The first share of the season makes me rather wistful–the field spaces are still moderately sparse, with lots of promise to come, and rhubarb is nearly always on the menu, which feeds my soul (and my tummy!). The rhubarb variety we have is unknown. My grandmother’s father, who was one of the last WWI Doughboys left when he passed away in 1991, was an avid gardener. This rhubarb variety filled one section of his garden, and made its tasty way into those of his children, too. My grandma is the last of them, and the 50+-year-old rhubarb plants in her back garden get almost as tall as she is when they’re in their full splendor in June. Her plants have been split and had babies, and so have migrated their way into our field space as well. If I had to give up every other plant and cultivate just one, rhubarb would be it, hands down.
[tip :: after bringing rhubarb home, immediately wrap it in foil. It will last for ages and stay relatively crisp, ready for you when you finally use it. I’ve saved it for 3+ weeks using this method]
This share includes a few other favorites, as well:
The mixed spring greens are a variety of lettuce, baby kale, a smidge of arugula, and some spinach.
Some larger mustard greens made their way in, and some green garlic from our Inchelium Red field–it’s such a tasty, mild garlic, and green garlic seems so much less fussy to me because you don’t have to peel cloves, and can venture so much further up the stem, like chives or green onions.
The zesty (and huge! And colorful!) radishes are the variety Malaga, and they’re the centerpiece of this week’s recipe.
[tip :: when you bring home root veggies with leaves attached, usually the leaves are edible too–it’s especially true of radishes and turnips. Make sure you trim the greens from the veggies when you get them home, or the greens will continue to draw nutrients from their roots, and turn them a bit rubbery before you’re ready to eat them. No worries though–if they rubberize, you can still bake them!]
BALSAMIC ROASTED GARLIC AND CHIVE RADISHES
SERVES 4
1lb radishes, quartered
.5 oz chives (flowers included) diced fine
4 cloves of garlic, sliced thickly
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
– Prep the ingredients and toss all in an oven-safe pan (we love our cast iron here!)
– Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, and finish by broiling for 2 minutes. Open oven swiftly, give it a good stir, and broil for 2 minutes more. Enjoy hot!
Recent Comments