Beet Greens with Rice Vinegar

Beet greens and spring onions sautéed then seasoned with rice vinegar--an excellent side dish to accompany Asian meals

Ya'll may think I'm crazy, but part of the seven (7!) different edible greens we got in our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share last week was a double amount of beet greens. I'm happy to have them, and I completely understand how something that caused a tummy upset in the past is something to be avoided in the future--which is what caused my benefactor to bequeath her greens.

A few weeks ago, for the first time in 15 years, I made sesame peanut noodles.  I thought I was ready for them, but no--memories of the tummy bug we caught the night of my son's first birthday party were still too strong. At least my folks liked them this time around.

When I've got double the greens--and not a lot of solo breakfast opportunities because everyone is constantly underfoot--I needed to think past my beloved beet green breakfast into something the whole family may get excited about.  When I saw mandu marked down at the grocery store I decided to make a slightly Asian twist on my beet greens.  It worked out well enough that I made this side dish a second time this past week.

I think this recipe would also work well with Swiss chard, and probably spinach too. We've been drinking up kale lemonade smoothies so much that there's no really any kale left for cooking, but perhaps that would also sauté well.  Especially after a massage.
I'd be happy to sauté well after a massage, come to think of it.

Cold and Creamy Pea, Avocado, and Mint Buttermilk Soup

A tangy refreshing chilled soup of garden fresh peas, avocado, and mint in a buttermilk base

"This is my mom.  She has worms."

My daughter's scintillating introduction to her charges didn't dissuade me from my purpose--to share my worm bin with the young gardeners at our local historical society.  Some kids think it's cool, some kids think it's gross, but all kids learn a little bit about worm composting. The more folks--young and old--who are exposed to the myriad of ways we can decrease the amount of waste we create, the better.
I think early exposure to a variety of ideas and foods is important and can result in permanent behavior changes. After I shared my worms with the young gardeners I helped them in their plot. It reminded me of when my teens were in elementary school and I'd volunteer during class time, helping kids to plant, weed, and harvest vegetables.  Now, my daughter was in charge of the pea harvest--showing the kids how to snap off the peas without pulling up the whole vine. She also encouraged her charges to sample the harvest.

When I harvest in my own garden I just eat peas straight off the vine. They need no accompaniment, to me, which is why I haven't shared a pea recipe before. Usually I start snacking on peas while driving home from picking up our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share box, and I'll nibble a few here and there until they are all gone.

However, I screwed up with the peas in the farm share recently which is why I created this soup. After nibbling on a bunch, I set the pint on the shelf in the fridge and the peas froze. Oops.  Not one to waste perfectly edible food that is the result of our farmers' hard work, I searched for a soup recipe combining what I had on hand (peas, mint, buttermilk) with what sounded good (avocado).

If you don't like the taste of buttermilk [because your mom raised you to eat what was put in front of you and your friend's mom offered you a tall glass of buttermilk which you choked down--only to be given a second glass since you appeared to like it so much--my spouse's experience with buttermilk, not mine] I recommend trying this pea soup recipe.  Or this one.

Beef and Broccoli Pizza (Pizza Night!)

Roast beef and roasted broccoli seasoned with layers of Asian flavors. You don't miss the cheese

OMG there's no cheese on this pizza, will they revoke my home-pizza-maker card? Will someone come and steal my blackened and broken, pizza stone?

I've got greens on my mind, so it makes sense to share a pizza with a green topping today. Want to know how many types of edible greens we got in the farm share this week? The photo is on my FB page, but I'll just tell ya--seven.  Seven types of greens.  Plus all the other delicious Spring vegetables.  Whoa. I've got my vegetable triage work cut out for me.

I did make a few command decisions right off the bat. While I know that radish greens are edible, the spiky edges put me off and the composting pig won't touch them--so into the compost bin they go. Ditto the turnip greens. My spouse commented "that's a handsome turnip" when he saw the giant beauty, and while I do like slow cooked turnip greens and cornbread in the Fall, I'd rather use my freezer space to put up berries right now. Into the compost bin with the turnip greens.
That leaves us [pun unintended] with lettuce, kale, kohlrabi greens, a big bag of cooking greens, and my beloved beet greens.

I don't usually pair greens with cheese--unless it's cheese in a salad--so I'm glad to share a pizza without cheese.  My first pizza without cheese, as a matter of fact.  But not the last--the kids snapped this one up quickly, and that's high praise for me to make further variations on this theme.