So this is the 4th week of our farm share deliveries.  Josh and I decided last fall that this year, we wanted to partake in a CSA on the recommendation of some of Josh’s coworkers.  Lucky for us, there are several farms in the area, and all over Michigan.  In fact, there aren’t just produce CSAs, but meat ones too. However, this year, we stuck with just a produce CSA (after all, we don’t have a storage freezer, so there’s not a lot of room to store extra meat yet).  We looked around and settled on Needle-Lane Farm in nearby Tipton, MI.

What we have is a full season single share, which runs from May to October and is enough to mostly feed Josh and I each week.  Every Tuesday, we get a newsletter from the farm detailing what’s in this week’s package, and then we stop on the way home from work and pick our package up at a fantastic local store, Morgan and York (which not only holds our shares for us but also has a fantastic selection of gourmet and international chocolates, wine and candies, plus a good selection of specialty sodas that we like to try out).  This week our share had the following:

• Kale, which I am a fan of, particularly in pasta
• Green garlic, which I love, because it just has a nice lovely mellow garlic taste
• Scallions
• Bok choy, which I will be sautéing with a bit of peanut oil tonight
• Swiss Chard, which I like, although Josh is not as a fan of its strong flavor
• Snap peas, which I adore, and which will be joining the bok choy in my peanut sauté
• Garlic scapes, which I find fascinating and didn’t even know existed until this year.  They have a very strong garlic flavor.
• Kohlrabi, which I’ve wanted to try before but never have.  I’m excited and I need to look up some good recipes
• Chinese cabbage, which I am thinking of using in something like this

So I’m very excited about this week’s offerings.  To celebrate that, I thought I would share some tips from the CSA newsletter.

Chinese Cabbage Cooking Tips

*Chop raw into green salads
*Substitute for cabbage in traditional coleslaw
*For an Asian-style salad, toss chopped cabbage with grated carrot, chopped green onion, toasted sesame oil,
rice vinegar and soy sauce
*Chinese cabbage cooks quickly. Steam for 3-5 minutes, or until leaves are wilted down but remain slightly crisp.
All cabbages are at risk for overcooking.
*Substitute for cabbage in any recipe, but reduce cooking time by two minutes.
*Chinese cabbage is a classic and popular stir-fry vegetable and also a main ingredient in egg rolls
*You can stir-fry it alone with a little onion, toasted sesame oil and soy sauce, or add it chopped toward the end of your
mixed vegetable stir-fry.
*Chinese cabbage is excellent in soups, fried rice, mashed with potatoes, etc. Be creative and experiment with both
traditional and non-traditional uses for this versatile vegetable.

Storage Tips
*Do not remove all of the outer tought leaves before storage.  They will help retain moisture, keeping the inside fresh and crisp
*Keep Chinese cabbage in the hydrator drawer of the fridge for up to two weeks.

Recipe
Chinese Cabbage Salad ~ Dog Hollow Farm

5 cups chopped Chinese cabbage
2 tbsps rice vinegar
3/4 cup sliced or shredded radish
4 tbsps sesame oil
1 1/2 cups chow mein noodles
3 tbsps soy sauce
1 cup crushed peanuts
1 tbsp honey
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 to 1 tsp dry mustard

Combine cabbage, radishes, chow mein noodles, peanuts and sesame seeds in large bowl. Mix remaining ingredients
and toss with the cabbagea little at a time. Mix in just enough dressing to suit your taste.
Makes 6-8 servings.