Spring CSA Week 4 | The Last Hurrah of Winter Spinach
- 10th St. Farm & Market
- 14 minutes ago
- 4 min read
Week 4: April 30th - May 3rd
We love winter spinach. Like, LOVE it. It’s perhaps the quintessential Minnesota vegetable, although it often doesn’t get that deserved credit. Winter spinach is the tastiest spinach you will find, as the plant consolidates sugars in its leaves to ward off frost damage. All winter long, the plant withstands freezing temperatures, only to thaw, sweeter than ever, when the sun returns. And it’s resilient. We plant our winter spinach at the beginning of September, and harvest continually off of those same plants for more than half a year. Remarkable.
At peak winter production we have some 20 beds of spinach on the farm. As the days get longer and warmer, regrowth in those beds speeds up. Where a single bed may yield eight pounds of good spinach per harvest in January, that same bed could give us 30 or 40 pounds in early April. Consequently, we spend much of the spring saying farewell to spinach beds, slowly paring down from 20 as we change that valuable growing space over to salad mix, kale, arugula, turnips, radishes, and more.
This week, as we reach May, we are dispensing with the final winter spinach of the year. (Fear not! We still have spring-planted spinach growing happily in the fields, and we expect to have spinach on offer for another month or more!) But those overwintered beds that have provided for so long now feature leaves the size of my hand or bigger, and new growth has slowed.
Paradoxically, although the winter spinach has reached a size that strains credulity, it is still as sweet and tender as ever. So rather than waste such a tasty treat, we are featuring it this week in CSA - what we’re calling “sauteeing spinach.” Instead of the typical 5oz salad portion, each share member is getting a whopping 10oz bag of the last of the winter spinach, perfectly suited for cooking down into an absolutely decadent side dish. Let this be winter’s last hurrah - a final taste of frost, as we look toward warmer weather!
Have a week where you turn over a new leaf,
Chris, Ashley, and the 10th Street Farmers
In Your Share This Week
Sauteeing Spinach: This oversized spinach is still as sweet and tasty as ever! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Salad Turnips: Also called Hakurei Turnips, these fresh-eating turnips are tasty and versatile. Slice them up with hummus, sauté them, roast them in the oven, or even try them on the grill. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Radishes: Beautiful red radishes have a mild heat and a great crunch. Add to salads or sandwiches for a little extra flavor. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Flavor Mix microgreens: Mild and tasty, these make an easy salad on their own or can add some color to any other salad. Try them on eggs or sandwiches – or anything, really! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Persephone Mix salad greens: Our fresh-cut winter blend of lettuce and cold-hardy greens. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Baby Kale: This hearty greens mix is the perfect base for a fall salad. Or try it braised or baked in your dish of choice. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Arugula: Peppery greens that add zip to a salad. We love arugula dressed simply with oil and salt. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Power Greens Micro Mix: Our newest micro mix! A nutrient-dense blend of broccoli, kale, daikon, and bekana sure to power up any dish!
Cilantro microgreens: Zippy micros to add a little flavor to whatever's on your plate! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Choice:
Mini Romaine Head Lettuce: Beautiful crisp lettuce heads. Great for everything from lettuce wraps to salads and sandwiches. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Bok Choy: So versatile! Use in Asian-inspired dishes like soups and stir fries, or just chop and add to anything for a bit more flavor and nutrition. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Full Share Choice (Choose 2):
Radish Shoots: These beautiful purple and green shoots have a spicy taste and add a pop of color. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Arugula microgreens: Peppery micros add a little punch to pizza, salads, pestos, sandwiches, eggs, and more. Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Scallions: The white and green parts of these beautiful green onions are both edible - use the white like an onion, chop the greens as a garnish or hit of flavor in your dishes! Store in an airtight bag or container in your fridge.
Rosemary: Piney and herbaceous, rosemary works perfectly with roasted roots!
Kitchen Inspiration
Of course I have to include some spinach suggestions here, after waxing poetic about its winter sweetness. We love it simple: sauteed with a little garlic and lemon. But if you’re looking to brand out, perhaps it’s time for some creamed spinach, stuffed shells, or even spinach shakshuka?
We’ve also got salad turnips in the share for the first time of the year! These radish relatives have the crunch and the sweetness without any of the spice. Super tasty sliced and eaten fresh with hummus, or try them roasted with pesto. Or if you’re feeling extra fancy, try this recipe for turnips with whipped pistachio feta!
If you've found a recipe you're loving, please send it our way. We're always looking for new things to cook and share with other members!
We wash everything in your bag but we wash them in bulk so some things may need an extra rinse at home. Thanks!
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