CSA #2 (6/2/26)

Beautiful Spring Spinach!

In Your CSA Share This Week

• CARROTS from the hoophouse — excellent raw or cooked! Try Henry’s wife Hiroko’s recipe for Stir-fried Carrots and Burdock below! These carrots come with beautiful greens that are tender enough to use in a chimichurri or other dish.
  

  SPINACH — a big bag of big spinach! Although the leaves and stems are large, they are still tender and sweet.

  LETTUCE

  DILL — Henry has a huge amount of dill right now so you’ll get a big bunch of it — meaning now is a good time to make a batch of dill pesto! Dill pesto is a great alternative to traditional basil pesto and is fantastic on fish, pasta, rice, potatoes, sandwiches or toast.

  GREEN GARLIC - The entire plant except for the roots and leaves is edible at this stage, so be sure to eat the immature head of garlic as well as the entire stalk, and the scape just starting to form. You can use green garlic in place or garlic cloves in any recipe, including the dill pesto above.

  SPRING ONIONS — The immature “green onions” you get this week may actually be red, yellow, or white varieties. All may be used similarly, raw or cooked!Henry had a rare working Sunday yesterday since it was the last chance to weed the onions. If he had waited, pulling out the big weeds with their extensive roots would have damaged the onions and their roots so much that they would have died. So that job is done, and your onions are weed-free and maturing nicely!

  BURDOCK — Henry had an amazingly abundant harvest, which is why you’re seeing it in your first few CSA shares this year. It actually improves in taste when overwintered and is in perfect condition right now. But we know it’s an unfamiliar vegetable, and Henry overheard people talking about how to know when it is properly cooked at the Bloomington 

CSA pick-up last week — so here are some tips.

  If you’re sauteing it, it will take about 10-15 minutes to cook, depending on the size you cut it into. When it goes from an opaque white-tan to almost translucent — and from a hard, raw, starchy crunch to a softer toothiness and a nutty, earthy flavor — you know it’s done. It will never get super soft, but once it’s cooked, it won’t be tough or chewy.
  
  Another way to know it’s done is to make the classic Japanese stir-fry with carrots and burdock known as Kimpira Gobo — because if you cut both vegetables into the same size pieces, they will cook in the same time frame. And when the carrots are fork-tender, the burdock will also be done!

Food Notes: Kimpira Gobo

Although burdock is not a common vegetable in the U.S., it is very popular in Japan and other Asian countries. It is one of Henry's specialties, and even his Japanese mother-in-law said it was the best she ever tasted! Although it looks like a tree root or branch, tough and unappetizing, it's quite the opposite!

In addition to being tasty, it has anti-inflammatory properties, plus lots of minerals and fiber. And it has been prized in Chinese and Ayervedic medicine traditions for millennia, where it is said to aid digestion, eliminate toxins, and help skin conditions — among other benefits.

You can get those benefits in a delicious form: Henry’s wife Hiroko's recipe for the classic Japanese Kimpira Gobo! This is the perfect week to make it because both the carrots and burdock in your share are amazingly delicious.

Burdock + Carrots = Kimpira Gobo!

Also known as Stir-fried Burdock and Carrots

Use roughly equal amounts Burdock and Carrots, about ½ pound each for this recipe, and cut into the same size “match sticks”

3 Japanese togarashii, Thai hot, or hot pepper flakes (optional)

1 Tablespoon sesame seed oil

1–2 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoon sugar

1 Tablespoon mirin (optional)

3–4 Tablespoon soy sauce

1. Wash burdock and remove skin by rubbing with the back of a knife or with a vegetable scrubber. Cut into matchstick-size pieces and soak the pieces in cold water to prevent discoloration. Replace water two or three times or until the water remains clear, and then drain the burdock. Peel carrots and cut in pieces the same size and shape as the burdock.

2. Slice hot peppers, and after removing their seeds, cut the peppers into thick rings. (You may also use dried hot pepper powder or flakes.)

3. Combine olive oil and sesame oil in a frying pan and heat.

4. Add burdock and carrot and stir-fry over high heat until carrots are cooked through. Reduce heat and add sugar, mirin, soy sauce, and hot pepper to taste. Stir to mix. Continue to stir over heat until the liquid nearly all evaporates. Sprinkle sesame seeds over the top and serve.