Spring Greens Primer
Just some of the greens we offer! Selection may vary online and at markets. Ask the crew what's good right now! From L to R, top row: arugula, Mr. Mustard, Braising, mizuna. Bottom row: Zesty salad, tokyo bekana, swiss chard, tatsoi
In the Spring, we grow and harvest an incredible array of greens. For folks new to Bellair, you may not recognize some of these! We choose our varieties based on what grows best here and then hone in on the ones that we and our customers love to eat. That means we grow a lot of Asian varietals because they are flavorful and vigorous growers. Don't be shy around these greens. They can be used in much the same ways as greens that are typically found in American grocery chains and are much more exciting, in our opinion!
BELLAIR GREENS
Arugula: We harvest our arugula at full size, meaning it will be spicy and larger-leaved! The first cut of this green is the highest quality, but we will cut all our greens up to 3 times if quality and weed pressure allows.
Mizuna: This leaf has lobed and serrated edges and a white midrib. It's very lettuce-like in flavor with a heartier texture. Try it on a Bahn Mi!
Tokyo Bekana: essentially a baby Napa leaf, this green is tender as anything and a beautiful color. If you cook it, do it just lightly, like you would arugula.
Bok Choy: We grow 2 types. The green stem is known to Chinese folks as "Shanghai" style where the other is considered the "regular" kind (see photo below). We grow Black summer and Joi choy as those two varieties, respectively. They are interchangeable, but the stem texture is different and can really shine when prepared simply.
Spinach: You’re probably pretty familiar with this one! We grow a variety that has fairly large leaves, but still tender. Great in fresh in salads but will hold up to some light cooking.
Tatsoi: This cute round leaf is a lot like baby bok choy in flavor, but the leaf shape and size are similar to spinach, so it's also a great sub for that in salads!
Chard: This plant is a relative of beet greens and spinach (it's kind of right in the middle of the two in flavor). We're just getting into the chard, and it's a green that can last later into the summer. If you like chard, make sure you're eating your beet tops (once those start to come in), too!
Curly Kale: Lots of folks love curly standard kale! It’s a bit tough and bitter, but Charlottesvillians seem to know how to handle that. Massaged-kale salads and kale chips are two of the most popular preparations!
Red Russian Kale: like a smaller, more tender version of the standard kale. We also grow a “white russian” in fall that is a bit more cold tolerant. Depending on the size of that week’s particular leaves, it’s tender enough for salads, or it can also be cooked like normal kale.
Collards: Often, these are more tender and sweet than standard kale and can be used as a substitute for that. The bugs like to get to these tender greens, so the season is rather short, usually lasting from Weeks 3-6 or so in the CSA. Pairing this green with bacon fat and onions makes for a southern staple best served with corn bread.
Choy Sum/Komatsuna: Choy sum is literally translated as “vegetable heart” in Chinese referring to the tender, edible stem. It has edible flowers as well. Komatsuna looks very very similar and can be prepared in the same way. Great for stir frying or sautéing.
Hon Tsi Tai: This beautiful green has a wonderfully sweet taste and all parts are edible: leaves, buds, flowers and tender stems. Trim off woody ends, rough chop and prepare like broccolini or add to a soup or stir fry. Alternatively, leave it raw and throw it into a salad: the purple stems, bright green leaves, and pretty yellow flowers will make any plate look amazing.
Lettuce: We grow a lot of lettuce in spring, so now's the time to stock up if you like that! It is eating super sweet and tender right now but lettuce gets bitter in summer heat and that's part of why we're partial to brassicas (everything else besides chard and spinach on this list is a brassica) for the bulk of our greens. We grow a variety of styles of lettuce and will have some cut loose as well! Tender types include oak leaf (Panisse is the best!) and butter heads and crispy types include the leaf lettuces and romaines.
Can't get enough greens? The tops on our salad turnips and radishes are all edible, but are best cooked!
Mixed Greens
Mr. Mustard Mix: Namesake of Nat's doggy Mr. Mustard, this mix is SPICY. Use it as a topper for tacos, or cool it down by pairing with creamy cheeses or dressings. Cooking it also takes out some of that heat. Our mission is to turn all of Charlottesville into mustard-lovers!
Zesty Salad Mix: Contains Mizuna, Tokyo Bekana, and mustard greens for a nice salad blend that can also be lightly wilted.
Braising Mix: Made of Kale, Tatsoi, and mustards, this mix can stand up to cooking but is also good raw if that's what you like!
An interesting fact about the flavor of not only these greens but all our veggies, especially our radishes, is that many times, there is more variation in flavor due to field conditions than due to variety! For instance, red and green lettuces or purple and red radishes will taste pretty similar to each other, but radishes or lettuce grown in dry weather will be full-flavor (and can get super spicy or borderline bitter in extremes) while radishes or lettuce grown in wet weather will be mild and tender (and can border on watery or rotten at extremes).
For more ideas about how to cook with these greens, check out our blog post “Using Asian Greens!”
