THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: leeks, salad mix (radicchio, corn salad, claytonia, spinach, arugula, and endive), potatoes, celeriac, beets, shallots, and collards.

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Today’s salad mix has some special ingredients that really pack a lot of flavor and nutrition. These “wild” greens that we cultivate for you are important as spring “cleansers” and fortifiers for the body. Ten thousand years ago humans consumed about 390 mgs/day of Vit. C from wild foods. Today the average person consumes about 88mgs of Vit. C/day from cultivated fruits and vegetables. Miner’s lettuce or claytonia are the rounded spinach-tasting small leaves in the mix. Stems, leaves and blossoms have high content of Vitamin C, calcium and proteins. Miner’s lettuce seems to possess medicinal properties and was also used as spring tonic for restoring appetite. Corn salad (also called mache), which we mostly left in rosettes, is known for its potassium and B6 content. Overall, mache has many benefits for blood pressure, heart health, brain health and the immune system. A 3-ounce serving contains 12 percent of daily values for omega-3 fatty acid, which is vital for circulatory health and a proven way to reduce the risk of heart attack. Radicchio reportedly has high levels of antioxidant activity similar to other dark-colored fruits and vegetables such as blueberries and strawberries, which helps reduce damage from free radicals.. (Information from https://www.superfoodevolution.com/miners-lettuce.html and https://foodmedcenter.org/arugula-romaine-radicchio-and-mache/

While the recipe below calls for only arugula and parsley, it would be a great way to use your salad mix and beets.

RED LENTIL SALAD WITH FETA AND BEETS

2-3 beets

¼ cup grapeseed oil (or olive oil)

1 Tbsp. minced shallots (or 1 small onion)

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. ground fennel seeds

2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Pinch cayenne pepper

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 cup red lentils

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

1 bunch arugula, torn into bite-size pieces

½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Wrap the beets in foil and roast them for 45 minutes, or until tender; let cool.  Peel the beets (rubbing under cold water) and cut them into wedges.  In a medium skillet, heat the oil until shimmering.  Add the shallot and garlic and cook over moderately high heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add cumin and fennel seeds and cook just until fragrant.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the vinegar, lemon juice and cayenne.  Season with salt and pepper and whisk until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add lentils and cook just until tender.  Drain and transfer to a bowl.  Toss the lentils with half the vinaigrette and let cool.  Stir in parsley.  Toss the arugula and beets with the remaining vinaigrette and season with salt and pepper.  Mound the salad on dinner plates and spoon the lentils on top.  Garnish with the feta and serve.  Serves 4.  From Food and Wine Jan. 2001.

SMOKY GREENS SAUTÉ

1 ¾ lb. greens

2 Tbs. olive oil

2 garlic cloves

½ cup drained canned diced tomatoes

½ tsp. smoked Spanish paprika (Pimenton de la Vera)

Pinch of fennel seeds

2 tsp. white wine vinegar

salt and pepper

Chop greens, dicing stems and chopping leaves coarsely.  In a large, deep skillet, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Add leaves and stems of greens an cook over high heat until just tender, about 8 minutes.  Drain in a colander, pressing to extract extra liquid.  Wipe out skillet.  Add the olive oil and heat until shimmering.  Add the garlic and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until just beginning to color.  Add the tomatoes and paprika and cook until slightly thickened, a few minutes.  Add cooked greens, fennel seeds and a couple of tablespoons of water, if needed.  Cook 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Stir in white wine vinegar, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately. From Food and Wine February 2005.   NOTE:  I didn’t have smoked paprika, so I started the sauté by cooking ¼ lb. of bacon, cut into small pieces.  I added the garlic after that and continued with the recipe, using regular paprika in place of smoked.