carrots
chard
cucumber
fennel
wax, purple & green beans
kale
kohlrabi
lettuce
rutabaga
squash blossoms
wee tomatoes
This is IMPORTANT:
Pickup next week will be on Sunday, August 1 from noon until ? We we will be out of town that week. If this will not work out for you, please let me know and we will work something out. Thank you for your understanding.
This Past Week…
We hope everyone has escaped unscathed from the storms. The gardens faired well, thankfully. The “road” that was mulched in the spring was washed away, as was the buckwheat that was planted last week. On the positive side, it made pulling weeds a whole lot easier!
It seems the tomatoes and carrots did not like all the wetness, as many of them have cracked. There are still plenty of smaller ones that hopefully will develop into ripe and tasty treats for us.
We should be having peppers by now. Some of the plants have flowered and are fruiting, which means we can look forward to their appearance in our shares soon!
We are planting our fall crops this week – lettuce, radish, carrots, and onions. Also, we are putting some of the beds “to bed” for the winter.
These beds are covered with compost or leaves, followed by a layer of cardboard, and then by a final layer of straw. This will help next spring be a whole lot easier than this past spring.
Our main worry is the weeds. We cannot outdo them, we cannot keep ahead of them. We can only keep at them, much like doing laundry, right? But still, we worry.
A Tip from one of our members:
“I have been blanching most of the vegetables I can't eat fresh in boiling water for 2 minutes and the shocking them in ice water. They can be frozen in plastic bags for later feasting when the snow flies. Beets are especially good this way, and so is the chard and kale.”
~Thank you Mary Jo!
Summer Squash is Healthy for You!
Summer squash has fiber, vitamin C, and folate, which prevent cancers, heart disease, and asthma.
Summer Squash also grows extraordinarily quick. In order to harvest it when it is most tender, sweet and juicy, it must not be too large. Since there are large quantities of it, we’ve included several recipes to help you take advantage of its benefits.
The old standby for our family is to slice it and saute it in olive oil, adding onions and garlic until it is translucent. Try this same combination on the grill and see how you like it!
Cream Cheese Summer Squash From Allrecipes.com
(My whole family loved this one!)
• 3 yellow squash, cubed
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves
• salt to taste
In a glass serving dish, combine the squash pieces and garlic. Season with salt, cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for 5 to 8 minutes on high, or until tender. Stir after every 3 to 4 minutes.
Sprinkle the cream cheese over the top, and return to the microwave, uncovered for about 1 minute, or until the cheese is melted. Stir until the cheese is smooth and blended into the squash. Let set for a minute or two before serving.
Summer Squash Pizza from kraftrecipes.com
1 Ready-to-use baked pizza crust (12 inch)
2 large Plum tomatoes, sliced
3 Tbsp. KRAFT Tuscan House Italian Dressing and Marinade, divided
1 Zucchini, thinly sliced
1 Yellow squash, thinly sliced
1-1/2 cups KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1/4 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
Heat oven to 450ºF. Place pizza crust on baking sheet. Arrange tomatoes over crust; brush with 1 Tbsp. dressing. Heat remaining dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add zucchini and yellow squash; cook and stir 4 to 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Arrange over tomatoes; top with cheeses. Bake 10 to 12 min. or until crust is golden brown and mozzarella is melted.
Squash Blossom Frittata
3-4 blossoms
1-2 baby squash
4 eggs
Dash of milk
2 green onions
Asiago cheese
Chopped parsley and snipped chives (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Pick 3 to 4 blossoms per person and 1 or 2 baby yellow or green summer squash. Rinse blossoms well and drain on paper towels.
2. Beat 4 eggs with a little milk. Add fresh chopped parsley and snipped chives, if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a non-stick pan, saute a little butter and cook 2 green onion and thinly sliced baby squash just until soft. Then quickly saute the blossoms for about 30 seconds and remove from pan.
4. Pour egg mix into pan, sprinkle and arrange the onions, squash and blossoms on top and cook over low to medium heat until almost set. Sprinkle with Asiago cheese and put under the broiler until lightly puffed and browned.
Stuffed Squash Blossoms
• 18 squash blossoms, stamen removed
Cheese Filling
• 3 ounces goat (feta) cheese
• 3 ounces cream cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
Beer Batter:
• 1/8 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup cold flat beer
• Vegetable oil for frying
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Grated Parmesan cheese and sliced chives for garnish
Gently swish the squash blossoms in cold water to clean. Carefully twirl to remove most of the water, then drain thoroughly on paper towels. Set aside.
Beat goat cheese, cream cheese, red pepper flakes, oregano, basil, garlic, salt, and pepper until blended. Gently fill each blossom with about 2 teaspoons of the cheese filling. Refrigerate while making batter.
In a heavy skillet, heat 2 inches of oil to 375 F over medium heat.
While oil is heating, whisk together cornstarch, flour, salt, pepper, celery salt, baking soda, baking powder, egg, and beer until combined.
Carefully dip a stuffed blossom into the batter, covering the entire flower, and ease into the hot oil. Brown on one side, then turn to brown the other. Cook only a few at a time so they are not crowded. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining stuffed squash blossoms.
Sprinkle stuffed squash blossoms with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan cheese and chopped chives.
Sweet Fried Squash Blossoms
Just batter, fry, and dust with confectioners sugar. They come out kind of like weird, delicious funnel cake.
Braised Fennel
Ingredients:
• 2 medium fennel bulbs
• 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fennel fronds
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup dry white wine
• ½ cup homemade or low sodium chicken stock
Trim fennel bulbs from stalks, reserving some fronds to chop for garnish. Cut bulbs lengthwise into 1/3-1/2” slices. Do not trim root end, so the slices stay together.
Heat a 10-12” sauté pan until hot. Add the oil and wait until the oil shimmers before adding the fennel.
Season with some salt and pepper and sear fennel to caramelize, turning once. The fennel should be a rich golden brown.
Add the wine and scrape the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
When the wine has reduced to a syrup, add the chicken stock and put the lid on the pan.
Braise over very low heat for about ten to fifteen minutes, or until the fennel is very tender.
Before serving, garnish with chopped fennel fronds.
Fresh Fennel Bulb Salad
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
2 tbs white wine or red wine vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and pepper
2 tbs frozen OJ concentrate, partially thawed
2 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
Remove fronds from the bulb. Cut away the root and slice fennel into very thin pieces, or grate it. Make dressing by combining vinegar, mustarad, ¼ tsp salt, and OJ in a bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Pour over fennel and allow to marinate at room temperature 20 minutes or longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Makes 3-4 side dishes.
Sautéed Fennel with Parmesan From Rouxbe.com
• 2 medium fennel
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 small shallot
• 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• sea salt (to taste)
• 1/2 lemon (juice of)
• Parmesan cheese (to taste)
To start, cut the top and bottom off of the fennel. Then cut it in half widthwise, and then in half again. Remove the core, so that the fennel falls apart. Slice the fennel into about 1/4 - inch strips.
Slice the garlic and thinly slice the shallot lengthwise.
To cook the fennel, gather the olive oil and lemon. Preheat a large fry pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, followed by the fennel and a good pinch of salt. Toss to combine and let cook for a few minutes. As the fennel cooks and starts to color, toss occasionally until it starts to caramelize.
Then add the shallots, stir together and continue to cook until the fennel softens a bit more, about 3 to 5 minutes.
If the pan seems to be getting too brown before it has cooked through, just add a touch of water.
Once the fennel has caramelized and softened, but still has a bit of crunch, add the garlic and let cook for another 30 seconds or so.
Then turn off the heat and deglaze with the lemon juice. Grate some fresh parmesan cheese over top and toss. Taste for seasoning and top with more a bit more Parmesan cheese, if desired. Serve immediately.
Sautéed fennel goes well with many meat, fish and pasta dishes.
Don’t forget:
the SWAP BOX
starts today!
Cheers to a great week!
~Kathy
