Common Acre Farm

Sustainably Grown Vegetables Mansfield, Ma.

Category: Recipes

Basil, Pea Shoot and Sunflower Shoot Pesto (Plus 5 Ways to Use Microgreens)

September 26, 2026 /

Microgreens and shoots are the very first growth of seedlings that we harvest above the soil line.  These are not sprouts which have some wonderful traits, but also have some safety challenges.  We grow in a living soil (Vermont Compost Fort V Mix) and harvest right around the time when their first true leaves open.  They are wildly nutrient dense, pack a lot of flavor into a small bite, and they’re best eaten raw. The main rule: add them at the end, not during cooking.

Storage: Keep in their container in the fridge, unwashed. Rinse gently if you wish just before eating. Best within 7-10 days.  Basil hates the fridge… and moisture… and changing temperatures… and bright locations and dark locations, so dramatic!

Know your mixes

  • Spicy Mix: peppery and bold.
  • Just Shoots: sweet and crunchy.  The easiest mix for kids.
  • Broccoli Mix: mild with a lovely garden flavor.  Easy to add to almost anything.

5 easy ways to use them

  1. Pile onto avocado toast or a fried-egg sandwich.
  2. Top soups, tacos, rice bowls, pizza, and flatbreads right before serving.
  3. Toss a handful into any salad, including this week’s lettuce mix.
  4. Blend into smoothies (broccoli and shoots are good for this).
  5. Blend into pesto, below.

Pesto: makes about 1 cup · 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 packed cup basil leaves
  • 1 packed cup of sunflower and/or pea shoots (or any microgreen mix)
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1/4 cup walnuts, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, or even pistachios
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus lemon juice to taste

Directions

  1. Put the basil, shoots, garlic, Parmesan and nuts in a food processor or blender. Pulse until finely chopped.
  2. With the machine running, slowly pour in the olive oil until the pesto is smooth.
  3. Add salt and a squeeze of lemon. Taste and adjust.
  4. Toss with hot pasta, spread on sandwiches or spoon over roasted delicata. Keeps for 5 days in the fridge with a thin layer of oil on top, or freeze in an ice cube tray or other serving size container. 

Garlicky Sautéed Field Greens

September 26, 2026 /

Our mixed field greens are heartier than lettuce: think young kale, chard, bok choy, mustard and other cooking greens. They’re good raw in a salad, but a quick sauté turns a big bag into a warm, savory side in five minutes. Don’t be alarmed when it shrinks; that’s the point.

Storage: In the bag in the fridge. Best within 5-7 days.

Serves 2 · 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bag mixed field greens (about 8 oz)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or sauteeing fat of choice
  • 3 cloves garlic, sliced or rough cowboy chop.  I have been known to microplane my garlic into a delightful paste of sorts
  • Pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • Squeeze of lemon, or a splash of any vinegar

Directions

  1. Rinse the greens and shake off most, but not all, of the water. Tear any large leaves into bite-size pieces.
  2. Warm the oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for about 1 minute, until the garlic becomes aromatic and is just about to turn golden.
  3. Add the greens (it will look like way too much) and the salt. Toss with tongs as they wilt, 2–4 minutes, until tender but still bright green.
  4. Take off the heat, add lemon or vinegar, and taste for salt.

Make it a meal: Pile over toast with a fried egg, stir into pasta with Parmesan, or fold into scrambled eggs.

Blistered Italian Frying Peppers

September 26, 2026 /

Italian frying peppers are long, thin-walled and sweet, not hot. Thin walls mean they cook fast and get silky in a hot pan, which is exactly what they’re bred for. This works for the sweet snacking peppers too.

Storage: Unwashed in a bag in the fridge, up to a week, often a month.  Wash or make tidy just before using.

Serves 2–4 as a side · 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6–8 frying peppers and/or a big handful of snacking peppers
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or frying fat of choice
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or rough cowboy/girl chop.  I have been known to microplane my garlic into a delightful paste of sorts
  • Flaky or coarse salt
  • Optional: splash of red wine vinegar, grated Parmesan

Directions

  1. Wash and dry (or remove debris) the peppers well (water makes the oil spit). Leave them whole, stems on.
  2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
  3. Add the peppers in a single layer. Cook without moving for 2–3 minutes until blistered and browned underneath, then turn. Keep turning every couple of minutes until soft and blistered all over, 8–10 minutes total.
  4. Turn the heat to low, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant, not browned.
  5. Sprinkle with salt, and add vinegar or Parmesan if you like. Eat by the stem, pile onto crusty bread, or serve alongside eggs, sausages or grilled anything.

Snacking peppers: Honestly, they’re great raw. Slice and dip in hummus, or stuff the halves with herbed goat cheese.

Crispy Roasted Delicata Rings

September 26, 2026 /

Delicata is the gateway winter squash. The skin is thin enough to eat, so there’s no peeling, and it roasts up sweet and nutty in about 25 minutes. If you’ve been intimidated by butternut, kubocha, or even blue hubbard… start here.

Storage: Keep on the counter or in a cool, dry spot (not the fridge). Delicata keeps for 2 weeks, sometimes 4 weeks, definitely shorter than other winter squash, so enjoy it sooner rather than later.

Serves 2–4 as a side · 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1–2 delicata squash
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil or your roasting fat of choice. 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • Optional: pinch of chili flakes, or a drizzle of maple syrup at the end

Directions

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Wash or remove debris from the squash and cut a wee bit off both ends. Slice crosswise (not lengthwise) into rings about 1/2 inch thick, then scoop out the seeds with a spoon or your finger.  Save a few seeds to plant next year as delicata is an open pollinated squash yay!
  3. Toss the rings with olive oil, salt, pepper and chili flakes, if using. Spread in a single layer on a sheet pan, giving them room so they brown instead of steam.  Do you parchment?  I do!
  4. Roast 12–15 minutes, flip, and roast another 10 minutes until tender and golden on both sides.
  5. Drizzle with maple syrup if you like a little sweetness. Eat warm.

Other ideas: Toss roasted rings with the field greens, a crumbly cheese and toasted pumpkin seeds for a hearty salad. Or halve the squash lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, save a few to plant next year or to give as a gift to your garden or farming friends.  Roast cut-side down, and stuff with cooked grains and sausage.. or just the grains.

Butter Glazed Hakurei Turnips with Their Greens

September 26, 2026 /

Hakurei are Japanese salad turnips: sweet, crisp and mild, nothing like the big purple-top turnips your or somebody’s grandmother boiled. You can eat them raw like a radish, and the greens are tender enough to cook right along with the roots. One bunch, two vegetables, zero waste.

Storage: Cut the greens off as soon as you can, you can leave about an inch of stem. Store roots and greens in separate bags in the fridge. Roots keep for a few weeks; greens are best within 5 days.

Serves 2–3 as a side · 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch Hakurei turnips, with greens
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 teaspoon honey or maple syrup
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • Squeeze of lemon juice

Directions

  1. Trim the greens from the turnips. Sort, rinse, and roughly chop the greens.  Give the roots a scrub or wipe any debris with a dish towel (no need to peel) and cut them in halves or quarters so the pieces are about the size of a grape… or bite size is what I go for.
  2. Put the turnips in a skillet in a single layer. Add water until it comes close to halfway up the turnips, then add the butter, honey and salt.
  3. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook, stirring now and then, until the water has mostly evaporated and the turnips are just tender, about 10 minutes.
  4. Keep cooking a few more minutes, shaking the pan, until the turnips are glossy and starting to brown in spots.
  5. Add the chopped greens and stir until they wilt, about 1 minute. Finish with lemon juice and taste for salt.

Quick raw idea: Slice turnips anywhere from bite size to paper-thin and toss with a splash of rice vinegar, a pinch of salt and a little sesame oil. Let sit for 10 minutes. Great on salads, rice bowls or straight from the bowl.

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