Produce & Recipes: December 2 & 3, 2025

Written By General Information

Produce in your share this week

Reed's Organic Farm (Egg Harbor Township, NJ)

  • Komatsuna

  • Carrots

  • Radishes

  • Sweet potatoes

  • Kale

Ploch Farms (Buena, NJ)

  • Butternut squash

  • Collards

  • Leeks

  • Cabbage

Schober's Orchards & Farm Market (Monroeville, NJ)

  • Apples

Storage Tips

Here are our tips for this week's items to help you streamline meal planning & reduce household food waste.

General storage tips:

  • Don't wash fresh produce until you are about to eat or cook it.

  • Avoid storing your produce near foods that emit ethylene (a gas that encourages ripening) like bananas, apples, or tomatoes.

  • Refer to the Produce Storage Guide for temperature and storage guidance.

Storing your share:

  • Wrap komatsuna in a damp paper towel or a breathable bag and place it in the crisper drawer. Eat within 5 days.

  • Keep collards in a resealable bag with a moist paper towel and eat within 5 days.

  • Keep kale in a resealable bag or airtight container with a damp paper towel and eat within 1 week. 

  • Cut off the radish leaves, store in the fridge, and use within 3 days. The radish roots can last for 3 weeks when stored in the fridge.

  • Carrots can last for 3 weeks in the fridge, with greens trimmed off and the carrots put in an airtight container with a paper towel. The carrots can also be stored in a lidded container filled with water.

    • Tip: Use the carrot tops as garnish or to make a carrot top pesto! You'll notice they taste similar to their cousin parsley…

  • Keep apples in the fridge in a ventilated bag and they will last 1 to 2 months.

  • Keep cabbage in the fridge and it can stay fresh for up to 6 weeks.

  • Keep leeks in the fridge, with or without a bag, and they can last for up to 2 months.

  • Keep sweet potatoes in a cool, dry, well-ventilated spot and they will last up to 6 months.

  • Keep butternut squash in a cool, dry spot and it will last for up to 6 months.

Eat first: Radish leaves, komatsuna, collards, kale

Eat later: Carrots, radishes, apples, cabbage, leeks, sweet potatoes, butternut squash

Preparation Tips

Produce items in bold are in your share this week.

Fresh greens = fresh salads! The lettuce & herbs in this share can be mixed together and eaten fresh for a quick, filling meal. Here are some tips for creating different salads that invite exciting flavors and textures:

  1. Choose one or more greens → Kale, collards, radish leaves, spinach, arugula, lettuce

  2. Add veggies → Shredded carrot, sliced radishes, roasted corn, chopped cucumber, microgreens, diced apple, roasted squash or sweet potato,

  3. Add herbs and aromatics → Chopped basil, cilantro, parsley, scallions, or dill; sliced shallot or onion; minced garlic

  1. Add texture and protein → Homemade croutons, chickpeas, crumbled tofu/meat, corn nuts, udon noodles, pasta – this is your time to get creative in the pantry!

  2. Choose a dressing to tie it all together → 

You can also use this salad guide to put together some delicious sandwiches and wraps!


What is komatsuna? Komatsuna is a Japanese leafy green, also called Japanese mustard spinach. Komatsuna is in the Brassica family, meaning it's related to beets, kale, turnips, and Napa cabbage. The leaves are very high in vitamins A and C, and it is a good source of vitamin K, folate, and minerals such as calcium and iron (Baker Heirloom Seeds).

Similarly to bok choy and spinach, komatsuna is a very dynamic green. It can be eaten raw in salads and sandwiches, pickled, stir-fried, boiled, and used in soups. You can sautée it, like in this Komatsuna with Sesame Seeds recipe, or try your hand at making Soy Sauce Pickled Komatsuna. 

Fun fact: It seems that Komatsuna was named after the Komatsu River (and a nearby village with the same name) by a shogun who tasted it for the first time, around the middle of the Edo period (1600 to 1868, roughly).

Feeling inspired? Check out the recipes below!

Recipes

Feedback

You can leave any & all feedback about your experience in the C.R.O.P.S. Farm Share Program by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/KJJ5NpgZ8mghkoXo8

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Produce & Recipes: November 19, 2025