Pak-ing a Punch.

First note: BAGS!! BAGS!! BAGS!!! Please (pretty please!) return your bags and ice packs to your driver. We clean, sanitize and re-use them! Please hunt around and see if you have a treasure trove of them somewhere and leave them out for your driver! Thank you!

This week's vegetable hero is Pak Choi. 

Pak Choi, sometimes found under its alias "Bok Choy" is a variety of Chinese cabbage. This kind doesn't form the giant head of cabbage that we are used to, instead forming these petite clusters of greens. The good folks at Wikipedia let me know that this is also sometime called the "soup spoon" vegetable because of the shape of its leaves. They may look spoonish but we don't recommend eating your cereal with them (gross.)

Even if you've never cooked this vegetable, its has a delicate flavor and is easy to prepare a variety of ways. We think simple is best, just a quick trip to the cast iron, some garlic and a splash of sesame oil- more on that later.  If you don't have sesame oil, but like a little punch of flavor- we recommend picking some up. It's a great pairing for many of the wonderful veggies that come with Fall.

WHAT'S IN THE BAG?

HALF SHARE

Omnivore Protein -  Pork Chops and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Pescatarian Protein - Salmon from Red's Best and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Vegetarians - Pierogi from Jaju Pierogi and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Paleo Proteins - Pork Chops and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm
Fruits and Veggies - Lettuce from Brookford Farm; Pak Choi from Clark Farm; Pears from Kimball Fruit Farm; Carrots from Busa Farm
Grain - Beans from Baer's Best
Special Treat - Blondies from Vinal Bakery

WHOLE SHARE

Omnivore Protein -  Pork Chops and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm; Salmon from Red's Best; Black Tea from Yatra Tea company
Pescatarian Protein -Salmon and Swordfish from Red's Best and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm;  Black Tea from Yatra Tea company
Paleo Proteins -Pork Chops and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm; Salmon from Red's Best
Fruits and Veggies - Lettuce and Leeks from Brookford Farm; Pak Choi from Clark Farm; Pears from Kimball Fruit Farm; Peppers and Carrots from Busa Farm
Grain - Beans from Baer's Best
Special Treat - Blondies from Vinal Bakery; Chocolate from Taza 

DOUBLE SHARE

Omnivore Protein -  Pork Chops, Chicken and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm; Salmon from Red's Best; Black Tea from Yatra Tea company; Cottage Cheese from Brookford
Pescatarian Protein - Salmon, Haddock and Swordfish from Red's Best and Eggs from Feather Brook Farm;  Black Tea from Yatra Tea company
Fruits and Veggies - Cucumbers from Blossom Brook Farm; Lettuce and Leeks from Brookford Farm; Pak Choi from Clark Farm; Pears from Kimball Fruit Farm; Peppers and Carrots from Busa Farm
Grain - Beans from Baer's Best; Pierogi from Jaju
Special Treat - Blondies from Vinal Bakery; Chocolate from Taza 

RECIPES

Cooking Beans:  These beans from Baer's Best are different from your normal dried bean- they don't require the pre-soaking. You can skip that step in this recipe. He suggests you cook for about 90 minutes.

Some info on the beans from farmer Charley Baer:
" Our farm produces around 20 varieties of heirloom and specialty beans each year. As a small farm we can harvest each type at peak maturity and quality. After the drying process is complete in the barn, the crop is cleaned with conventional screening machines followed by state of the art gravity separation. One final time consuming step we take with the beans is to use 100 year old hand grading machines to do final QC. This results in a top quality product far better than commercial grades. Our crop is always fresh harvest and cooks quickly, without the need for presoaking."

Tea from Yatra:  

"The tea itself is a lightly oxidized black tea produced in the Spring. It is the highest grade of tea (SFTGFOP1) produced by the estate. It brews a lovely golden liquor and is extremely fragrant with pronounced floral notes. The taste is smooth and well rounded with a bit of spice."

We have given you a reuseable bag to make the tea in ! Enjoy!

For more info, visit their site!

Garlicky Bok Choy- If you have sesame oil, drizzle on at the end! This is a great addition to a pan fried salmon, or the Salmon in Foil, below.

Salmon in Foil-  DID SOMEONE SAY MINIMAL CLEAN UP!?!?!? Heck yes! Also, like the website says, this is Damn Delicious.

Asian Pork Chops- Crushing the website name game; the folks at "Woks of Life" will talk you through how to prep that chop.