Tell Us What to Cook from Our First CSA Share!

Use the garlic to make garlic confit! Simmer cloves in olive oil until tender and jar up the cloves and oil. Use the garlic oil for cooking and the tender garlic for smearing on a piece of toast...or eating straight from the jar! An easy way to get the most out of your garlic! Also, save a clove
(if you can) and plant it to grow your own garlic!

I'd roast the beets first, then slice them. Roast the garlic along with the beets, then squeeze the roasted garlic into olive oil for salad dressing. Mince salt pork, put in a big skillet, add about 1/2 inch of water, cook on medium until the water is gone and the fat renders. Add the cleaned greens, some chopped stalk, some roasted garlic, mix everything, put the lid on and let it steam in its own juices on medium to low, checking to be sure things don't scorch. I like the idea of adding beans to that. Make a salad of lettuce and beets, dress with the garlic-infused oil and some sherry vinegar. A pan of stone-ground cornbread would be good with this.

Make the chard salad with garlic breadcrumbs. It is so good.

We just used our chard, beet tops, onions and garlic scapes thrown together with navy beans to make beans and greens. You can roast the beets and use them in a salad with the lettuce. Also, like Victoria said, the stalks of chard make wonderful pickles.

Make refrigerator pickles out of all the leftover stalks and stems from the greens! SUPER tasty!

Swiss chard and beet greens can be used together, as their flavor and texture are very similar. I love to sub them for the spinach in spanikopita (leaves a rosy stain on the onions and feta). I just discovered this simple preparation for chard and have been devouring every bunch from my CSA this way: 1) Chop/tear the chard and beet greens into ribbons or pieces (something that will be bite-size once it cooks), stems and all, though keep the leafless stem segments separate as you will cook them first. 2) Slice an onion into strips and saute with plenty of oil in a skillet on medium. Add the chopped chard and beet stem after the first couple minutes. 3) Once the onions and stems have just started to soften, add the leaves and turn to coat. Once they have begun to shrink, turn the heat the lowest setting (on my stove, we have a simmer burner, so I put it on that set to low), season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, and let them cook slowly for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash of water now and then if the pan becomes dry and the leaves begin to toast or char. This method makes the chard's natural sweetness and makes it meltingly soft. Serve as a simple side, as a filling for an omelet or quiche, or on top of a polenta. You could add garlic the last ten minutes of cooking for a stronger allium fragrance.

We used the lettuce and beets from our first share to make Museum Salad (you know, the roasted beet, goat cheese and walnut salad you'll find on the menus of museum cafes the world over).

Would love to know how you use the garlic... we just used ours instead of supermarket garlic (in stir fries and tomato sauce) but the flavor was so good, I wish we'd found a recipe to feature it more!