CSA Week 16, Longans!

Longans are a tropical fruit closely related to lychees, their much more popular cousins.  They share many similarities, including a clear fleshy juicy (eyeball consistency) interior with a large round seed in the middle.  They grow in clusters just like lychees do and the trees look very similar, but the fruit skin is their defining difference.  Longans tend to be smaller and their skin is smooth and brown rather than red and bumpy.  Longans are also sweeter if you can imagine something sweeter than a lychee!  Longans are less tart too; they're flavor profile is sweet, perfumy and floral.   You should store these in the fridge if you don't eat them all right away.  They'll keep for about a week.  Enjoy them as an out of hand snack or add them to your drinks and desserts for a fun new twist.

IN THE SHARES THIS WEEK:

Kohlrabi in the shares one more time before the season ends.  Come on guys, get excited about kohlrabi!  We are the ultimate kohlrabi cheerleaders.  We insist that this vegetable is most delicious raw, bringing a flavor profile to your kitchen arsenal that nothing else can bring.  A blend between crisp broccoli and sweet apple all wrapped up in one super crunchy and refreshing vegetable.  Make sure the peel the out the skin before preparing.  After peeling you'll be left with a round white ball reminiscent of a peeled apple.   Cut said ball into strips or thin slices for eating as a plain snack or for dipping into peanut butter or ranch dressing.   If you're not feeling the crunchy raw vibe, look up some recipes, there are plenty of cool ideas out there. 

Black eggplants are a rare item in our CSA because we usually prefer the Asian varieties that are long ans thin.  These large black eggplants have their advantages though!  For making a dip like the Mediterranean baba ganoush.  There's a really nice recipe with step by step pictures on this blog.