Cooking with Summer Greens

Posted Sun, 06/01/2008 - 5:00am
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Green Eggs and Goat Cheese Stratta
Pasta with Greens, Walnuts, and Feta
Crustless Summer Greens Quiche

—by Elyse Farnsworth

The beginning of summer is a delightful time for cooking in Minnesota. Our locally grown fruits and vegetables are at their prime—full of nutrients and flavor. The thought of vibrant greens, succulent berries, and sweet peppers revitalizes my urge to try something new and eat healthful, delicious meals. One challenge, however, of buying local summer fare is the amount of fresh food you end up with in your refrigerator.

Minnesota farms and co-ops offer a variety of locally grown greens, including:

Salad greens: Salad greens should smell fresh and look perky. They come in a variety of shapes and colors but typically have smaller leaves. Wrap loosely in a breathable plastic bag before placing in crisper.

Spinach: Spinach has small leaves that can be smooth or crinkly. They should be dark green and firm. Spinach is best stored loosely in a plastic bag in your crisper and used quickly.

Leaf and romaine lettuces: These types of lettuces should smell fresh and look perky. Unlike salad greens or spinach, leaf and romaine lettuces usually have larger leaves with thick stalks.

Kale: Kale should be dark green, with firm, wavy leaves. It almost resembles cabbage but does not form a head. It is typically long-lasting.

Swiss Chard: Swiss Chard is a tall, fan-like green that should have dark green leaves and stalks that can be pink, white, red, or yellow.

Collard greens: Collard greens usually have medium-length, lighter colored stalks with vein-filled, dark green leaves. They are hardy greens

Turnip greens: Turnip greens are the greens that are attached to the turnip root. They are small and tender with a bitter flavor. Turnip greens are not as hardy as collard or mustard greens.

Mustard greens: Mustard greens have smaller, dark green leaves with rough, wavy edges and a peppery flavor.

All greens will last longer if stored in your crisper.

Whether you head out to the farmer’s market or local co-op, or collect your share from a Community Supported Agriculture farm (CSA), you might notice the bunches of greens beginning to double in size. Not wanting to waste any of the tasty treats Minnesota summers bring our way, I began to contemplate how to maximize the use of these treasures. I hope to provide some useful tips about using your summer greens while sharing some of my favorite creative, vegetable-rich recipes.

Each of these varieties of summer greens is chock full of nutrients such as vitamin A, vitamin K, folic acid, fiber, iron, and calcium. To maximize your use of these greens and their health benefits, check out the ideas below. Some of the ways for using your abundance of greens are obvious. You can create delicious summer salads by tossing your salad greens, spinach, and leaf lettuces with other seasonal vegetables, crumbled cheeses, nuts, and vinaigrettes.

If you enjoy Southern fare, consider sautéing your kale, swiss chard, collard, or mustard greens with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic; and serve as a flavorful side dish with grilled chicken or fish.

You might also consider pureeing your excess greens with pine nuts, basil, garlic, and olive oil to create a delicious rendition of pesto, which can be served over pasta. Pesto can be stored in the refrigerator for nearly two weeks.

If these ideas don’t seem novel to you, try some of my favorite creations. With the variety of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options, you will quickly use your large quantity of summer greens and feel revitalized and fulfilled.

In the morning or on your next “breakfast for dinner” night try the Green Eggs and Goat Cheese Stratta. Not only will you use a number of delicious greens, sparing them from rotting, but you can use up your leftover bread and eggs to boot!

At lunch try out the Southwestern Salad or the Crustless Summer Greens Quiche. Round out your “green day” with dinner—my favorite—Pasta with Greens, Walnuts, and Feta.

I hope your table is as bountiful as mine and that you will try a few new ways of using the many vibrant, rich summer greens Minnesota produces.

Sources:

A comprehensive organic gardening Web site can be found at: http://www.organicgardening.com/. Click on the "Compost & Soil" tab at the top for soil information.

An excellent print resource is Rodale’s Successful Organic Gardening: Improving the Soil by Erin Haynes, Rodale Press, Emmaus, PA, 1994.

[Emma Onawa is a veteran member and shopper of co-ops; worships felines; loves gardening, nature, and eccentric people; and investigates esoteric subjects that would put most people to sleep.]