Spotlight: Braising Greens

About
Braising greens are thick, dark, leafy greens, typically grown in winter. While they can be eaten raw, most braising greens are best enjoyed cooked (as the name suggests, read: sauté them), as cooking softens the flavor and texture. This class of greens includes collard greens, kale, Swiss chard, mustard greens, Asian greens (bok choy, yukina savoy, tsoi-sim, etc.) and any other edible veggie tops (e.g. beet greens, sweet potato greens, turnip greens, kohlrabi greens, etc.).

"Mom always told you to eat your greens." [source]

Nutritional Info
Braising greens are SO good for you. They're a great source of calcium, iron, folic acid, lutein, manganese, fiber, and vitamins A, C, and K. These antioxidant-rich cruciferous greens, packed with vitamins and minerals, are great for the eyes, blood, immune system, and might even help protect against certain types of cancer!

Storage

Braising greens should be stored like any other greens. Take off any rubber bands around the stems. For collard greens, we recommend halving the giant leaves first. Place the entire bunch (leafy end first) into a plastic grocery bag. Gently twist the opening of the bag around the stems so air flow is cut off but the greens are not squished into the bag. Store the bag in the crisper drawer at the bottom of your fridge, far away from any fruit, esp. apples!

We often get feedback that greens go bad really quickly. This is not true! Although you should try to use them within a week of receiving them, greens should last at least two weeks if stored properly (and we know it works, because we're shareholders too!). Ask a coordinator at Market Day if you have any questions about how to store your greens.

Preparation
Unless the recipe you're using calls for something different, in general you can follow this simple method for cooking your greens: Rip the leaves off the stems into bite-sized pieces. Chop up the stems into bite-sized pieces. Done! The logic behind this method is that stems and leaves take different amounts of time to cook to the ideal crunchy but tender texture balance point, so you want to be able to start cooking your stems a few minutes earlier than the leaves.

Recipes
Braising greens are incredibly versatile. They can be easily added to a stir-fry, sauté, soup, stew, frittata, and more! However, the quickest, easiest (and most delicious) way to cook greens is sauté them with garlic:

• Heat a frying pan on medium heat. Pour some olive oil into the center of the pan. When the oil is hot, add some chopped or pressed garlic, and let it cook until fragrant. Add the chopped greens stems, and cook for a few minutes until they begin to soften. Add the torn greens leaves, some salt and pepper to taste, and cook under tender and ready to eat!

The Washington Post also has some excellent tips and tricks about your favorite greens.

Other recipes:

• Simple Braised Greens
• Caldo Verde, Portuguese Greens Soup
• Tacos
• Salads!
• Fancy Collards
• This collection from the Kitchn
• This collection from the Washington Post
• Anything from the Braising Greens, Kale, Swiss Chard, Collards, or Bok Choy sections of our recipe index
• Braising greens and other items in this week's (3/18/13) share, click here.

Flavor Friends [source]:

• Beans: black eyed peas, white, etc. ... #beansandgreens, like Mom always says.
• Butter
• Cheese, parmesan
• Chickpeas
• Chile peppers
• Garlic
• Pasta
• Lemon
• Mushrooms
• Olive oil
• Onions
• Pine nuts
• Polenta
• Potatoes
• Red pepper flakes
• Shallots
• Tomatoes

Any Suggestions?
Do you have a greens recipe you love? Send it to us! Email us at info@brownmarketshares.com and let us know what you did with your greens (and the rest of your share) this week.

UPDATED: 10/21/14, Anna Plumlee; 12/2/14, Anna Plumlee.