What the heck is tatsoi?

Spike and I are receiving the bounty of Mother Nature this summer! Actually, it's the bounty of Ward's Berry Farm in Sharon, MA. We signed up for a Farm Share where we receive a box of gorgeous fruits and veggies every week. It's been very interesting trying to figure out what to do with all of the veggies, some of which are very unique.

The first week we got:
-- 1 quart Strawberries
-- 2 heads Lettuce
-- 1 bunch Garlic Scapes
-- 1 bunch Spinach
-- 1 bunch Red Russian Kale
-- 1 bunch Radishes
-- 1 bunch Chives

The strawberries were amazing and tasted just like Sweet Tarts. We devoured them pretty quickly and used the garlic scapes and chives mixed with cream cheese to make a white pizza. The leafy greens and radishes were used to make a giant salad.

The second week was more of the same:
-- 1 quart Strawberries
-- 1 head Lettuce
-- 1 bunch Spring Onions
-- 1 bunch Arugula
-- 1 bunch Collards/Mustard Greens
-- 1 bunch Beets
-- 1 bunch Garlic Scapes
-- 1 bunch Dill

This week I tried to saute the beet and mustard greens in garlic and oil. Spike said it was good, but I didn't like it.... you can't put lipstick on a pig. I attempted to pickle the garlic scapes with the dill, but they're still in the fridge and I'm not sure how they turned out. The one awesome thing from this week was the pasta I made with the spring onions. It was delicious!

The third week consisted of:
-- 1 quart Strawberries
-- 1 head Lettuce
-- 2 lbs. Shell Peas
-- .5 lb. Sugar Snap Peas
-- .5 lb. Snow Peas
-- 1 bunch Baby Carrots
-- 1 bunch Swiss Chard

I wasn't a huge fan of this week, but I tried my best by making a stir fry and making Spike eat the Swiss Chard.

The last week in June, we had the following:
-- 1 bunch Arugula
-- 1 head Lettuce
-- 1 bunch Tatsoi or Red Komatsuna
-- 2 lbs. Fava Beans
-- 1 lb. Sugar Snap or Snow Peas
-- 1 bunch Spring Onions
-- 1 bunch Carrots
-- 1 bunch Radishes

I was petrified of doing anything with the fava beans, besides eating them with liver and a nice chianti, but it turns out I kind of like them! We put them together with the snow peas and spring onions and made a salad dressed with oil and vinegar. And what the heck is tatsoi? It looked like some kind of alien plant. We used it, along with the rest of the greens, in a salad and decided that tatsoi is NOT best eaten in that manner. I also discovered that I actually like radishes!

The fifth week, we got:
-- 1 pt. Blueberries
-- 1 head Lettuce
-- 1 bunch Basil
-- 1.5 lbs. Green, Wax or Romano Beans
-- 4 - 6 Round Zucchini
-- 1 bunch Spring Onions
-- 1 bunch Carrots
-- 1 bunch Beets

Hooray for blueberries! They were delicious and I enjoyed them on my cereal all week. We used the basil in our favorite pasta recipe and then grilled the zucchini for another pizza. We made a salad with the beans, carrots, and lettuce and I made Spike eat the beets.

Week six brought:
-- .5 pt. Raspberries
-- .5 lb. Sugar Snap Peas
-- 1 bunch Parsley
-- 1 lb. Wax Beans
-- 1 lb. Romano Beans
-- 1.5 lbs. Assorted Summer Squashes
-- 1 lb. New Potatoes
-- 1 head Garlic
-- 1 bunch Carrots
-- 1 bunch Beets

Oh gorgeous raspberries... our first casualty of the summer. They were so wonderful that Spike and I were rationing them very carefully. I thought he had finished them and he thought I had finished them when we found their gorgeous fuchsia carcasses molding in the back of the fridge. It was devastating. The roasted veggie paninis and bean salad were delicious, but enough with the beets already!

The seventh week finally got to the good stuff:
-- 2 lbs. Beans
-- 1 pt. Cherry Tomatoes
-- 2 Cucumbers
-- 1.5 lbs. Summer Squash
-- 1.5 lbs. New Potatoes
-- 6 ears Corn
-- 1 bunch Beets
-- 1 bunch Carrots
-- 1 head Garlic

Corn, glorious, corn! We ate those right off the cobs as soon as possible. The cherry tomatoes and cucumbers made a delicious tabouli and the beans and beets were eaten by Spike. I'm so done with them. Seriously.

Week eight got me very excited:
-- 3 Japanese Eggplant
-- 1 pt. Cherry Tomatoes
-- 3 Pickling Cucumbers
-- 2 lbs. Summer Squash
-- 2 Green Peppers
-- 1 bunch Arugula
-- 6 ears Sweet Corn
-- 1 bunch Radishes
-- 1 bunch Carrots
-- 1 head Garlic

We made a delicious vegetable tian with the squash, eggplant, and potatoes from the week before. I saved some squash to use with the radishes, carrots, and corn in this recipe. Oh boy it was good. Spike ate an arugula salad with some cherry tomatoes and peppers. It was a good week.

I'm kind of upset that I haven't taken pictures of everything we've made. As someone who loves taking pictures of my food, I feel I've failed in this area. I could have been blogging about it all summer long! I will do my best to keep up from now on, but until then, I leave you with the gorgeous tacos from last night.