All About Greens

It wasn’t so long ago that baby spinach so artfully packaged in clamshell plastic containers in the produce section of fancy food markets was the height of green delight. But on a recent trip to San Francisco, I spied multi-hued amaranth, pumpkin blossoms and yam shoots at a farmer’s market in Marin County. And each week, the offerings of greens from our own CSA grow increasingly diverse.

Mild flavored greens include spinach, collards, chard, bok choy, pak choi, and beet greens; stronger flavored greens include mustard, arugula, kale, mizuna and turnip greens. By weight, greens offer significant nutritional benefit, as they are high in fiber, calcium, iron, protein and folic acid. Members of the cabbage family (collards, kale, choy) are also high in vitamin C.

Most greens can be stored in the refrigerator for several days, wrapped in a damp kitchen towel and placed in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. (Alternatively, they can be stored wrapped in a paper towel and loosely packaged in a plastic bag.) Greens begin to wilt after picking, so if you plan to use them raw, refresh the greens in a bowl of ice water, which will restore their “snap”. The more tender the leaf, the quicker they wilt, so plan your meals accordingly.

To prepare greens for cooking, separate any tough stems from the leaves (these can be cooked separately) and discard any bruised leaves. Rinse all greens well in several changes of water to free up any dirt that may cling to the leaves.

A few thoughts on what to do with your CSA greens:

• Stir-fry bok choy in sesame oil, sprinkle with sesame seeds (try a combination of white and black) and serve over rice. This is also great the next day with sliced roasted peppers wrapped in a tortilla.
  
• Saute kale in olive oil, season with lemon juice, salt, pepper and a pinch of red chili flakes. Serve over pasta. Also great with a little feta cheese tossed in.
  
• Make a salad using the delicate leaves of any green: mizuna, beet greens, and arugula, for example. Toss in any other fresh veggies (perhaps paper thin slices of summer squash and a few cherry tomatoes). Dress with olive oil and red wine vinegar and garnish with toasted pine nuts.