Fresh Picks: What to Cook Now

Between hail storms and heat, your garden may look a little rough. We know: Our veggie boxes look weather-beaten, too, which is why we’re excited to see more and more local, fresh produce in stores and farmers’ markets. We’re doubly stoked that we had the foresight to sign up this winter for a vegetable and flower CSA from Pastures of Plenty. Our first bag was loaded with greens, mushrooms, sugar snap peas (we had to eat a few immediately), and radishes. As CSA veterans know, though, cooking through the week’s bounty is a challenge, which is why food editor Amanda M. Faison and digital editor Natasha Gardner are splitting a share. Throughout the summer, they will update this slideshow with recipes and tips on how they use the freshest Colorado ingredients in their own kitchens. Bonus: Check out the “Fresh Picks” Pinterest board and last year’s series for even more recipe ideas.

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Week 15: Lettuces, cabbage, poblano peppers, acorn squash, fennel, and apples (Amanda’s picks)

1. Not a lot of cooking…

• Used: Apples, lettuces, acorn squash
• How: The truth is I just didn’t cook much this week. I was on deadline for the cookbook and the days were long. I ate the apples on their own (they were spectacularly sweet and crisp) and I made a number of unexciting salads. One night I did bake the acorn squash (but I forgot to take a photo). I cut the squash into rings and seasoned it with olive oil and salt and pepper. I baked it until it was soft and slightly golden. I can’t even remember what I served it with, but my husband and I ate most of the squash right out of the pan. Needless to say, it was not a week of inspired dishes. Luckily, the cabbage, poblanos, and fennel will keep for next week.

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Week 14: Red frill mustard greens, Lettuces, fennel, tatsoi, kale, leeks, and pears (Natasha’s picks)

1. Apple, Pear, Walnut, and Mustard Greens Salad

• Used: Pear and mustard greens
• How: With Colorado apples and pears arriving at the market, I picked up extras to snack on during the week. I reserved two, though, for a salad with candied walnuts from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook. The recipe calls for fresh walnuts, but my pantry-staples worked just fine, and I’ve still got a bowl of extras to snack on this week.

2. Fresh Pasta with Lemon-cream Sauce, Kale, and Roasted Pork Tenderloin

• Used: Kale, leek, and fennel
• How: I tweeted about my latest pasta-making session in July, and I’m still savoring the sheets in September (I made three batches to freeze). During the CSA-season, this pasta has been the perfect base for last-minute dinner party menus. This week, I used a recipe for lemon-cream sauce from Modern Sauces for a pasta plate with sautéed kale and pork tenderloin (roasted with leek and fennel). Dinner for a crowd was served by 6:30 p.m.—on a Monday, no less.

3. Roasted Corn Soup with Chiles

• Used: Leek
• How: In the middle of a weekend bathroom remodel, I needed a quick, but filling lunch for my work crew (read: lovely husband). I’d bookmarked this recipe from the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook, but it takes nearly an hour to prep and cook. I was able to cut that time in half, though, by using frozen corn and peppers that I had stashed in the freezer earlier this summer. I substituted leeks for the red onions and used up some extra garlic cloves from a previous CSA pick-up. This soup recipe was so tasty it will go into regular rotation in my kitchen.

4. Fried Egg with Mustard Greens and Toast

• Used: Mustard greens
• How: Thanks to the bathroom remodel (see above), I also needed to prep a speedy breakfast. With something like this recipe in mind, I fried up an egg, toasted some sourdough bread, and plated mustard greens. Breakfast was served in less than eight minutes.

5. Tomatoes and Mozzarella with Tatsoi

• Used: Tatsoi
• How: The tomato plants in my home garden are going crazy, which means that nearly every meal must feature the fruit. What better way to honor a vine-ripened tomato than a fresh mozzarella salad?

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Week 13: Lettuces, pepper, onions, cabbage, and honey (Natasha’s picks)

1. Roasted Chiles

• Used: Chiles
• How: When the temperature dipped last week, I quickly covered my tomato plants and huddled in my kitchen with the intention of concocting something that would make me forget the cold. The chiles in this week’s CSA bag were the perfect distraction. I threw them on my stove’s grill and savored the charred smell as they roasted. I then put the warm peppers in a bowl and covered it with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes. When the chiles were cool enough to handle, I stripped the blistered skin, removed the seeds and veins, and chopped the remaining flesh. I didn’t know what I’d used the chiles for yet, but having some on hand to flavor meat, top soup like croutons, or throw in a sauce is always a good idea.

2. Roasted Poblanos Stuffed with Corn, Chile, and Italian Sausage Risotto

• Used: Chiles, onion, and lettuces
• How: I found myself craving both casserole and risotto during last week’s cold spell. After finding the Smitten Kitchen’s combo recipe, I was inspired to do a mash-up of my favorite stuffed pepper filling, Smitten Kitchen’s version, and my go-to risotto recipe. I made some small adjustments (skipped the edamame in the risotto, added in chopped chiles, and so on) and made enough filling for several peppers so that the extras could go straight in my freezer for a fast weeknight meal next month. I served it with a quick salad because, well, I don’t eat enough veggies. (Freezing note: Fill the peppers and top with cheese, but do not cook in the oven before freezing. When thawed, you can cook to ensure that the cheese melts like you’d just assembled the peppers that day.)

3. Chile Turkey Burgers with Salad and Pita

• Used: Chiles and lettuces
• How: On Saturday, between reporting assignments and a Rapids’ game, I needed a quick family meal. The result? A simple salad (ranch dressing, tomatoes from my garden, and sliced avocado) served with grilled chile turkey burgers. I’ve topped turkey burgers with chiles before, but by mixing the pepper into the patty, the burger was a bit more juicy (read: I’ll do this again).

4. Cabbage, Leek, and Potato Soup with Blue Cheese Toasts

• Used: Cabbage
• How: Our house has the snuffles this week, so a soothing soup for lunch sounded ideal. Looking forward to fall weather, I recently picked up a copy of Deborah Madison’s Vegetable Soups, which features a lovely recipe for green cabbage soup with potatoes, leeks, and sour cream. I added hot sauce, of course, and broiled up some quick blue cheese toast, per Madison’s suggestion. The result was oh-so medicinal.

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Week 12: Lettuces, fennel, kale, cauliflower, sweet onions, and summer savory (Amanda’s picks)

1. Green Smoothies

• Used: Kale
• How: Even when I’m rushing out the door, I try to make time for a green smoothie. To ensure this process is as foolproof as possible, I wash the whole bundle of kale, separate it from the stalks, and place it in a dishtowel and plastic bag in the fridge. This guarantees that even on especially busy mornings, I have a couple handfuls ready for the Vitamix. I add a banana (the riper the better), frozen blueberries or frozen peaches, and a cup of water or cococut milk. Buzz and it’s ready to go. My seven-year-old loves these smoothies—I love that she heads to school full of vitamins and nutrients that her bowl of cereal can’t possibly offer.

2. Roasted Pork with Fennel

• Used: Fennel
• How: As Natasha mentioned, it’s a busy time at the magazine. This week, there were multiple deadlines hitting at the same time and I didn’t do much cooking outside of quick week-night meals. (I was so distracted, in fact, I forgot to take pictures of the roasted pork with fennel dish.) One of my favorite parts of the fennel plant is the feathery frond at the top. Most people discard this section, but I love it grilled or roasted to the point of crispiness. For this dish, I lined a lasagna pan with quartered fennel bulbs and a number of fronds. Over the top I laid two oiled and seasoned pork loins. I drizzled the pan with olive oil and popped it in a 375° oven until the pork was done. The key is plating the pork and the fennel together so you get bites of meat with soft, roasted bulbs and nutty, crispy fronds.

  3. Sloppy Joes and Cauliflower “Fries”

• Used: Fennel, onion, savory, cauliflower
• How: Since this week was all about quick and easy, I pulled out my Sloppy Joe recipe. The family favorite is a snap to make, plus it works with the fall-ish weather. I loosely follow this recipe from Everyday Food, but I pump up the veggies by doubling the amount called for (I also add chopped carrots). Because I had fennel and savory on hand, I added them to the mix. I tucked the Joes inside City Bakery‘s buttery brioche buns and served cauliflower “fries” (which really means cauliflower roasted until brown and crispy) on the side.

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Week 11: Lettuces, summer squash, cabbage, collard greens, red onions, kale, garlic, and tomatoes (Natasha’s picks)

1. Friday Night Chicken Dinner

• Used: Lettuces, tomatoes, red onions, and summer squash
• How: Most Friday night meals revolve around protein, but with so many fresh flavors at the ready, I built this meal around red onions. First, I fried the onion slices to act as both garnish and crunch on top of a summer salad with sliced tomatoes and goat cheese. I loved the vibrant stripes on the summer squash, so I sliced the veggie thinly and tossed the pieces in olive oil and a dash of soy sauce. I started the chicken on the stove, to crisp up the skin, and then finished it in the oven for about 15 minutes. Frankly, the chicken wouldn’t have been necessary; the veggie flavors were vibrant enough on their own.

2. Frozen Kale and Collard Greens

• Used: Kale and collard greens
• How: This week was full of deadlines, which meant my family ate more pizza than produce. Faced with a Labor Day weekend vacation, I had to do something with the greens sitting in my fridge. As a huge freezer fan, I opted to blanch the greens (three to four minutes each), and freeze them. They’ll be perfect to toss into soups come December. (Tip: Try using frozen kale in red pasta sauces.)

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Week Ten: Lettuces, summer squash, kale, onions, fennel, dill, basil, and peaches (Amanda’s picks)

1. Grilled Summer Squash and Onions with Shishitos, Corn, and Feta

• Used: Summer squash, onions, basil
• How: I don’t love summer squash but I thoroughly I enjoyed this spur of the moment side dish. I marinated pattypans and zucchini ribbons with onions, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. While those were grilling, I slivered shishito peppers, cut corn off the cob, and toasted a handful of almonds. Once the grilled vegetables were ready, I placed everything in a serving bowl and added feta, torn basil, parsley, and additional lemon juice and olive oil. The combination was simple and easy. Best of all, because the squash were cut so thinly, they were merely a side note, not the main component.

2. Peaches and Cream Pie

• Used: Peaches
• How: This year’s Palisade peach crop is outstanding and farmers say the harvest is so bountiful we’ll have fruit for another few weeks. During that time, I urge you to make this pie (pictured, right) from the Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book. The crust is a snap: Combine oats, sugar, flour, salt, spices, and butter, and press it into a pie plate. The filling—a combination of cream cheese, sour cream, and spices—is poured over sliced peaches. Of the two pies (the other was a blueberry-blackberry) I made for a dinner party, this was the clear favorite. It’s a different take on peach pie and I think it would be equally successful with plums or pears.

3. Bibimbap

• Used: Kale, onion, summer squash, basil
• How: When the weather shifts toward fall, bibimbap becomes a weeknight staple. August is early for the Korean dish to land on my dinner table, but the timing allowed me to utilize bounty from both the garden the CSA. This recipe, although not authentic, is my go-to because it’s easily adapted. I topped brown rice (instead of white) with cucumber, carrots, squash, kale, onions, and garlic sauteed in oil and soy sauce. Just before serving, each bowl received a fried egg, a drizzle of sesame oil, and fresh basil. I suppose bibimbap could be considered a stir-fry (it translates to “mixed rice”) but I find it far more dynamic.

3. Chickpea, Fennel, and Lemon Salad

• Used: Fennel
• How: Years ago, I made this cannellini bean, fennel, and shrimp salad for a Jazz in the Park picnic. In the time since, I’ve made this simple, chilled combination more times than I can count. I like that the salad can easily function as a side dish or as an entrée. And so, when I saw fennel in this week’s CSA bundle, I knew exactly what I’d be making. I made the dish for lunch and I didn’t have time to go to the store, so I replaced the cannellini beans with chickpeas and I skipped the shrimp. I also added extra fennel and the fronds because I love the vegetable’s anise flavor. Then I toasted a hunk of Babettes‘ polenta bread, spooned the salad over the top, and garnished with an extra squeeze of lemon and a dollop of olive oil.

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Week Nine: Lettuces, summer squash, broccoli, collard greens, Japanese turnips, cabbage, summery savory, and peaches (Natasha’s picks)

1. Canned Peach Butter

• Used: Peaches
• How: When I found peaches in my CSA bag this week, I immediately bought a full box of the ripe stuff at the Cherry Creek Fresh Market so that I had an excuse to make peach butter. I used a recipe from Ball’s Blue Book Guide to Preserving, but cut the sugar in half. After all, Colorado peaches are sweet enough already; why mess with nature?

2. Green Cabbage, Radish, and Cucumber Slaw with Dill

• Used: Green cabbage
• How: I just spent a weekend eating the bounty from my mother-in-law’s garden, including a zesty coleslaw with vinegar, sugar, and hot sauce. Back at home, I replicated her recipe with a little help from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, which features a version made with fresh dill and cucumber. My addition to the evolution? Sliced radishes and even more hot sauce served alongside grilled bison burgers.

3. Zucchini Banana Bread

• Used: Zucchini
• How: This time of year, zucchini and bananas tend to pile up on my kitchen counter (the zucchini grows too fast and the bananas are forgotten when peach season arrives). I was planning to make both zucchini and banana bread when I thought, Hey, I can combine these. I wasn’t the first to think of the mash-up; a Google search will yield plenty of recipes. The result was so tasty I’ve already made plans to make a second batch.

4. Broccoli Egg Scramble

• Used: Broccoli
• How: There’s nothing complicated about this recipe. I stir-fried some broccoli, scrambled eggs, tossed in bacon and cheese (both kept in the freezer for just these occasions), and topped with hot sauce. Brunch was complete in less than 10 minutes.

5. Grilled Jerk Ribs

• Used: Summer Savory
• How: With friends en route for a backyard dinner, I slathered some pork ribs with my favorite rub from Jerk from Jamaica by Helen Willinsky (page 8). The sweet-but-spicy wet marinade usually features fresh thyme, but I used summer savory this time, which added a mint-y undertone that was perfect for summer. I like to double the peppers in this recipe, but skip the yellow onion (make sure to use the scallions, though), because, well, everyone has their own spin on jerk seasoning.

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Week Eight: lettuces, kale, beets, summer squash, onion, and corn (Amanda’s picks)

1. Garden Tomato, Olive, Camembert, and Dill Salad

• Used: Dill, Onion, Camembert (a CSA extra)
• How: My tomato plants are beginning to go nuts, which means the tomato salad is nearly a daily occurrence. But one can only eat so many Capreses. For a simple lunch I combined quartered cherry tomatoes, thin slices of onion, and marinated mixed olives with cubes of MoCou Camembert. Over the top I added fresh dill, a squeeze of lemon, and kosher salt. The salad was so colorful and light that I made it again for dinner with the addition of garden cucumbers and grilled corn.

2. Roasted Beet, Mozzarella, Garden Tomato Salad

• Used: Beets, Dill
• How: I told you tomato salads were a near daily ritual! Tonight I combined roasted beets with slices of fresh mozzarella and cubes of still-warm-from-the-sun tomato. I drizzled the combination with sherry vinegar and Giuliana‘s De Carlo olive oil and added a fronds of fresh dill and a sprinkle of Maldon salt. Eaten with a hunk of rustic bread, this summery salad could have been dinner on its own.

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WEEK Seven: Lettuces, kale, broccoli, summer squash, garlic, basil, fava beans, and cherries (Natasha’s picks)

1. Fava Beans with a Bacon, Mint, and Dill Vinaigrette

• Used: Fava beans
• How: On a Thursday night, I wanted to prepare a tasty side dish that wouldn’t involve a lot of work on the stove. The solution? A riff on this simple recipe. I grow dill, mint, and chives in my home garden, so I tossed about a teaspoon (minced) of each with olive oil and some white wine vinegar for a simple dressing. Decadent tip: I keep bacon fat and bacon bits in my freezer. I warmed a touch of the fat on the stove with some bacon pieces and dumped in the fava beans for a quick coat before adding the dressing. The result, which added just two minutes of cooking time, cuts down on the amount of fat in the dish, but keeps all the bacon flavor goodness.

2. Chile Prawns with Shredded Kale and Lime-Ginger Dressing or “The Most Awesome Tailgate Ever”

• Used: Kale and garlic
• How: At the final hour, we decided to tailgate before the Colorado Rapids game. The trouble was that I had none of the typical ingredients for pregame foods (wings, sandwiches, burgers) in my fridge. Instead, I opted to make a quick dish from Bobby Flay’s Barbecue Addiction. The recipe pairs a raw kale salad (massaged with a lime, rice vinegar, honey, and oil dressing) with Greek yogurt-drenched grilled prawns. I added quinoa for a little more oomph. The recipe took less than 30 minutes to prepare and pack, and I can easily say that it is the best meal I’ve had in a parking lot.

3. Basil Pesto with Naan

• Used: Basil and garlic
• How: When I see a bunch of basil, my first instinct is to make a fresh batch of pesto, which is exactly what I did this week. It was too hot to boil pasta in the house, so I threw some pre-made pieces of naan on the grill to use to sop up the sauce. I used this Alice Waters recipe, but am always on the search for pesto variations. If you have one, tell us in the comments below.

4. Poblanos Stuffed with Zucchini and Summer Squash

• Used: Zucchini and summer squash
• How: During the summer, I spend a lot of time stuffing zucchini with meat and veggies. I’ve never thought to use it as a stuffing, though, until I was browsing through At Mesa’s Edge: Cooking and Ranching in Colorado’s North Fork Valley and found Eugenia Bone’s recipe for stuffed poblanos. This chile relleno variation uses grated zucchini or summer squash as a filling. I didn’t include a picture because, well, fried peppers are delicious but aren’t photogenic. Next time, I’ll skip the frying process and just roast these in the oven instead.

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WEEK SIX: Baby lettuces, kale, rainbow chard, golden beets, baby carrots, and mint (Amanda’s picks)

1. Plum, Mint, Kale, Beet Greens, and Lemon Juice

• Used: Kint, kale, beet greens
• How: I’m not including a photo of this juice because it was brownish, reddish, and not pretty. It didn’t look like anything you want to drink—except it was terrific. One of my favorite ways to begin the day is with a fresh juice or a green smoothie. For this combination, I added handfuls of kale, beet greens, and mint to overly ripe plums and a lemon. The lemon and the mint rounded out the greens’ earthiness and the plums added sweetness.

2. Pork Patty Pockets with Kale

• Used: Kale, mint, and dill (from last week)
• How: I discovered this simple Emeril Lagasse recipe in Everyday Food several years ago. The dish is built for easy weeknight dining and my kids love it. You mix the patties with onion, spices, and breadcrumbs; broil them; and serve them in toasted pita pockets lined with fresh veggies. Note: The patties call for two large eggs beaten into the mix. My youngest daughter has an egg allergy so I omit them and the dish still works perfectly. In fact, that’s one of the best things about this recipe: it’s flexible. You can use any kind of ground meat, change up the spices, omit the onion, add more garlic, whatever works. The same flexibility goes into stuffing the pockets: I used torn kale leaves and sliced cucumber instead of the called for tomato, lettuce, and cucumber. The kicker is the fresh, minted yogurt sauce (I added dill too) that takes two minutes to make.

3. Carrot Top Salsa

• Used: Carrot tops, mint, garlic (last week)
• How: Most people don’t know you can eat the green leafy tops of carrots. But you can, and you should. The fronds, which taste vaguely like the root ends, can be chopped into salsa or whirled into pesto or salsa verde. Think of it as making the most of the carrot. This salsa is bright, lemony, and herbaceous (I swapped the fresh oregano for mint), and it’s delicious with roasted meats, fish, or over goat cheese.

4. Green Minestrone

• Used: Carrots, rainbow chard
• How: I’ve been looking for an excuse to make Bon Appétit‘s green minestrone, and yesterday’s deluge provided the perfect opportunity. The soup, which combines fennel and leaks with peas and carrots, was a snap to make (it took about 30 minutes to prep and cook). I added rainbow chard for extra punch and instead of fregola (or small pasta), I served the soup over Cappello’s excellent gluten-free gnocchi. I also swapped the Parmesan for thin slices of MouCo’s ColoRouge cheese. The day may have been unseasonably cool, but dinner was a warm reminder of summer’s bounty.

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WEEK Five: Beet Greens, baby lettuces, japanese turnips, kales, beans, garlic, and dill (Amanda’s picks)

1. Salad with Baby Lettuces, Pork, Feta, and Plums

• Used: Baby lettuces
• How: I was on my home from picking up the CSA when I began thinking about lunch. Whatever it was going to be, it had to be quick enough to fit in between a conference call and a phone interview. The easy answer was a salad that would use up the carnitas we’d had the night before. When I got home, I washed a couple handfuls of lettuce, added feta and the pork, and sliced one of the plums I’d bought from Red Barn Farm at the market. I drizzled De Carlo extra-virgin olive oil from Giuliana Imports and sherry vinegar over the top. A pinch of Maldon salt and lunch was served.

2. Flatbread with Marinated Green Beans and Turnips

• Used: Green beans and turnips
• How: I needed to test Grateful Bread‘s whole wheat pizza dough recipe for the pending 5280 cookbook but I didn’t want pizza. So, I made the crust, par-baked it, and topped it with fresh mozzarella and an assortment of green beans and turnips marinated in Osteria Marco’s red wine vinaigrette (also from the cookbook). Then I grilled the flatbread and drizzled the top with Acorn’s miso-ancho-cumin vinaigrette (another cookbook recipe). I made this up on the fly with the hopes of utilizing the CSA and using up leftover ingredients in my fridge. The result was summery and fresh, and it’s a dish I’ll make again.

3. Pickled Turnip Stems

• Used: Turnip stems
• How: In preparation for the next Food Lover’s Book Club (Date: August 20, Subject: Pickling), I bought Hugh Acheson’s book Pick A Pickle. The clever swatchbook makes use of many of the items that might land in your compost. Case in point: turnip stems. I didn’t have the four cups of stems called for so I downsized the recipe. Now I have a jar of briny stems just waiting to add zing to a cheese plate, pulled pork sandwiches (Acheson’s suggestion), or grilled meats.

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WEEK Four: Beets and Greens, rainbow chard, baby lettuces, apricots, and cherries (Natasha’s picks)

1. Marinated Beet Salad

• Used: Beets
• How: I grew up in an area settled by plenty of Eastern European immigrants. Translation? I’ve eaten a lot of beets, and this simple prepartion (from Alice Waters’ The Art of Simple Food; recipe can be found here) is one of the best preparations I’ve found. You roast, peel, and dice the beets, toss with a dash of vinegar, and then mix with a swig of extra-virgin olive oil.

2. Beet Greens with Risotto

• Used: Beet Greens
• How: I love recipes that sound more complicated than they are, like risotto, which is my go-to Friday night meal. It feels fancy, but only takes about 30 minutes to prep and cook. Inspired by this recipe, I threw together a quick risotto with bacon and sautéed beet greens. The beet greens stain the rice, so make sure to cook them separately and place on top of the plated rice.

3. Frozen Breakfast Burritos with Mixed Greens

• Used: Baby lettuces
• How: I don’t want to give out the false impression that I have oodles of time to spend toiling over a hot stove. No, I look for shortcuts, too, which is why I’m a big fan of keeping a well-stocked freezer. On Sunday, we had plans for a family bike ride, zoo tour, and to watch the World Cup final in the afternoon. There was no way that I had time to cook something from scratch, so I grabbed some homemade breakfast burritos (eggs, three types of peppers, onions, cheese, bacon, and potatoes), popped them in the microwave to defrost, threw some lettuce on a plate, and, boom, I had food on the table in less than five minutes.

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WEEK THREE: Beets and Greens, Japanese turnips, rainbow chard, English peas, and cherries (Natasha’s picks)

1. Beet Greens with Pine Nuts, Parmesan, and Lemon Juice

• Used: Beet Greens
• How: As my husband isn’t a big fan of beets, I was at a loss for how to use up a whole bag of beet greens. So, I cheated and prepared them just like I do kale (with toasted pine nuts, sautéed shallots, a splash of fresh lemon juice, and a dash of sriracha sauce). The result was tangy, spicy, and oh-so fresh.

2. Grilled Rack of Lamb with Pea Puree and Japanese Turnips

• Used: English peas and Japanese turnips
• How: The photo doesn’t do this meal justice, as it was one of the best things I’ve made in recent memory. I sliced and sautéed the turnips with shallots (here’s a similar recipe). The pea puree was simple: Throw a good splat of butter, shelled blanched peas, and some fresh mint from the garden in a food processor and let it whirl. This was one of those rare moments when the timing was perfect; I was just scooping the puree onto plates when my husband took the rack of lamb off the grill.

3. Lentil Soup with Bacon and Swiss Chard

• Used: Swiss Chard
• How: The chard was looking a little pathetic by the time I was ready to cook with it, so I tossed it in an ice bath to revive the leaves. As I waited for the greens to perk up, I starting cooking a lentil stew inspired by a recipe from Tender by Nigel Slater, which is a handy reference for using up produce. (Find a similar recipe here.) Next time, I’d use more stock, but the stew-y concoction makes for an ideal take-to-work lunch.

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WEEK TWO: Lettuces, Japanese turnips, rainbow chard, sugar snap peas, and summer savory (Amanda’s picks)

1. Grilled Peaches, Cabrales Crostini, and PX Sherry Reduction with Lettuce

• Used: Lettuces
• How: I’m in the midst of recipe testing for 5280‘s first-ever cookbook so I’m looking for ways to pair incoming CSA ingredients with the recipes on my docket. This recipe, which is from chef Jennifer Jasinski of Rioja, calls for a half-pound of arugula; I used Pastures of Plenty’s beautiful, multicolored lettuces instead. The dish is a terrific blend of savory, sweet, and earthy flavors. It’s also easy enough that, with a little advanced planning, I was able to assemble it at the pool for an alfresco dinner (hence the ugly paper plate). Shameless plug: Look for the cookbook to come out in October.

2. Tea-Poached Salmon with Soba, Radishes, Peas, and Broccoli

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WEEK ONE: Radishes, sugar snap peas, rainbow chard, mushrooms, and mixed greens (Natasha’s picks)

1. Spicy Salmon Noodle Bowl

• Used: Rainbow chard and sugar snap peas
• How: My family eats noodle bowls at least once a week, and I’d already planned to make a grilled salmon one (inspired by this Jamie Oliver recipe) when I picked up my CSA package and found fresh sugar snap peas inside. I tossed in a few handfuls of chard, too, which added a sharp tang to offset the chile’s heat in the salmon marinade.

2. Beer Can Chicken with Roasted Radishes, Sugar Snap Peas, and Greens

• Used: Radishes, sugar snap peas, and greens
• How: With guests in town and two toddlers playing in the backyard, I needed a hearty meal that wouldn’t involve a lot of effort. The solution: My beer can chicken recipe with a make-your-own salad. I put the chicken on the grill, placed radishes tossed with olive oil in the oven to roast, whisked up a mustard vinaigrette, set timers on my iPhone, and spent the rest of the time with my guests.

3. Mushroom Crostini with Creme Fraiche

• Used: Mushrooms
• How: Pastures of Plenty sends out a weekly newsletter with recipe suggestions, including one for mushroom crostini (similar to this one). I toasted the sliced baguette early, and 10 minutes before my guests arrived, I tossed the mushrooms in a pan with butter, olive oil, and garlic (I added a little white wine after two minutes). While that cooked, I slathered creme fraiche on the bread slices. When the doorbell rang, I was just topping the bread with the cooked mushrooms. Talk about perfect timing.

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