Twenty Bag | Feb 2

In the February 2 Twenty Bag: Bloomsdale spinach, Cherry Belle radish, spring mix of lettuces and pea tendrils, Rainbow carrots, cilantro, pointed cabbage, celery and beets.

Thank you Harleston Towles and Rooting Down Farm!

I’m combining those big, glossy leaves of Bloomsdale spinach with the bunch keeping beautifully in my fridge and making a quick saute—I LOVE the spinach simply sauteed in good olive oil with a few cloves of smashed garlic, kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

The pointed cabbage (so cute!) also shines in a simple prep—my go-to is this recipe for cabbage braised in wine I found in one of my favorite cookbooks, From a Polish Country Kitchen. The folks in Poland, with a long tradition of the hunt, whether for mushrooms and berries or fox, really know their way around cold-weather cooking.

The last time Harleston gave us pea tendrils, I tried a saute and overcooked them, so this time I’m tossing the delicate stems in a big “Corsican” salad featuring today’s haul of mixed greens and radicchio I have leftover from an earlier Bag. Couldn’t hurt to add a few bites of chopped chicken tenders or crispy baked tofu.

A quick search of sweetgrass + grits will take you to plenty more recipes—all curated with an eye toward the weekly Twenty Bag harvest.

Harleston’s storage tips: If greens of any kind begin to wilt at any point or at pick up, put them in a big bowl of ice water for 20-30 minutes.  Almost all produce is already washed and should go in the refrigerator.  Remove carrot tops from root portion and discard or juice.  Remove beet tops and reserve for sauteeing or salads. Salad greens and spinach can stay in their respective bags.  Celery, radish, cabbage, and cilantro should all go in a plastic bag to retain leaf moisture.  Carrots, radish, and beets are fine in the crisper drawer for a week or so, but will remain firm in a plastic bag up to a couple months.