PEPPERS: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Refrigerate in the crisper drawer
Peppers can last 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator
Clean, chop, and freeze
Nutrition (1 cup)
Calories: 30, Carbs: 7g, Protein: 1.3g, Fiber: 2.5g
Vitamins: C(199%DV), B6(15%DV)
Minerals: Magnesium, Iron, Copper
Fun fact
Bell peppers are the highest single source of vitamin C of any produce item. Capsaicin—the compound in peppers that makes them “hot”—is known for its anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving benefits.
5 Ways to Use Fresh PePPERS
Slice raw bell peppers and enjoy with hummus or dip
Dice and add to almost any salad
Slice and saute in fajitas
Chop and add to chili
Stuff with rice, beans, and meat for stuffed peppers
RECIPES
Breakfast
Lunch
Roasted Pepper Salad with Feta, Pine Nuts, and Basil
Dinner
TOMATOES: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Do not refrigerate, as tomatoes like the heat! If they aren’t fully ripe, they are best left on the counter, out of the sun.
If they are fully ripe (which most of ours are when we sell them), eat soon or if you can’t, refrigerate so they don’t spoil.
Nutrition (1 cup)
Calories: 32, Carbs: 7g, Protein: 1.5g, Fiber: 2g
Vitamins: B6(7%DV), K(18%DV), A(30%DV), C(41%DV)
Minerals: Copper(12%DV), Iron(3%DV), Potassium(9%DV), Manganese(9%DV), Magnesium(5%DV)
Fun fact
Lycopene, the pigment responsible for a tomato’s color, is a powerful antioxidant. Beta carotene (responsible for yellows and oranges in food) is another tomato antioxidant that converts to vitamin A. Tomatoes are a great source of both of these antioxidants, but most of the lycopene is found in the skin, so don’t remove the most nutritious part!
5 Ways to Use Fresh Tomatoes
Chilled, chopped and salted is always a classic
You also can’t go wrong with slicing and adding to every sandwich you eat!
Bruschetta is one of the most refreshing tomato snacks out there! (2 recipe options below :))
Dice and add to almost any salad
Marinated: a no cook, refrigerated fresh option for tasty tomatoes!
RECIPES
Breakfast
Baked tomatoes w/ parm and scrambled eggs over toast
With almost any kind of eggs
15 Ways to Eat Tomatoes for Breakfast
Lunch
Great time for bruschetta-- so easy and so good!
Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil
Fresh Tomato Sauce (amazing recipe, save this one!!)
Fresh Salsa- would go very well with the peppers!
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad
Dinner
Linguine (or any pasta) with fresh tomatoes
EGGPLANT: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Refrigerate if not eating in a day or two. Otherwise, refrigerate as you would apples for up to a week.
Nutrition (1 cup or ~2 ears)
Calories: 27, Carbs: 5g, Protein: 1g, Fiber: 2.5g
Vitamins: B1(6%DV), B6(5%DV), B3&9(4%DV)
Minerals: Copper(7%DV), Manganese(5%DV)
Fun fact
Eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes are in the solanaceae family. They all contain small amounts of solanine. This is the toxin that turns potatoes green when exposed to sunlight, and is found in raw eggplant. No worries though, it cooks out of eggplant and rarely affects humans in the first place!
RECIPES
Breakfast
Eggplant Shakshuka (fried egg skillet)
Ratatouille Frittata (use your tomatoes, squash, and basil in this dish!)
Lunch
Eggplant parmesan breakfast pizza
Dinner
Baked Eggplant sticks (similar to mozz sticks)
SWEET CORN: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Leave the husks on and refrigerate until ready to eat. Try not to keep in the fridge for more than a week for best flavor and nutrition.
Nutrition (1 cup or ~2 ears)
Calories: 177, Carbs: 41g, Protein: 6g, Fiber: 5g
Vitamins: C(17%DV), B1(24%DV), B9(19%DV)
Minerals: Magnesium(11%DV), Potassium(10%DV)
Fun fact
A cob is actually the flower part of the grass plant we know in America as corn. Bred from the Mexican plant teosinte, corn serves many diets across the world, especially in Latin America.
Sweet corn was selected over many years of breeding for higher sugar and lower starch contents. Once sweet corn is harvested, the sugar begins to convert to starch, so the best tasting corn will be chilled immediately after harvesting and eaten ASAP.
3 WAyS to cook sweet corn
Microwave in the husk for 4 minutes, butter and salt for the easiest method!
Boiling also works, and is better for larger quantities, but you will lose some water soluble nutrients. Save this water for a soup/stew to get all the nutrients.
Grill with your favorite meat and veggies.
RECIPES
Scrambled Eggs with Sweet Corn and Goat Cheese
LETTUCE: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Refrigerate in a bag with a dry paper towel to absorb excess moisture and keep it from rotting in wet spots
Nutrition (1 cup RAW)
Calories: 5, Carbs: 0, Protein: 0, Fiber: 1g
Vitamins: K (43%DV), Folate (5%DV), Thiamine (4%DV)
Minerals: Manganese (4%), Iron (2%DV)
Fun fact
Lettuce is one of those crops that can be harvested at all stages of growth (before it starts flowering and becomes sour). This first week of lettuce is made up of the little plants we are thinning out to allow heads to grow into a nice medium size.
3 WAYS TO EAT FRESH LETTUCE
In a mixed salad with your other veggies this week!
Juice it with your smoothie (recipe below)
Use it to wrap a burrito or as a healthy “bun”
BLT (or a BBLT if you add basil)
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Use as a substitute for cabbage in cooking recipes-- make your own Runza, crostini, egg rolls, pesto, etc.
SWISS CHARD: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Wrap swiss chard loosely in a paper towel and store it in a sealed ziplock bag in the fridge
Nutrition (1 cup COOKED)
Calories: 35, Carbs: 7g, Protein: 3g, Fiber: 4g
Vitamins: K (477%DV), A (60%DV), C (35%DV), E (22%DV)
Minerals: Magnesium (36%DV), Copper (32%DV), Manganese (25% DV), Iron (22%DV), Potassium (20%DV), Calcium (8%DV)
Fun fact
Swiss chard is a type of beet that does not produce an edible root. This superfood green is commonly used in Mediterranean and Italian cooking.
15 Additions to Sauteed Swiss Chard
Bacon
Garlic
Onion
Parmesan cheese
Goat cheese
Feta Cheese
Toasted almonds
Pine nuts
Dried cranberries
Golden raisins
Currants
Balsamic Vinegar
Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes
Apple
Breakfast
Lunch
Grilled Cheese with Swiss Chard
Dinner
Swiss Chard, Ground Beef, and Rice Casserole
Swiss Chard and Cannellini Beans
BEETS: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Twist and remove green tops before storing, do not cut them off
Don’t wash roots before storing, unless you dry them well, moisture can be a vector for spoilage
Keep them cold without freezing in a breathable (cracked) container or bag in a high humidity crisper drawer
Stored well, beets can keep for 1-3 months
Nutrition (1 cup)
Calories: 43, Carbs: 10g, Protein: 2g, Fiber: 3g
Vitamins: C (6%DV), B6 (3%DV), Folate/B9 (20%DV)
Minerals: Magnesium (6%DV), Potassium (9%DV), Manganese (16%DV), Phosphorous and Iron (4%DV)
Fun fact
Beet juice is one of the richest dietary sources of antioxidants and naturally occurring nitrates. It can also be made into wine and works as hair and easter egg dye!
7 ways to EAT FRESH BEETS
Sliced or diced over a fresh greens salad, for a crunch option, as well as roasting them first, then tossing them into a salad for a simpler flavor
You can also blend it into a vinaigrette for a nice salad dressing
If you can get the fruit to beet ratio right, tossing them into a smoothie is one of my favorite ways to eat a beet without tasting it
Pickling or fermenting are long popular ways of preserving beets for the off-season
ONIONS: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Store in a cool, dry place like a cellar, pantry, or garage.
They can be stored in the fridge, but this can cause the onion to convert starch to sugar (resulting in soft or soggy onions).
Nutrition (1 cup RAW)
Calories: 64, Carbs: 15g, Protein: 2g, Fiber: 3g
Vitamins: C (19%DV), B6 (10%DV)
Minerals: Magnesium (4%)
Fun fact
Onions make us cry when they are sliced because a chemical reaction occurs that releases a sulfur-containing compound that is irritating to the eyes. This can be minimized by slicing the onions under water.
7 ways to EAT FRESH ONIONS
Raw in a salad
Sauteed in a stir-fry
Roasted with other veggies
Slow-cooked with meat
Grilled
Cooked in broth
Pickled in vinegar
Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
ZUCCHINI SUMMER SQUASH: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Summer squash (unlike winter squash which have very hard skins) have delicate skin. Try not to scratch or bruise.
Store in the refrigerator for up to a week. If you have to use part of a zucchini, just like cucumbers, cut it off and cover the exposed end so it doesn’t dehydrate.
If you can’t use it all, dice/shred (food processors work wonders with zucchini) and freeze for a later date
Nutrition (1 cup RAW)
Calories: 21, Carbs: 4g, Protein: 1.5g, Fiber: 1.2g
Vitamins: C (60%DV), A (8%DV)
Minerals: Calcium (3%DV), Iron (4%DV), Manganese (8%DV)
Fun factS
Bonus nutrition fact: zucchinis are packed with antioxidants!
These are also one of the easiest veggies to add to literally anything. If you can’t find a way to enjoy them, you haven’t experimented enough :)
Higher end italian restaurants will fill zucchini blossoms with a cream cheese mixture and fry for a very tasty appetizer, especially dipped in marinara.
3 ways to EAT FRESH SUMMER SQUASH
Shred or thinly slice and add to a salad
Dice up and do the same
Not sure if we will harvest any flowers this summer, but if we do, you have to try making fried stuffed blossoms, they are wonderful!
Breakfast
Shred and make some very healthy zucchini hash browns
Make some breakfast muffins
Try some savory pancakes
Make zucchini muffins for a sweeter breakfast treat!
Lunch
Make a quick and easy stir fry with other mixed veggies
Grate into long strands or thinly slice and treat like noodles for any and all dishes. Fixing them this way is more commonly known as zoodles!
Dinner
Slice into little circles and pan fry, roast, or deep fry. All amazing options!
If you get bigger squash, slice them up and make mini pizzas with them
KOHLRABI: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
STORAGE
Remove all the leaves from the ‘bulb’
Store them, and use them later. Treat them like kale, broccoli stems, or collard greens.
Store both in plastic bags or wrapped in moist paper towels
Nutrition (1 cup RAW)
Calories: 37, Carbs: 8g, Protein: 2g, Fiber: 5g
Vitamins: C (93%DV), B6 (12%DV), Thiamin (3%DV), Folate (3%DV)
Minerals: Potassium (10%DV), Magnesium (6%DV), Copper (6%DV)
Fun fact
Kohlrabi is a refined cultivar of wild cabbage. Its name is a derivation from the german word for cabbage (kohl) and turnip. While radishes have many similar flavors and textures, kohlrabi grows mostly above ground.
5 ways to EAT FRESH KOHLRABI
Coarsely grate (think thick grated cheddar cheese size) and mix into a salad to add a little crunch and extra flavor
Finely chop the leaves and add them to a vinaigrette dressing
Coarsely chop the leaves and add them into the salad
Use the greens as one of your pizza toppings.
Use the greens in place of any recipe calling for kale or collard greens
Breakfast
Coarsely chop the leaves and add them into an egg scramble
Lunch
Chop and saute with onions, this is one of the best ways to enjoy it!
Kohlrabi Salad with Lemon Shallot Vinaigrette
Dinner
Add this to your stir fry for the week. Steak and chicken would both go well, add in your broccoli and enjoy a great dish!
Mix a few veggies together and try making your own vegetable stock for a tasty soup