Wonderful spring veggies in my CSA box from Delvin Farms make it easy (and delicious) to think outside the box!
Delvin farms is one of the few farms to have a spring CSA, which runs April through May. I have been the lucky recipient of their spring CSA, which I picked up every Saturday at the West End Farmers Market, which has now morphed into the Richland Farmers Market. While it was not filled with heirloom tomatoes or peaches and cream corn, it signaled Spring and a bounty of dishes appropriate for warm days, cool nights and …rain. Foods that lend themselves to heartier dishes with longer prep times, for days with the windows slung open and the breezes wafting through the house, before it’s too hot to turn on the oven.
Sweet potatoes, kale, chard, onions, asparagus,and strawberries came in my box early, and found their way into a Spring Greens Phyllo pie, where bundles of greens are cooked down to a fraction of themselves, then piled into a crunchy, buttery phyllo crust accented with goat cheese. Green onions and garlic are whirled into a bright green pesto, tossed on pasta, pizza and a turkey sandwich. Strawberries were macerated in cream for ice cream, and sweet potatoes land in a cheddar filled gratin. But the biggest surprise was the jar of Tomato Juice Cocktail that was made from last year’s tomato harvest. To have the bright real tomato flavor in May was big. I added shrimp for a light, flavorful Gazpacho with Shrimp and Avocado. Spring has sprung. Enjoy.
Cindy Delvin shares a farmer’s insights on their spring harvest at delvinfarms.com, where you will also find Mint Pesto Strawberry Salad and Watercress Salad with Oranges, Cucumber and Pomegranate.
Spring Greens Phyllo Pie
Skylar Bush's Quick Pickled Radishes
Buffalo Chicken Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
McKel Hill's Ultimate Spring Salad
Spring Pasta with Arugula Pesto and Fresh Peas
Hummus with Spring Veggies
White Bean Salad with Spinach and Herbs
Arugula Pesto
Any fresh green and herb can be whirled into a pesto. But fresh arugula is peppery and perfect in this green condiment. We always make this up when our arugula is a day too old. Or when we have an...
Strawberry Buttermilk Cake
Here is a simple vanilla cake that lets the berries shine. It's the first thing we make every spring when we score local strawberries. But you can use blueberrires or blackberries as well.
Kayne Prime's Kale Salad
This is hands down the best selling side at Kayne Prime Steakhouse. They make it in huge quantities. As the kale isn't cooked, the key is to finely chop the kale in a food processor.
