A dark green Asian salad green that has a spoon like shape, a pleasant and sweet aroma flavor like a mild mustard flavor, similar to bok choi. Tatsoi is generally eaten raw, but may be added to soups at the end of the cooking period.

It's been a long time since we've had spinach in the share and we are so happy to have it back in the bags. This is a larger leaf cooking spinach, versus the baby spinach you received for salads earlier in the season. Spinach is a staple ingredient from Persia to China to Europe to America. Like the French, I think that it has an affinity for a grating of nutmeg. Try adding a freshly grated pinch to your steamed, sauteed or creamed preparations as well as to spinach tarts, frittatas and casseroles. Wash the leaves in a sink or large bowl full of water, letting any sandy residue sink to the bottom. Lift out of the water and drain. Throwing it into a pan with a few remaining water droplets will allow it to steam nicely. Store unwashed, bagged in the crisper drawer for several days.

Your greens may include one or more of the following: kale, arugula, mizuna, mibuna, red giant. These make a salad with a nice bite or you can quick saute them, throw them into soups and/or pastas, etc. As with mesclun, it's a good idea to wrap the greens in a dishtowel inside the plastic bag to absorb any excess moisture. Store in the crisper drawer.

Store these greens in your crisper drawer where they will keep for several days. I find they last well if you wrap a small kitchen towel around them in the bag with the greens to soak up any extra moisture plastic bag in the fridge.

It seems so decadent to be giving out these luscious greens so deep in a Vermont December. Wasn't it yesterday that the high only made it into the single digits? We pre-wash our mesclun before it goes in your bags. Most of us at the farm are fine with this single wash and serve the greens in a salad straightaway. Store the greens in a loose plastic bag in your crisper drawer. If the greens seem damp, throw a cloth napkin or dishtowel in the bag with the greens to absorb any excess moisture.

Our greens continue to get more diverse as the season progresses. Today's mix includes claytonia, lettuce, arugula, mustard, kale and tatsoi, as well as sunflower, radish and pea shoots. The bag is topped off with Tatsoi flowers. Try making a salad with grated carrots and miso dressing.

Mixed in with your greens this week, you will find some green leaves with a thin stem and round-shaped leaf. Claytonia is a cold-hardy salad green, that is also known by the name of "miner's lettuce." During the gold rush, miners foraged for the wild-growing green. It provided a rare source of fresh vitamin C during the winter, thus staving off scurvy for the hungry miners. Claytonia has a mild, but lush flavor. We love to mix it with hardy brassicas and lettuces in the Fall and our shoots in Winter in order to keep us in salad through all the cold Vermont winter months.

This is a hearty mix of slightly larger red mustard, mizuna, beets, arugula, and doesn't necessarily need to be cooked. I just saw it being packed and it looks lovely and very tender. You can briefly saute this with garlic and olive oil, salt and pepper for a quick side. It's also great in a simple quesadilla. Or try making a wilted salad by heating oil, vinegar, a minced clove of garlic and pouring over greens. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper. Delicious with some toasted nuts and crumbled cheese. Store like mesclun in the crisper drawer for a few days.

I know Pete made it sound kind of sad that we had to give you these this week, but I absolutely love these greens. You won't find a mix like this anywhere else and I am not exaggerating or kissing any bottoms when i say that. Pardon my coarseness. Store in the crisper, dry and in a plastic bag. Saute or put in a casserole, on top of a pizza, make creamy greens, etc. etc. etc. Good stuff.

Also known as Rocket or Roquette, this is a very popular and versatile green, that can be eaten raw, but also stands up well in the sauté pan. It has a peppery mustardy flavor so some people prefer to tone it down by mixing it with other greens. It blends particularly well with goat cheese and balsamic and olive oil! It is delicious simply sautéed in a pan with olive oil. I toss it on sandwiches to give them pep, and into salads to take it up a notch.