown that eating 3-5 weekly servings of cruciferous vegetables, such as collards, reduce the risk of prostate, colorectal and lung cancer.

Collard greens are an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, folate, dietary fiber, and calcium. In addition, collard greens are a very good source of potassium, vitamin B2 and vitamin B6, and a good source of vitamin E, magnesium, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B1, vitamin B5, niacin, zinc, phosphorus, and iron.

Storage:
Wrap unwashed greens in damp paper towels. Refrigerate in a plastic bag, in the crisper, up to 5 days. The sooner they are eaten, the less bitter they will be.

AKA:
Collards

Origin
Collards have been cultivated since the times of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations. While collards may have been introduced into the United States before, but the first mention of collard greens dates back to the late 17th century. Collards are an integral food in traditional southern American cuisine.

Cooking tips:
Strip leaves from stems and discard stems. Rinse well. Boil, steam and microwave (cook just until wilted). Add to soups. Chop cooked collards for stuffings. After cooking, chill to serve cold with olive oil and lemon juice.
Leaves that are smaller in size will be more tender and have a milder flavor.

Drizzle cooked collard greens with olive oil and lemon juice.

Use lightly steamed, cooled and chopped collard greens as a filling in your sushi vegetable rolls.
Sautee with tofu, garlic and chili pepper.

Substitutions:
Mustard greens, kale, bok choy

Equivalents:
6-7 cups raw = 1.5 cups cooked

Tags collard greens, collards

What the veg?

Bok Choy

Bok Choy is a Chinese leaf vegetable.

Nutrition
Bok Choy is a good source of calcium vitamin C and fiber.

Storage
3-5 days, refrigerated in a perforated plastic bag.

AKA
snow cabbage, brassica rapa

Origin
Bok Choy has been grown for over 1300 years.

Cooking tips
Both the leaves and the stalk can be used raw or cooked. It is often also added to hotpot dishes and soups. Baby bok choy is great for braising or stir frying. It is also great raw with dips and in salad.

Substitutions
watercress, dandelion greens

Recipes

Tags bok choy

What the veg?

Green Beans

Nutritional Data
1 cup of raw green beans has 34 calories, 2 grams of both protein and sugar, 4 grams of fiber and 30% of your daily intake of Vitamin C. Green beans are a low sodium food and considered a good source for Vitamin A, folate, and iron.

General Facts
Green Beans are available year round, but peak of the season is May thru October. They were first served by the French but were initially found in hot regions of the Americas, India, and China. They are considered nitrogen fixers, which means they have the ability to draw nitrogen from the air and return it to the soil. Because of this, farmers often plant beans and legumes in their crop rotations to replenish the soil. Green fruits and vegetables help maintain vision health and strong bones and teeth. They may also lower the risk of some cancers.

Offbeat Fact
Green bean casserole was invented in 1955 by the Campbell Soup Company test kitchen.

Storage
Store unwashed fresh green beans in a resealable plastic bag for up to 4 days. Wash just before using, removing strings and ends if necessary.

Tags green beans

What the veg?

Romaine Lettuce

Romaine is a pretty tight “head” of lettuce with long green crisp leaves. While lettuce is often overlooked it has a alot of health benefits and Romaine leads the way with its high Vitamin A content as well as other nutrients.
Lettuce came to the US in the 17th century. It was planted in California by Spanish Missionaries but took centuries to become popular once refrigeration became available and the railways were developed to deliver it cross country.

Nutrition
1 cup of shredded of romaine has a whopping 8 calories. It also has 1 gram each of fiber, protein, and sugar. It has a suspiciously high level of vitamin A, but after some internet fact-checking, the 81% of the daily recommended serving seems to check out! Romaine is also a good source of vitamin C, folate, iron, can calcium.

AKA
Romaine is also know as Cos.

Storage
Romaine and leaf lettuce should be washed and dried before storing in the refrigerator to remove their excess moisture. It should be stored either in a plastic bag or wrapped in a damp cloth and stored in the refrigerator crisper.

Recipes

Tags lettuce, romaine lettuce

What the veg?

Strawberries

STORAGE
Eat right away or refrigerate to prevent decay. Fresh strawberries will only last 1 day in the fridge.

Recipes

Tags strawberries

What the veg?

Beets

Origin
Beets originated in Northern Africa.
Originally only the greens were eaten. It wasn’t until the Romans cultivated beets that the roots were used.

Nutrition
Beets are high in folate, vitamin C, and potassium.
The greens are packed with vitamins and minerals as evidenced by their salty, minerally flavor.

Storage
Store in the fridge, however, they don’t need to be in a plastic bag.
The stems and leaves can be removed

Cooking tips
I must admit I am a very lazy and haphazard cook. So imagine my delight when CSA member Adam P. showed me that beets can be simply enjoyed raw! No more slippery, boiled beets for me.
The simplest way is peeled and sliced for a salad (thinly! he says), but I kind of like them cut into sticks to dip in hummus. Or get just a little bit fancier and try one of these:
Grated or chopped, with carrots & daikon tossed w/rice vinegar, ginger, black sesame seeds.
Grated or chopped, with carrots, finely chopped green apples, walnuts tossed w/ olive oil & lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Recipes

Tags beets

What the veg?

Celeriac (Celery Root)

via SummerTomato

Storage
Store in plastic bags in the refrigerator where it won’t dry out. Celeriac needs high humidity in order to stay crisp, so put a few drops of water in your plastic bags. Under these conditions, it can easily keep until May!
Cooking tips
Boil and mash as you would potatoes (with copious amounts of cream and butter, if you like).
Slice and add as a garnish for Bloody Marys.
Whatever you choose to do, be sure to peel the ugly outer layer first!

Recipes

Tags bloody mary, celeriac

What the veg?

Arugula

Arugula is a peppery green and is a member of the mustard family.

Nutrition
Arugula is very low in calories and is high in vitamins A and C. A 1/2 cup serving is two calories.

Storage
Keep arugula refrigerated (32-36°F), stored in a perforated plastic bag, away from fruits to avoid deterioration.

AKA
It is also known as rocket, roquette, rugula and rucola.

Origin
In Roman times Arugula was grown for both it’s leaves and the seed. The seed was used for flavoring oils. Arugula seed has been used as an ingredient in aphrodisiac concoctions dating back to the first century, AD. (Cambridge World History of Food).

Cooking tips
The leaves are mostly eaten raw in salads, although sometimes gently cooked or pureed in sauces and pestos.

Substitutions
watercress, dandelion greens.

Recipes

Tags arugula

What the veg?

Carrots

General Facts
Although carrots are shipped around the country from California throughout the year, locally grown carrots are in season in the summer and fall when they are the freshest and most flavorful.
As you may have suspected, carrot has the highest beta carotene content of all veg. So they are good for your eyesight and many other things. Carrots are an excellent source of antioxidant compounds, and the richest vegetable source of the pro-vitamin A carotenes. Carrots’ antioxidant compounds help protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer and also promote good vision, especially night vision.
Carrots are a member of the parsley family. Relatives to the carrots are celery, parsnip, fennel, dill and coriander.

Nutrition
1 cup of chopped carrots is just 52 calories and a fiber bonanza with a solid 4 grams. it also contains 6 grams of sugar and 1 gram of protein. Vitamin wise, this cup of carrots has 428% of the daily reccomended intake of A! A powerhouse offering 13% of your vitamin C intake and a good source of folate, B6, and magnese.

Storage
Remove green tops, rinse, drain, & store in plastic bags in coldest part of the fridge. Add a bit of water in the bottom of the bag; Store away from apples & pears.

Recipes