Eaten cooked or raw, watercress has a slight peppery flavor. It has been an important green for centuries long recognized in many cultures for its healthful properties. Wherever Watercress has been reported in history it has been common to simply eat the crisp green sprigs out of hand old world snack food . Watercress may be eaten raw as in a simple salad with oil and vinegar, or wilted in soups or other dishes. Try it in a classic British sandwich: butter and cream cheese spread on two slices of bread with watercress in between. Liven this simple sandwich up with thinly sliced radishes or cucumbers. Or try one of the several recipes I have included below. This is another in the superfood group. Watercress is a very powerful antioxidant. A two year study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2007 determined that eating watercress daily can significantly reduce DNA damage to blood cells, which is considered to be an important trigger in the development of cancer. It is brimming with more than 15 essential vitamins and minerals. Gram for gram, it contains more iron than spinach, more vitamin C than oranges and more calcium than milk.

I love swiss chard. A close relative to beets, the greens look very similar to beet greens. Like other greens, it is packed with the vitamins and minerals that are so hard to get in quantity in other foods. Chard is best eaten cooked, but is fantastic raw in smoothies. You can use it as a substitute for many recipes that call for spinach or other greens. As a side dish, I like swiss chard perhaps more than spinach. Which is saying a lot since I love spinach. For a quick side dish, try braising it one of two ways. Put a little olive oil or butter, 2 cloves of minced garlic & hald od a minced onion in a saute pan and allow the garlic to cook a bit and soften. Put in the chopped chard and cover tightly and let cook until wilted (if there's not enough moisture add a TB or so of water). Once chard has just wilted, add a sprinkle of red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar or balsamic and black pepper and serve. Or, add a bit of vegetable oil to the pan. Add the clove of minced garlic. Then add the chopped chard and cover and let cook until wilted. Then sprinkle with rice vinegar and a few drops of toasted sesame oil and maybe a teeny bit of soy if you want stronger flavor. Yum.

Sorrel is a green leaf vegetable native to Europe. It is also called common sorrel or spinach dock. In appearance sorrel greatly resembles spinach and in taste sorrel can range from comparable to the kiwifruit (or lemons or a combo) to a more acidic tasting older leaf (due to the presence of oxalic acid which increases as the leaves gets older). Young sorrel may be harvested to use in salads, soups or stews. Young sorrel leaves are also excellent when lightly cooked, similar to the taste of cooked chard or spinach. Older sorrel is best for soups and stews where it adds tang and flavor to the dish.

Related to kale, cabbage, and collard greens, mustard greens are the peppery leafy greens of the mustard plant. This week everyone will receive either Mizuna or Ruby Steaks Mustard. Mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with dandelion-like jagged edge green leaves with a mild, sweet earthy flavor. It has long been culitaved in Japan, but most likely originated in China. Mizuna makes an excellent salad green, and is frequently found in Mesclun. Ruby Streaks Mustard has a delicate texture and mild, sweet yet mildly pungent mustard flavor. Both greens are tender enough to liven up salads, and stout enough to stand on their own in steamed or stir-fried dishes.

Also know as spider mustard, mizuna is a Japanese mustard green with tender leaves and a pleasant, peppery flavor. You could substitute it, chopped, in a salad calling for arugula. It adds a nice zest to a stir-fry or saute. Store mizuna, unwashed, loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer.

Even though we pine for our greens all winter, when they come in full-force it can sometimes be overwhelming. This is especially true, when you include all the bonus greens that come attached to beets, turnips and radishes. It's a shame to let any go to waste! When you receive your share, don't forget to separate all the greens from any attached roots for storage. Now, take a quick inventory of all of the greens and try to realistically estimate what you'll be able to eat this week. Those that you plan to eat, store unwashed, loosely wrapped in plastic bags in your crisper. If there are extra greens that you don't think that you'll get to, think about freezing them for the winter, and do it now while they're at their freshest and most nutritious. I don't worry about mixing greens when freezing, as most will go into a winter lasagna, soup, quiche, pasta dish, etc. I just freeze them in portions that are easy to use. To save your greens: First, roughly chop the greens, removing any tough stems. Give them a good wash by soaking in plenty of cold water in your sink or a large bowl or tub. Lift the greens out of the water, leaving the dirt behind. If there is excessive dirt left in the water, change the water and repeat. Put greens in a large pot of boiling water. Boil just until the leaves wilt and begin to turn dark green. Immediately remove greens from hot water and plunge into an ice-water bath. Remove from the water bath, drain, package in freezer-safe plastic bags or containers, and freeze. If you have a pasta or other wire basket, this is ideal to carry the greens in and out of boiling water and water bath.

These nutrition packed greens can be eaten raw in salads, braised or sauteed, or tossed into dishes calling for greens. The level of bitterness in the greens depends on several factors from the age of the greens to amounts of rainfall and sunlight they have received while they have grown. How to tell? Try a piece! Bitter greens will mellow in flavor with more time in the skillet and are great accompanied by minced onion and garlic, and/or stock or water. Some recipes call for bitter greens to be cooked over low heat for as much as 20 minutes.

The raab overwintered nicely in the field. They have come up with flower buds and a combination of greens and stem. Depending on your taste you might find the bitterness of these greens pleasing or a bit overpowering. If you are in the latter camp, try sauteing them with 1-2 teaspoons of honey. The sweetness of the honey will balance the spiciness of the greens. Stored loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in the crisper drawer, these will last 3-4 days.

Some folks will get the ruby red chard, while others will receive bright lights. The leaves of both varieties look and taste just about identical. The name really refers to the stems. The bright lights have a variety of yellow, orange, red and white stems, while the ruby red have, well, red stems. Chard stems are good eating, as well as the leaves. Strip the greens from the stems before cooking. Add the chopped stems to your pan a few minutes before the softer greens to ensure an evenly cooked dish. Store chard loosely wrapped in a plastic bag in your crisper drawer. Wash thoroughly before use.

The beet greens in your share today are best eaten cooked. They are related to Swiss chard and may be used exactly the same way. I love them sautéed with a bit of oil and vinegar (balsamic or apple cider) and salt & pepper. You can also toss them into most recipes that call for other greens (mustard greens, even spinach). They are milder in flavor than mustard greens, but a bit stronger than spinach. They are delicious.