[Week 3] Chili Crunch Bok Choy + How to Store and Use Garlic Scapes

Also: All-Purpose Lemon Vinaigrette, Marinated Zucchini & More

Hello Farm Share Friends,

Last night I used the last of last week’s share — 1 head of bok choy — to make the above-pictured sauté. I’ve written out the very simple recipe below, but in sum, it’s sautéed bok choy — the stems first, then the greens — finished with a spoonful of chili crunch. It was fast and satisfying (and very spicy!), and I think the method would work well with so many of our farm share items, namely broccoli (blanched first) and any of the other greens we receive.

Today we’re receiving garlic scapes, and I’ve included some thoughts below on what to do with them. We’re also receiving radishes, so be sure to trim the greens from the roots before storing them. And as always: don’t forget to snip away any rubber bands before storing your produce.

Friends, how are your countertop scallions holding up? Your herbs? Have you made any other discoveries?

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Week 3 Vegetables

In addition to nearly everything we received last week, this week we’re also receiving arugula (my favorite), garlic scapes, cucumbers, radishes, and cabbage 🎉🎉

• ​scallions → Scallion Recipes​

• Cucumbers → Cucumber Recipes

• Cabbage → Cabbage Recipes

• radishes → Radish Recipes

• kale → Kale Recipes​​

• basil → Herb Recipes​​

• arugula and head lettuce → Salads

• bok choy → Bok Choy Recipes + See Recipe Below

• parsley → Herb Recipes

• broccoli → Broccoli Recipes

• zucchini or summer squash → Summer Squash Recipes

Find recipes for all the vegetables here → Farm Share Vegetables

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Let’s Review: Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes grow from hardneck garlic bulbs, and farmers trim them because they draw energy away from the forming bulbs. They taste sweet, like a chive or scallion, with a more mild but familiar garlicky zing. Finely sliced, scapes can be used just the same as garlic cloves, such as sautéed with vegetables or puréed into pesto, aioli, and hummus. They will keep for months. Store in a bag in the vegetable bin of your fridge.

Another approach you can take is to purée them, then use the paste as you would minced garlic. I find having the purée on hand to be a real time saver — it’s much faster to scoop out a spoonful of the purée than to mince the scapes every time I need them.

Be sure to store the purée in an airtight container. It's fragrant — your fridge will smell a little garlicky 🧄🧄🧄🧄🧄

Rough Meal Plan

The recipes scribbled onto this rough meal plan can be found below. For the past two weeks, I’ve used my head lettuce first. This week I’ll use the arugula first, perhaps mixed with the head lettuce depending on how much of each we receive. Everything else should hold up very well on the counter or in the fridge for a few days.

8 Recipes

As noted above, the arugula should be used first. If I don’t eat it all undressed on the car ride home, I’ll toss it lightly in a lemon vinaigrette.

One of you — hi Thomas 👋 —passed along this recipe for Spiced Chickpea Salad with Tahini and Pita Chips, which would put to great use the kale, parsley, and cucumbers we are receiving this week. I can’t wait to make it!

Photo by Con Poulos for The New York Times

Colu Henry’s recipe for boy choy and broccolini looks simple and delicious:

Go-To Cucumber Salad

I’m dying to make Giulia Scarpaleggia’s greens-loaded gnudi from her cookbook Cucina Povera. You can watch Giulia make it here, and find a similar recipe on her website.

For your radishes: Pan-Braised Radishes and Greens

My friend Erinn passed along this recipe from the Canal House women via Food52:

Photo by Mark Weinberg

For the cabbage: Okonamiyaki

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PS: I particularly like this chili crunch:

Chili Crunch Bok Choy

Serves 1 to 2 as a side dish

• extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 large head bok choy

• kosher salt

• chili crunch to taste

  1. Roughly chop the bok choy leaves; chop the firmer stems into 1-inch pieces.

  2. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat, add roughly 1 tablespoon of oil, along with the bok choy stems, and cook for 1-2 minutes to soften. Season with a pinch of salt, then add the bok choy leaves and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes, until the leaves are wilted.

  3. Add a few spoonfuls of chili crunch — be careful, it’s spicy — toss to combine, then remove the pan from the heat. Taste and adjust with more salt or chili crunch to taste.

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Fellow Farm Sharers: Please share in the comments links to recipes you are loving for your early season farm share vegetables! Tips, questions, and suggestions are always welcome, too. Enjoy your vegetables! 🥦🥬🥒🌶🌽🥕 See you next week :)