This Week’s Box Featuring Kale – Week of December 13th

December 13, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have kale from Local Harvest

Kale is a vegetable with green or purple leaves, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is a member of the Mustard, also known as the Cabbage, family. Kale can be curly, flat, or even have a bluish tint mixed in with the green. This week we have curly kale from Shawn’s Farm.

Depending on the variety, kale can sometimes be spicy or a bit sweet, and usually slightly bitter. In general, kale offers an earthy flavor with a nutty sweetness that is accentuated when cooked. Kale is rich in antioxidants and packed with vitamins A, C, E, K and B, as well as minerals like iron and calcium. Kale is a great source of fiber and contains a fair amount of protein.

Preparation

Kale is incredibly versatile in the kitchen and can be enjoyed raw or cooked. Young kale leaves add an earthiness to raw salads, and mature kale is one of the few leafy greens that doesn’t shrink much when cooked. Try it sauteed, roasted, stewed, or even baked into kale chips. Or try it raw in juices and smoothies.

To prep mature kale – first remove the tough fibrous stems. Hold the stem and strip the leaves along the stem away from you. If preferred, you can cut the leaf into thin, confetti-like ribbons.
A quick massage with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt can break down the cellulose structure of kale. This gives a slightly sweeter, silkier kale to add to salads.
To store – wrap the leaves in a loose bundle, cover with a paper towel or a thin cotton towel (to absorb excess moisture) and store in a large, sealable bag in the crisper for up to a week.

Check out this video:

Farms that grow kale

Recipes

Crunchy Dino Kale and Coconut Bowl
Kale Caesar Salad
Chocolate Mint Smoothie with Kale
Kale and Eggplant Summer Pasta
Kale with Onion, Celery & Tomato
Stir Fry Greens– Same method, but you can just use Kale!

What else is in the bag?

Japanese Cucumbers
Ho Farms

Kale
Ho Farms

Long Beans
Ho Farms

Longan
OK Farms

Mixed Tomatoes
Sugarland

Orange
OK Farms

This Week’s Vegetarian Meal Kit Box Recipes

Try out these recipes!

Kale Caesar Salad

Toasted Orzo with Kale, Feta, and Radishes

This Week’s Box Featuring Carrots – Week of December 6

December 6, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have carrots from Twin Bridge Farms

Oh how we love carrots! They are a funny little root crop so that you never know what you’re going to get until you pull them out of the ground! Usually orange in color, but sometimes they can be cosmic and come out purple, yellow, red or even white. Packed with health-promoting beta carotene, they promote good vision, especially night vision, and help combat health-damaging free radical activity.

Preparation

Since carrots are root crops, make sure you scrub them well to get an residual dirt off of them. Peeling off the skin is optional, I usually don’t because I’m lazy like that. Grab a knife and chop away! Or you can be more fancy pants like this guy!

Farms that grow carrots

Twinbridge Farms
Kahumana Farm
Keiki and Plow

Recipes

Carrot Nut Muffins

What else is in the bag?

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Mixed Carrots
Twin Bridge Farms

Mixed Tomatoes
Sugarland

Star Fruit
OK Farms

Sweet Potatoes
Aloun Farms

Tangerine
OK Farms

Try out these recipes!

Candied Carrots

Thai Sweet Potato Soup with Lemongrass

Vegetarian Meal Kit Meals for this week:

Plant Based Prepared Meals for this week:

This Week’s Box Featuring Long Eggplant – Week of November 29

November 29, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have Long eggplant from Ho Farms

Eggplant is a species of nightshade grown for its edible fruit. Green Long is a Thai variety

Preparation

Most eggplants can be eaten either with or without their skin.. To remove skin, you can peel it before cutting or if you are baking it, you can scoop out the flesh once it is cooked.

Farmers that grow Filipino Long Eggplant

Ho Farms

Meal Kit Recipes:

Plant Based Meal Prep Box:

What else is in the bag?

Bell Peppers
Sugarland

Family Tomatoes
Ho Farms

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Filipino Long Eggplant
Ho Farms

Rambutan
OK Farms

Zucchini
Aloun Farms

Try out these recipes!

Beetroot and Eggplant Pilaf

Kale & Eggplant Summer Pasta

This Week’s Box Featuring Lemongrass – Week of November 22

November 22, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have Lemongrass from Ho Farms

Lemongrass is widely used as a culinary herb in Asian cuisine and also as medicinal herb in India. It is commonly used in teas, soups, and curries. It is also suitable for use with poultry, fish, beef, and seafood. Research shows that lemongrass oil has antifungal properties.

Preparation

1. The softer, fleshier, pale yellow part of the lemongrass – which is what you want to use in your cooking – is located under the tough outer leaves. Peel away these layers and discard.

2. Then use a sharp serrated knife to slice off the lower bulb, which includes about 2 inches of the end. Discard. The stalk is now easy to slice into pieces. Stop slicing when you have cut two-thirds of the way up the stalk, or when it is no longer yellow. The upper end the stalk will be green and woody, but is still useful in cooking soups and curries.

3. Because lemongrass is so firm and fibrous, it helps to process the slices a little further. Place the lemongrass in a food processor and process well on “high”, or pound for a minute or two with a pestle & mortar. It’s possible to use the lemongrass slices as they are, but the thicker slices will be difficult to eat.

4. Your lemongrass should now appear finer – almost like yellow-green flakes. It is now ready to use in recipes such as curries or soups (note that the lemongrass still needs to cook or be boiled for at least 5 minutes before it is soft enough to be edible).

Storage: Use the lemongrass immediately, or store lemongrass by freezing it in a sealed container in your freezer. With lemongrass, very little is wasted. You can use the upper, reserved stalk to add even more flavor and fragrance to soups and curries. Simply make several cuts along the length of the stalk and bend it several times to “bruise” it. This will release the fragrance and flavor. Now throw the stalk into your soup or curry pot.

Farmers that grow Lemon Grass

Ho Farms

Recipes

What else is in the bag?

Apple Bananas
Sugarland

Collard Greens
Ho Farms

Sweet Corn
Aloun Farms

Family Tomatoes
Ho Farms

Lemongrass
Ho Farms

Lettuce
Kunia Country Farms

Orange
OK Farms

Zucchini
Aloun Farms

Try out these recipes!

Fresh Lemongrass Tea

Thai Sweet Potato Soup with Lemongrass

This Week’s Box Featuring Kabocha – Week of November 15

November 15, 2021 by Amy Buglione

This week we have Kabocha from Aloun Farms

Kabocha is a variety of winter squash, often referred to as a Japanese pumpkin. It’s sometimes described as a cross between sweet potato and pumpkin in flavor and texture. It’s sweet taste, velvety texture, massive offering of nutritional benefit and versatility, make it a prized staple vegetable in Japan. You can substitute it within recipes that call for acorn and butternut squash or pumpkin. Most forward nutritients are beta carotene, vitamin C, iron, and potassium with smaller amounts of B vitamins, folic acid and calcium.

How to select a Kabocha:

The two things to look for are weight and color. Skin should be a rich, deep green and it should feel heavier than expected. Ripeness is indicated by golden speckling and stripes on the exterior.

How to prepare Kabocha:

Carefully slice the entire squash in half, keeping in mind that it’s dense and might be difficult to cut. Like other squashes, you’ll want to scoop out the pulp and seeds, leaving the meat behind. From here you can slice it into wedges for roasting, simmering, pureing, or baking. You can also grate it to add texture to breads or other baked dishes and desserts. The skin is ok to leave on.

What else is in the bag?