Our farm share started this week and now summer feels like it’s here in earnest. Sorting through the bag of vegetables, talking about what’s there, figuring out how to store and use them — these have become as much a part of summer as watching my kids run through sprinklers or sell lemonade.

This week we received peas, turnips, butter lettuce and garlic. Believe it or not, my kids are most excited about the turnips, having grown fond of the turnip puree I make each summer. Today, however, I tried something new so I could use the greens at the same time. (Greens are perishable and after two days it was time to use them.)

The recipe I followed, Braised Turnip Greens with Turnips and Apples, ran in the last issue of Gourmet (November 2009). As written it serves 8, an indication of the issue’s Thanksgiving theme. I made a scaled-down version with just 8 ounces of greens, 1/2 pound of turnips, 1 apple and 2 cups of water, plus correspondingly smaller amounts of salt, butter and vinegar. I also skipped the ham hock and minced a few slices of Hormel’s preservative-free smoked deli ham instead.

Overall, it’s more of a dish for company than a family dinner, but we liked the pairing of turnips and apples as the latter’s sweetness brings out a rarely-seen side of turnip greens. Stay tuned for more turnip recipes!