First Farm Box

We just picked up our first CSA box, and I must say that I was not disappointed. In our first stash, we received Swiss chard, Russian red kale, garlic, green onions, strawberries, red lettuce, and green lettuce. We were also supposed to have broccoli, but I accidentally picked up the one box without it. I believe we got extra red lettuce instead, so it’s all good.
The garlic and strawberries had Mike and I most excited, but I was definitely intrigued by the kale and chard. If I’ve read 1 recipe for kale chips in the past couple months, I’ve read a dozen, and chard seems to be gaining popularity as well. And I had promised Mike that I would try everything in the box at least once.

First, we made the kale chips. These were so easy and tasty that I cannot WAIT to get more in the coming weeks. I knew that they were baked until crispy, but I figured they wouldn’t really crisp up the way that say, potato chips, do. I was pleasantly surprised. I would also imagine that they retain many of their nutrients as well. We did the following:

Kale Chips
Remove the stems and any tough ribs in the leaves from 1 bunch of kale. Tear the leaves into 3- to 4-inch pieces. Toss in a bowl with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 (or more) teaspoons paprika, and salt to taste. (Be careful not to get them too salty). Spread out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until crisp.

You can replace the paprika with any spice you think sounds good. We’re thinking about trying cumin next time…yum!

And sorry about the lack of picture…we simply gobbled them up too quickly! I’ll try to get one next time.

Soon to come: Sautéed Swiss Chard

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