This week’s CSA boxes are bringing together the last tastes of warm weather with some of our favorite cool-season vegetables. We’ve got sweet corn, squash, cucumbers, eggplant, and plenty of beautiful leafy greens!
Half orders include: sweet corn, yellow squash, cucumbers, kale, and eggplant.
Full orders also include: kabocha squash, mustard greens, and collard greens.
Our meat add-on is ground beef, and our bakery add-on is pumpkin bread—which seems just about perfect for an October morning!
If you’re wondering what to do with all those greens, we’ve got you covered. Here are a few easy ways to turn this week’s harvest into breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sides.
Farmhouse Mixed-Greens Breakfast Quiche
If you have a full CSA order, this is a great way to use several of your greens at once. Don’t worry about measuring each type perfectly. A handful of kale, a handful of collards, and a little mustard green make a delicious combination.
Ingredients
- 1 refrigerated or homemade pie crust
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup milk or half-and-half
- 1–1½ cups chopped mixed greens (kale, collards, and mustard greens)
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ small onion, diced
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- Optional: cooked bacon, sausage, diced ham, or sautéed mushrooms
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Remove the tough stems from the collards and kale, then chop all of the greens fairly small. Heat the butter or olive oil in a skillet and sauté the onion for 2–3 minutes. Add the greens and cook just until wilted.
Place your pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Spread the cooked greens and onion over the bottom and sprinkle with cheese.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Pour over the vegetables.
Bake for about 35–45 minutes, or until the center is set and the top is lightly golden. Let it rest for 5–10 minutes before slicing.
Farm Tip: Mustard greens have a little more bite than kale or collards, so combining the three is a great introduction if you’ve never eaten mustard greens before.
Traditional Southern-Style Collard & Mustard Greens
Sometimes the simplest way is still one of the best! This is the slow-cooked style of greens many of us grew up eating in the South.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch collard greens
- 1 bunch mustard greens
- 4–5 cups chicken broth or water
- 4 slices bacon, chopped OR 1 smoked ham hock
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Directions
Wash the greens thoroughly. Remove the thick stems from the collards and roughly chop the leaves.
Cook the bacon in a large pot until it begins to brown. Add the onion and cook until softened, then add the garlic.
Add the greens a few handfuls at a time, allowing them to wilt down. Pour in enough broth to partially cover the greens.
Cover and simmer gently for about 45–60 minutes, or until the collards are tender. Mustard greens cook more quickly, but they’re perfectly fine simmering alongside the collards.
Stir in the apple cider vinegar and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
And don’t throw away that flavorful broth left in the bottom of the pot—that’s the pot likker! Serve your greens with cornbread for soaking it up.
Ground Beef & Eggplant Skillet
This one is especially handy if you received our ground beef meat add-on.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 eggplant, diced
- 1 yellow squash, diced
- ½ onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella or Parmesan
Directions
Brown the ground beef with the onion and drain excess grease if necessary.
Add the diced eggplant, squash, and garlic. Cook for about 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the tomatoes and Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer for another 10–15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
Sprinkle with cheese and serve as-is, over rice, or with pasta.
Easy Roasted Kabocha Squash
Kabocha is one of those vegetables that can look intimidating until you’ve cooked it once. Its sweet, rich flavor is somewhere between pumpkin and sweet potato.
Even better—the skin is edible once cooked!
Ingredients
- 1 kabocha squash
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper
For a savory version: Add garlic powder, smoked paprika, or rosemary.
For a sweet version: Add cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup or honey.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Carefully cut the kabocha in half and scoop out the seeds. Cut into wedges approximately 1 inch thick.
Toss with olive oil and your preferred seasonings. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
Roast for approximately 25–35 minutes, flipping halfway through, until browned around the edges and fork-tender.
Fresh Corn & Yellow Squash Sauté
This quick side dish uses two CSA vegetables in one pan and goes with just about anything.
Ingredients
- Kernels from 2 ears of sweet corn
- 2 yellow squash, sliced or diced
- 1 tablespoon butter
- ½ small onion, diced, optional
- Salt and pepper
- Sprinkle of Parmesan, optional
Directions
Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and onion and sauté for about 4 minutes.
Add the fresh corn kernels and cook for another 3–5 minutes. You want the vegetables tender but not mushy.
Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Add Parmesan just before serving if desired.
Quick Refrigerator Cucumbers
When you want something fresh and tangy alongside a heavier fall meal, these take only a few minutes to put together.
Ingredients
- 2 cucumbers, thinly sliced
- ¼ onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1–2 tablespoons sugar or preferred sweetener
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Black pepper to taste
Directions
Place the cucumbers and onions in a bowl or jar.
Stir together the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and pepper. Pour over the cucumbers and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
They get even better after sitting for several hours!
Crispy Garlic Kale
Need to use that kale but don’t want another salad? Keep it simple.
Remove the thick stems and tear the kale into bite-sized pieces. Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and add minced garlic. Add the kale and sauté for 3–5 minutes, just until tender.
Finish with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice. For a little heat, add crushed red pepper.
A Simple CSA Dinner Idea
Want to use several things from your box without following another recipe?
Brown the ground beef with onion and garlic. Roast your yellow squash, eggplant, and sweet corn on a sheet pan with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Serve everything over rice and add a handful of quickly sautéed kale or mustard greens.
It’s an easy farm-to-table dinner that uses several CSA ingredients at once—and doesn’t require anything fancy.
And when breakfast rolls around the next morning, don’t forget about that pumpkin bread!
We hope this week’s box encourages you to try something new, especially if mustard greens, collards, or kabocha squash aren’t vegetables you normally bring home from the grocery store. That’s one of our favorite parts of CSA—eating with the seasons, discovering new favorites, and enjoying food grown close to home.
Thank you for supporting Wesley Wells Farms and local agriculture!