Notes from Debbie's Kitchen
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Click here to go to the recipe database.

I updated last week's Grilled Pizza recipe a little (the version in the recipe database) after getting word from Mary about something I hadn't gotten quite right (timing on the second cooking step, after toppings have been added). So if you go to make it, please refer to the web version rather than the one in your email inbox. Meanwhile, this week, I want to talk to you about greens prep and storage. It has come up a couple of times in the last week in discussion with members, so I think the time to cover this is now. I'm also going to cover strawberry prep and storage, since strawberries are starting to come in in force. Plus a bit more about radishes, and whatever else I have time to include ;-) - Debbie

Oh, before I forget: we're getting fresh young (green) onions for the first time this week. Although bigger than scallions, you can still mince up and use the light green part of the stem like you would scallions (or simply chop up the white and light green part and cook wherever you would use dry-storage onions).

Greens prep and storage
Make no doubt about it: if you stick a plastic bag full of wet greens into your refrigerator, they won't keep long. Very quickly, they'll start rotting. Especially if they're as delicate and tender as the baby lettuces. Yet this is what many folks do when they get their veggies home from their pickup sites. If you prepare your leafy greens properly, however, they will easily keep for the week (until you are re-supplied, in other words!). I know sometimes you don't have time to deal with them the day you pick up, so if not, hopefully within a day or so you can pull them out and 'prep' them, as I'm going to describe below, without them being much the worse for wear.

If your time is limited, select the most delicate greens to prep, like the bagged baby lettuces. The tenderer the leaf, the more delicate its constitution, and the more susceptible it is to rot.

Here are the types of greens I will prep in this fashion:
- baby lettuces
- arugula
- tatsoi
- mizuna
- mustard greens
- spinach
- radish greens (yes, you can eat them! they make a good cooking green)

And the tools I use:
- a big bowl or a sink
- a salad spinner (if you don't have one, I have a tip)
- cotton floursack towels (or any towel will do)
- clean, dry plastic bags (I've used Evert-fresh bags to good success; you can find them in catalogers such as Real Goods, but they are not a requirement)

The larger and hardier bunched greens such as kale, collards, chard, and even mei qing choi I do a little differently (they're eaiser). I'll cover them briefly below, but let's get back to the delicate leafies:

In a basin or sink, put each batch of greens (I do them one at a time) and add enough water so you can swish them around reasonably freely. Swish them around good, and then pick them out, in handfuls or individually if you like, inspect them for dirt, pinch off any root ends or broken stems (in the case of spinach, I pinch off most of the stem, saving the leaves), and remove any weeds or leaves which are yellowed, transferring the select greens into your salad spinner.

Sometimes you will find bonus goodies in your greens! In last week's tatsoi, I had some red mustard greens. And a weed or two.

Spin the greens well (spin, pour out the water, spin again, and repeat, until you're not getting more water in the bottom of the spinner). Then spread them out on a clean towel out of the sun and allow to air dry while you prep your next batch of greens. A few drops of moisture here and there are not the end of the world, but they should be 95% or better dry before you bag them.

Transfer greens to a plastic bag, gently squeeze or suck out the air (like the reverse of blowing up a balloon), and tie with a twisty-tie. These are now good to go! You will now have a bag of fabulous fresh greens all washed and ready to go, which you can grab and use, without worry of dirt or bugs or weeds or rot.

Shortcut: if you don't want to wait for your greens to dry, you can roll the greens up, towel and all, and put them into a plastic bag overnight. By the next day, the towel will have absorbed the moisture and you can decant them back into the bag, removing the towel. (Don't store them in the towel too many days this way, as they'll go limp. Still good to cook with, but if you wanted a fresh salad, you'd have to perk them up in water, spin and dry again before using.)

No-salad-spinner tip: I learned this from a cookbook called "Soup and Bread" by Crescent Dragonwagon. Put your washed greens into an old pillowcase and (go outside to do this!), swing the bag around wildly over your head or around in the air like a lasso, and the water will 'spin' out.

Storing the hardier bunched greens (kale, collards, chard, mei qing choi)
As I said, these are easier. I typically don't wash them until I'm ready to use them (and sometimes not even then, if upon inspection there are no signs of dirt or aphids!). But I do let them air dry on a towel as I'm sorting through my bag of goodies and prepping other stuff before bagging and putting into the fridge. When mostly dry, then put them into a bag, squeeze the air out, etc. and refrigerate. You can use the same shortcut for these as the other greens, i.e. if you're in a hurry and the bunched greens are wet, wrap them in a towel and stick them in a bag (or your crisper drawer) overnight to absorb the extra moisture, then transfer them to a bag the following day.

Strawberry storage tips
(repurposed from a 2003 newsletter entry)

Different weather conditions will make a huge difference in the storability of strawberries. In the cooler weather, they can be red, ripe and firm, and store well for a week. But in the summer heat they can become far more fragile, requiring immediate processing or they can go bad on you. I highly recommend processing them in some way as soon as you get them home. Your best options for fragile-berry-syndrome (I made that up!) are to freeze them, make jam or pie, or cut them up, sprinkle with sugar, stir, cover and refrigerate. They will still need to be consumed within a few days though.

Here is how I 'process' my berries: I empty them out onto a cutting board or table top (used to put them on paper towels, but have tried to cut them out of my life) and then carefully re-pack my baskets. Do not wash them at this stage - only wash them when you're ready to use them! Remember: wet berries rot quickly!

Once spread out, I look over the berries and re-pack them, starting with the least-ripe ones first, working my way up to the more ripe ones. This technique allows you to weed out any blemished berries which are perfectly fine if you cut them up and eat them right away, but which will take down adjacent berries in a basket if left unchecked.

Cover each basket with a piece of waxed paper big enough to cover the sides and secure with a rubber band (don't use plastic wrap - the berries need to breathe). Place covered baskets in your fridge arranged so that the ripest baskets of berries are to the front, leaving the less ripe berries towards the back because they will last longer. And I'd swear that they continue to ripen, even in the fridge, so this is an added bonus for the 'less ripe ones!'

To freeze berries: remove strawberry tops and lay whole berries on a sheet of waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Freeze solid, then remove berries to a ziploc bag and return to the freezer. They will last months this way. I don't generally wash them before I do this (one of the 'bennies' of eating organic!), but if you prefer to, be sure to blot them dry before you freeze them.


Lastly, since I know members are always looking for ways to use radishes, here is another wonderful radish story from the New York Times: this time, on roasted radishes! Some really yummy ideas! But rather than copy and paste it here, I'm just going to give you the link. It's worth clicking on, if only for the picture!

Roasted Radishes - so who knew?
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/12/dining/12appe.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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