RADISHES: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
Storage
Treat like carrots and celery- with the greens on, they could be wrapped in a damp paper towel and stored in a gallon ziplock bag for weeks
It is also just fine to remove the greens and root and soak in water for about a week
Nutrition (1 cup raw)
Calories: 19, Carbs: 4g, Protein: 1g, Fiber: 2g
Vitamins: C (29%DV), Folate (7%DV), others <5%DV
Minerals: Potassium (8%DV), others <5%DV
Fun factS
Radishes are one of the fastest maturing vegetables. Radish microgreens can be harvest-ready in days, and many of the roots themselves reach maturity in less than a month!
5 ways to eat RADISHES fresh
Eat them raw! Some people like to add salt, others prefer to dip in melted butter before salting.
Slice them and put them on your buttered toast for breakfast
Grated/shaved and tossed into a salad (would go well with your spinach)
Add to a taco for little crunch and kick
Try making risotto!
Breakfast
Like I mentioned, they would go well on your toast!
Cut in half, saute them, then add in your eggs for a quick veggie scramble
Lunch
One of the fresh options above would probably be best!
Dinner
Roast or pan fry your radishes, it will rock your world! Personally, I’m not a huge fresh radish fan, but cooking them makes them so much more palatable. Works well as a side dish for roasted/grilled pork/beef.
If you have the grill going, try grilling!
RADISH RECIPES
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/shaved-radish-salad-with-walnuts-and-mint
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Romano-Risotto-with-Radishes-354997
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/romano-risotto-with-radishes-354997
KALE: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
Storage
Refrigerate immediately, in a cup of water is best. Kale leaves will keep forever if you treat them like cut flowers!
Nutrition (1 cup raw)
Calories: 33, Carbs: 6g, Protein: 3g, Fiber: 2g
Vitamins (too many to list them all): A(206%DV), K(684%DV), C(134%DV), B6(9%DV)
Minerals: Calcium & Potassium(9%DV), Manganese(26%DV), Copper(10%DV), Magnesium(6%DV)
Fun factS
Kale is one of the most nutrient dense foods (including meats too!) in the entire world! It tops the charts with salmon, seaweed, garlic, shellfish, potatoes, liver, sardines, blueberries, eggs, and dark chocolate.
The variety we grow is Lacinato, but is more commonly known as dinosaur kale! I imagine this has something to do with the texture of the leaves. This variety is known to be least bitter and more tender.
ways to eat KALE fresh
Chop and mix in a salad, or just make a 100% kale salad!
Add it to a smoothie! This is literally one of the best ways to enjoy it without even noticing it’s there (if you ignore the green color it makes your smoothie;))
If you get a bigger leaf, use it as a burger bun or burrito/taco shell
Breakfast
Scrambled eggs with kale and mozzarella
Breakfast skillet (add all the veggies and eggs)
Lunch
So many kale smoothies out there, look up another or make your own recipe!
Dinner
SPINACH: Best Ways to Store, Prepare, and Enjoy
Storage
Keep cold but don’t allow it to freeze
Keep it dry with a paper towel in a bowl/bag to draw out moisture
Wash right before using, not before putting into the fridge
Fresh spinach should keep for about 10 days
Nutrition (1 cup raw)
Calories: 7, Carbs: 1g, Protein: 1g, Fiber: 1g
Vitamins: A (56%DV), C(14%DV), K(181%DV), Folate(15%DV)
Minerals: Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Calcium, and Manganese
Countless health benefits: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270609#benefits
Fun fact
When you eat spinach that has been heated, you will absorb higher levels of vitamins A and E, protein, fiber, zinc, thiamin, calcium, and iron. Important carotenoids, such as beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, also become more absorbable.
5 ways to eat fresh
Mixed veggie salad (change it up with bell peppers, feta cheese, walnuts or other nuts, and raisins or berries)
On a sandwich
Fruit smoothie (this is especially great for picky eaters)
In a tortilla wrap
Chopped up in a pasta salad
Breakfast
Great with eggs (omelettes, scrambled, egg bake casserole, quiche, etc.)
Lunch
Dips/Pesto (Spinach artichoke dip is the best!)
Soups (Creamy Broccoli Spinach Soup, use that broccoli too!)
Quiche (egg/spinach pie)
Quesadillas
Dinner
Add to pasta dishes (lasagna, mac and cheese, ravioli, manicotti, alfredo)
Spinach and artichoke stuffed burgers
Perspective is everything.
Last night was rough…
(Text below)
Last night was rough, I’m not gonna lie. I farm vegetables in Nebraska, one of the most temperamental states in the country when it comes to weather. We lost nearly three-quarters of our tomato plants in our high tunnel greenhouse due to a cold snap last night. Sometimes it sounds cliché to talk about the blood, sweat, and tears of farming, but this one lands perfectly in the middle of the tears category. At least it should. For this point in the season, losing 200 tomato plants is about as bad as it gets.
Fortunately, I have a choice in how I react going forward. I could beat myself up for not putting in a space heater. I could be mad at the company “expediting” my thicker frost cloth that’s not arriving until tomorrow. I could be frustrated by the fact that a week ago when it got down to 19 degrees we only lost 12 plants, but last night at 22 degrees we lost over 16 times that many plants.
Or, I could shift my mentality. I could find consolation that we had 80 tomato plants survive not one but two very hard frosts. I could thank my dad for building the high tunnel that has allowed us to extend our season for 8 years now, or for having the frost cloth on hand to save the plants we did in the first place. I could be grateful for the little voice that told me to wait before transplanting the rest of our tomato plants (plus the eggplant, peppers, and cucumbers) last week, as most of them would now be dead. These plants are ready to go in this week, and if everything goes well, we will still be further ahead than last year at this time. Perspective is everything.
I believe that last sentence rings true now more than ever. Amidst this weird time of a global pandemic and social distancing, it can be easy to focus on our frustrations. Personally, I haven’t handled mine the best. I currently work in Denver serving the homeless population with a non-profit called Christ in the City. We were sent home four weeks ago, and in many ways I’m ready to return. I miss my homeless friends. I miss the other 32 missionaries I live with. I miss the structure of our daily schedule. As a community, we missed two weeks of college students coming on mission trips, a 5-day excursion in the mountains (which would have likely included skiing), and a pilgrimage/hike in New Mexico in May that probably won’t happen now.
But perspective is everything, and God seemed to have different plans. As much as I would love to still be in Denver, I’ve had the opportunity to put in probably 250 hours of work (and counting) on the farm that simply wouldn’t have happened otherwise. If we had all stayed in Denver, over half of us would have likely been (or still be) sick already, and we would have been unable to visit or serve any meals to our homeless friends (which has still been happening EVERY WEEK!). Since being home, I’ve been able to spend more time with family than I have in the last few years combined. No matter how I look at our situation, each week further validates that THIS IS EXACTLY HOW THINGS ARE SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN.
I guess what I’m trying to say is this. For as much as we like to believe our plans are perfect, we really don’t understand what is best until it’s sitting in our laps. Once it’s there, we have complete control over how we view our circumstances. I’ve realized for a while now that I complain far too much, but I never really understood how to move past that shortcoming. The last month has taught me it’s actually a lot easier than most people make it out to be. Complaining about less means being grateful for more. “But Ben, is it really that easy?” Heck, I don’t know, I’m still working on my gratitude every day! Check back in a few months and I’ll let you know if I’m still whining about everything. Until then, I believe it’s worth taking a few minutes in a quiet place to ponder one question about yourself, “How is my perspective?” Let me know what you find out.
P.S. A wise man recently shared with me a quote which is remarkably relevant to this conversation. “I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ~GK Chesterton
Thank goodness for our replacement tomatoes!