What’s in the box?

Green peppers, Swiss chard, blackberries, tomatoes, lettuce, onions, garlic.

• The peppers are hanging thick on many of our pepper plants – but they sure are slow to change colour! So rather than wait for them to turn red, orange, yellow … we’ll pick some green peppers this week.
• Swiss chard is a beautiful & delicious leafy green – but not that well-known. The stems come in a rainbow of colours – white, red, pink, yellow & orange. The wrinkled leaves can hold a lot of dirt & grit so they may need several washings. The simplest way to prepare them is to just wilt them in the saute pan then season with oil, butter and salt & pepper, and enjoy.

I have included several simple recipes using Swiss chard below.

• After a pleasant & warm weekend, we had an amazing pick of blackberries today. Enjoy a larger taste of these sweet & tart berries in your share this week. Store them in the fridge uncovered and eat them within a day or two.
• We’re finally picking some larger beefsteak tomatoes along with the cherry types. Tomato sandwiches anyone? Find all sizes of tomatoes in the box this week.
• Lettuce, onions & garlic continue to be a part of the share again this week.

Quinoa with Swiss chard, garlic & tomatoes 

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup Swiss chard stems, finely chopped (about 4-6 stalks)
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 medium size tomatoes diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups Swiss chard leaves, roughly chopped
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Cook quinoa according to package instructions. Set aside on a serving platter.
2. In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil.
3. Saute the Swiss chard stems and shallots until soft, about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and saute until they have lost their firmness.
4. Add the garlic and Swiss chard leaves and continue to saute until the leaves have softened.
5. Remove from heat and slide on top of the cooked quinoa and serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top.  (recipe from myhalalkitchen.com)

Swiss Chard stalk Hummus

Bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add 2 cups chopped chard stalks and boil for 5-10 min.
Drain well, squeezing out any excess water, and add the stalks to a food processor, along with 2 cloves of garlic, 1/4 cup tahini, 1/2 tsp salt and juice of one lemon. Pulse continuously until dip is slightly chunky. Serve with a generous swirl of oil on top and sprinkle a handful of chopped parsley if desired.

Some newer plantings of vegetables including beans, cabbages, Swiss chard …

… carrots, lettuce, spinach, Chinese cabbages, bok choy.