You may have noticed your greens are a bit wilted by the time you get them home. They're perfectly edible, don't worry, and there are a couple things you can do to perk some of them up again.

First, what causes this? Well, the best time to pick greens is first thing in the morning. We pick them, rinse off the chunks of mud, sort them into shares, and bag them. As soon as we get back to the fridge, in they go. But there they sit until it's time for shares and some of them have a tendency to wilt more than others. 

What can you do? First, be as early in picking up your shares as you can. We put everything in coolers, but (especially as it gets hotter), that's no match for a refrigerator. Second, pop them into the fridge right away. Better still, stick them in a bowl of cool water in the fridge. It's amazing what a bit of cool water will do for slightly wilted greens.

Unless you're eating the greens raw, a little wilt won't hurt a thing. Believe me, there's nothing like hot steam or boiling water to wilt some kale. So just wash them off, trim them to fit your pot, and cook away. You'll never know they started out wilted when you put them on your plate (I like mine with plenty of butter, Glenn doesn't).

Is it just me or do others experience the same thing of having every week be the busiest week of the year? We're in the final stages of getting Maggie's 12 (count them) 4H projects ready for the fair in 2 weeks. Until the Spencer County 4H Fair (not to be confused with the carnival next week at which you will find no cute animals or blue ribbons) where was I? Oh yeah. Until the Spencer County 4H Fair is past, we'll be up to our eyeballs in 4H. By the way, you are all invited to come cheer Maggie and the other kids on. She'll be showing her American Mulefoot market gilt (that's one really awesome pig) Sunday evening, June 24th. The Swine Show starts at 6:30 and we have no idea how soon after that Maggie will show. If you've never been to a 4H swine show, well, you don't know what you're missing. Have you heard the expression "herding cats"? 

On to shares. Before I begin the list, let me remind you once again that what I post on Wednesday is liable to change at least a little by the time you pick up your shares on Thursday. And I will also remind you that if you don't get something this time, you'll get that or something else another time. We do keep track of who gets what. Or at least we try to.

Lettuce: 2 kinds again, Simpson leaf lettuce and Buttercrunch head lettuce. I'm still working on getting identification photos posted. Check out the "What Is It?" page and let me know if you find it helpful. In case the link doesn't work, it's actually in the Garden section under the vegetable crop list.

Turnips with greens: Have you tried the slaw yet? You can also use your favorite coleslaw recipe and just substitute turnips for cabbage.

Spinach: both kinds, but probably getting close to the end of the Bloomsdale. The New Zealand should hold out all summer on and off. A bit less of that this week.

Spinach Mustard, Swiss Chard, Mustard Greens - By the way, if you use salt on the greens, both while cooking and then at the table, it amazingly takes away a lot of the bitterness some of the greens tend to have. I'm not big on salt and rarely add it to anything but I do with the greens and notice a very marked difference.

Initially I posted Kale would be in the shares. It's actually a hybrid between turnip greens and kale Glenn and his brother came up with they call Turn-Kale. Use it the same way. The down side is it looks an awful lot like spinach mustard! 

Radishes - they're about done, too.

No garden peas this week, but you'll get one of my favorites, Snow Peas.

Goody goody, you get some Wax Beans! Green beans next week, hopefully.

And summer squash - some combination of zucchini, yellow, and/or pattypan. 

Ah ha! Everyone gets the surprise! A taste of basil! Use it soon, though.

There's so much you can do with any and all of this produce! With this week’s share, try tossing some snow peas and summer squash chunks in with your salad. Or add snow peas, summer squash, and turnip chunks to your favorite stir fry.

* Toss the salad greens with the lightest drizzle of olive oil, minced garlic, lemon juice, and a dash of sherry vinegar. You won't need a powerful dressing with greens as fresh and flavor-packed as these!

* If you've never had turnip or mustard greens, they can be used any way you use spinach - cooked or fresh in a salad. They are a marvelous source of vitamins and quite yummy!

* Ever tried a radish sandwich? Simplest early-summer sandwich ever: just mince some radishes, sprinkle with salt and pepper, add a few chopped sprigs of parsley, and place on bread smeared with your favorite butter. 

(These tips came from the Farm2Fork Fresh newsletter at Dorothy Lane Market, Dayton, Ohio, summer 2009)

First, the greens are delicious. Clean them and use them like spinach.
The fruit of the turnip is little known these days but is worth giving a try. Turnips are a lot like potatoes in substance and many people just eat them mashed – there are a plethora of mashed turnip recipes online – but Glenn loves them peeled and fresh – try slicing them into your salad or stir fry.
Go ahead and try turnip salad (instead of potato salad – get it?) or turnip slaw. Just use your favorite potato salad or coleslaw recipe (or try the one below) and substitute turnips for potatoes or cabbage.
Or chunk them, dip them in your favorite seasoning and roast them or fry them like potatoes.

Turnip Slaw
3 c. shredded turnips
1 1/2 c. shredded carrots
1/2-3/4 c. slaw dressing, mayonnaise or salad dressing (AKA Miracle Whip)
1 tbsp. lemon juice (optional)
Your choice of herbs, salt & pepper to taste
 
Combine well. Cover and chill. Makes 6-8 servings.
Options: Add raisins, chopped green/red peppers, chopped onions, other vegetables of your choice.