What do I do with...?

[jesicaclark]

Reposting with a better title- I'm starting a small farm in the Hudson Valley that is going to focus on specialty varieties of vegetables and herbs, including some unfamiliar vegetables and varieties with an ethnic heritage. I would like to give out recipes with certain produce so the buyers aren't too afraid to try the unfamiliar. So here's my call for recipes. If you'd like credit, let me know and I'll put your name with it. Anything that tastes good and sounds enticing is fine by me.
Here's a list of some of the more unfamiliar items:
chervil
garlic chives
flowering mustard (gai lon)
salad turnips
escarole
epazote
shungiku (chrysanthemum greens)
lovage
mitsuba (Japanese parsley)
cippolini onions
cardoon
green shiso (perilla)
french breakfast radishes
roma (flat) snap beans
yardlong beans
kousa squash (Middle Eastern summer squash)
treviso radicchio
phoona keera cucumbers (russeted Indian variety)
okra (not too unfamiliar, but definitely needs help)
parsley root
corno di toro peppers
red meat and green meat Chinese winter radishes
pardon peppers
kamo (Japanese eggplants)
Thai green eggplants (these are mottled green and slightly longer, more egg shaped than the now-familiar little round guys)

thank you so much and happy cooking!

[JungMann]

garlic chives - Saute for pad thai, mix with pork for Chinese-style dumplings, make into savory pancakes
flowering mustard - braise with garlic and serve with oyster sauce. chop into 2" length and saute with garlic, dark/light soy, rice vinegar, chili, sugar, beef and flat rice noodles
escarole - braise until tender. saute in olive oil with garlic, onions and chopped olives. finish sauce with anchovies and lemon juice.
french breakfast radishes - pickle in a vinegar brine with mustard seeds, coriander and garlic. serve these pink radishes with a creamy caramelized onion dip.
okra - saute with chopped onions, garlic, tomato and season with cumin, coriander, turmeric, and red chili powder for an authentic curry. brighten with lemon juice.

[katecm]

Garlic scapes make a nice pesto, and cipollini onions are wonderful with a balsamic and butter glaze.

Are you allowed to serve prepared samples at your market? I bet that would help a lot.

[jesicaclark]

That's actually a good question. I always assumed I was because I'm not selling the prepared food itself, but I'll check into it. Also, how do you do the balsamic and butter glaze?

[katecm]

Melt butter, throw in a bit of brown sugar (depends on how sweet your vinegar is, but I tend to do this with someone inexpensive vinegar so depend on the brown sugar), and stir together. Throw in the cippolini, stir to coat, then pour in a few hefty glugs of balsamic. Cover and simmer gently, checking to make sure nothing burns, until the onions are cooked through. Uncover when they're done. If the vinegar is too liquidy, cook until it's all thick and covers the onions well. Season well with salt and pepper, since that's what keeps it all from becoming a dessert.

[GoodGravy]

Yard long beans: nilaga, kare kare and sinigang.
Treviso: grilled and tossed w/ balsamic, or shredded and mixed w/ carrots to make cole slaw, or break off leaves and use them as serving boats for whatever filling you want, like shrimp or crab salad.

[jesicaclark]

Thanks cuz.. I'm hoping the radicchio is not to bitter- you're providing the crab salad.

[GoodGravy]

I'm coming to get food, not give food. Sub out crab salad for grilled thai eggplant and cippolini onion puree w/ cumin,cinammon, whatever, topped w/ chopped garlic chives.

[themags]

Padron peppers Spanish tapas style sauteed in olive oil with sea salt crystals
French breakfast radishes with butter and sea salt crystals
I likes me fats and sea salts :-)

[jesicaclark]

absolutely- I'm thinking of giving out samples of the french breakfast radishes on toast with a :slab: of butter and sea salt. My favorite!

[Ernie Diamond]

Is it silly to ask why you are growing things that you are not familiar with? It would be a pretty hard sell for me to look to buy something and then to hear the grower say, "I've never really tried that before."

How was this list compiled? I don't mean to be a jerk but I am curious.

[jesicaclark]

Not a silly question, but I am in fact familiar with just about everything on the list (with the exception of parsley root and phoona keera cukes)....it's my potential customers that are probably unfamiliar with at least some of them....the list was compiled out of the items I am growing this year and that list was compiled by my crazy attempt to grow everything I can on 1/4 acre of land in the Northeast. (Though I'm used to farming 6 acres or more). I'm growing over 130 different varieties, these are just the "stranger ones".

I am anticipating the big question "what do I do with..." and while I have my stock answers: fennel and orange salad, garlic chive kim chi, escarole and white bean soup, etc., I'm looking for a little diversity and hey, a new way to have some of the veggies myself so I can be better prepared for the market.

[Ernie Diamond]

Great. I get it now!

Cardoon for gratins, Parsley root for soup with potatoes and leeks or just mashed with potatoes. Pickeled okra (maybe something you can do on your own and sell ready made. Gai Lon (Gai Lan?) great done as broccoli rabe. Cippolini great roasted and topped with balsamic. yardlong beans are great in a curry as are the Thai eggplants.

Were I in youir position, and blessed with infinite time and resources, I would consider having a little taste from day to day of the potential uses, depending on what is in season. Make up a green curry, parsnip soup, roasted padron peppers, etc.

Just a thought and best of luck. Would love to shop at your stand if only I was in the area!

[jesicaclark]

Thanks for your awesome response Ernie. Hey, if you're ever in the area, you're welcome to come on down to the Kingston Farmers Market. I'll be there will Thai curry samples to try ;)

[kosherfoodies]

kousa - scoop it out and stuff it with meat and rice, and cook in a tomato sauce with some tamarind in true middle-eastern style!

[jesicaclark]

now that's what I'm talkin' about! makes me wish it were summer already.