After months of excited anticipation (I know, I’m such a dork), we finally got our first (and second) CSA box!
Because Fritz and I are idiots, when I was out-of-town last week, I forgot to call and remind him to pick up our first box. Major bummer–but part of the fun of buying from a small farmer is that you can call them and figure out a solution to your own stupid mistakes. Maggie, the farmer’s wife, offered to give us a few veggies that we missed last week so we wouldn’t feel like we wasted a week’s worth of money. Isn’t that nice? Not to mention that the box we forgot to pick up got donated to someone else who needed it (you’re welcome!).
So this is really about a week and a half worth of veggies:
And yes, they are as vibrant and green and delicious as they look.
Here’s the issue, though. Now I have an entire tableful of greens–and I refuse to waste any of them! You’ll be seeing a lot of greens-based recipes this year. Between the green monsters (they use up a lot of greens, really fast) and salads, I’m not too worried about getting through them. I also blanched and froze the beet greens, and I have some other fun things planned for the next few days.
Fritz is out-of-town for the weekend with his dad, though (and he took my camera!), so that is going to make cooking, blogging, and eating those greens a lot more difficult.
Our first recipe? Crispy chard chips.
Crispy Chard Chips
- 1 bunch chard (or kale, or any hearty green)
- 1-2 T olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Rinse the chard leaves and tear them into pieces–they can be as large or small as you want–I went pretty large. Drizzle two cookie sheets with the olive oil and divide the chard pieces between them. Using your hands, toss the leaves with the olive oil until they are evenly coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper (and other spices if you want–garlic salt, paprika, chili powder…go crazy!).
Place on a middle rack in the oven and bake until dry and crispy, about 20 minutes. Once they are cool, they shouldn’t stick to the bottom of the pan (thanks to the olive oil) but they may need to be gently loosened to remove them. You can store these in a Tupperware container or plastic baggies, but trust me, they’ll go pretty quickly.
The crunchy, salty satisfaction of potato chips with all the health benefits of leafy greens.
I took these to school for a snack during my long days of lectures. It was so nice to have a snack that feels like potato chips, since I try not to eat them but I really, really love them.
Really, really, really love them.
So far, the CSA has been a success–but I’ll update you again next week. Hope you get a few minutes today to enjoy the weather (if you live near me) or just have some time for yourself. Au revoir!
12 comments
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lifecoachabby
June 10, 2011 at 11:12 am (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That is a beautiful bounty! CSA’s are definitely the way to go!
my0wneyes
June 10, 2011 at 2:51 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
That all looks so great…I love greens and thanks to your blog I am able to get in more than normal…and now with the crispy chard chips…I can’t wait. I am going to make some tonight
Hannah
June 10, 2011 at 4:30 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I certainly hope you plan on making a strawberry rhubard pie (or something)…maybe you can find a recipe for strawberry rhubarb butter…just puree and cook down. Mmmm….
Hannah
June 10, 2011 at 4:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Sorry, that was actually Mom…l have no idea how I managed to hack in and become you!
Lauren Zietsman
June 10, 2011 at 5:30 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I managed to fix it, except for the picture
I must have left it logged in as myself!
Lauren Zietsman
June 10, 2011 at 5:31 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I found a recipe for a red wine rhubarb compote for serving over ice cream…thought I’d give that a try once i have my camera back
keroiam
June 12, 2011 at 10:06 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I tried making chard chips once, but they came out sorta burnt yet wilted as if steamed. I will have to try your recipe, because they ARE tasty and yours look great!
Lauren Zietsman
June 12, 2011 at 10:42 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
hmmm…maybe the oven was too hot? they burned before they dried out all the way?
Rande McDaniel
October 18, 2011 at 7:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I’ve only recently discovered a world beyond kale chips, I had no idea you could bake other greens into chips too!
Katlyn
March 27, 2012 at 1:33 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
I was wondering if you can do the same with fruits? Such as thin slices of strawberries? Or peaches for the summer time? Im in college also and I get hungry in between classes and was looking for something healthy to snack on. Also im a fanatic of spinach. Would that work also? P.s. I have been reading all of your posts and I love them. Especially your cat. He is adorable. (:
Lauren Zietsman
March 27, 2012 at 5:04 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Definitely can with fruits! You can try spinach but heartier greens like kale or chard work better
Ana
July 30, 2012 at 5:39 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
Wow! I’m looking forward to trying these! They look so good and we have swiss chard in the garden now.
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September 18, 2011 at 10:30 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] veggie chips are also great with kale or chard–see here for the [...]
Crispy Beet Chips » A Full Measure of Happiness
December 20, 2011 at 8:07 pm (UTC -4) Link to this comment
[...] like kale or chard chips, these are super easy to make. Preheat the oven to 325 [...]