Here’s what we got this week:

• Kohlrabi
• cabbage
• Red lettuce mix
• garlic scapes
• basil
• radishes
• purslane
• shiso
• epazote
• Ornamental hot pepper plant

Early in his CSA career, our farmer would sometimes have to glean the fields of purslane to make shares. Now he grows it from seed.

Purslane is a succulent, tangy green best known for being a weed.  But it is a very tasty weed. Stems and leaves can be used, preferably raw, to add a bit of a lemony flavor to salads. Some sources say that this, and not parsley,  was the green originally used in tabbouleh.

What did you get this week?

Purslane

The Gardeners Gourmet stand is in its full summer glory about now with a dozen different kinds of heirloom greens.  My personal salad favorite, purslane, is back in season.   If you’ve never tried it, here’s your invitation to do so!  It’s super healthy — more omega-3 than any other vegetable,  and tons of vitamins and minerals.  It was apparently Ghandi’s favorite food.  I eat it raw in salads (pick the leaves off the bigger stems), though you can chop it up (with the stems) and eat it cooked as well.   A quick search found recipes for:   Grilled Zucchini Salad with Purslane and Tomato, Purslane and Pea Soup, and Purslane and Pork Stew (a Mexican favorite).

I also bought some Indigo Frissee, which tastes like wasabi.  I’ve never cooked with it before, but I bet it’s a great saute green — maybe under a mild fish or pressed tofu.  Both greens are $9 per pound at the Gardeners Gourmet stand.

My full bounty is pictured below: eggs from pasture-raised chickens, non-homogenized milk (with the cream on top!), homemade mozzarella, tomatoes, basil, sourdough bread, rhubarb, cukes, sugar snap peas, and the greens.

Market Bounty