Week 10

Since we are at about half way through the season I want to take a moment acknowledge your support of local agriculture.  Sending us a check in the spring for weekly boxes in the summer that you don't even know the contents of could be a risky move!  We appreciate your faith in us and hope you all are enjoying the program.  Kelly and I feel very thankful to have such support.

Frying squash blossoms isn't the healthiest way to eat them but I do it at least once a summer.  It is a real treat.  Squash blossoms are highly perishable and you will never see them in a store.  If you aren't going to use them tonight lay them between sheets of paper towels and store them in a container in your fridge and plan on using them tomorrow.

Pictured above is the squash blossom quesadilla that I ate the last time I was in Mexico.  In addition to being gorgeous it turned out to be one of the most memorable things I ate that trip.  If you have any interest in making your own blue tortillas the Eastside Co-op has blue masa in the bulk section.  Squash Blossoms also look beautiful on pizza. 

Lettuce
Onions - Sweet and Red
Carrots
Kale or Chard - The reverse of what you had last week.
Onions
Beans
Zucchini
Squash Blossoms - Those of you that don't receive them this week will receive them next week.
Basil
Tomatoes

While double checking the seltzer water and flour ratio on the Internet I discovered a Huffington Post article that has about 15 ideas and pictures for squash blossoms along with photos.  If you need a little inspiration click on the link below. 

Squash Blossom Recipes

One thing they don't mention is that you can put them in any pasta dish that calls for summer squash or zucchini.     

Fried Squash Blossoms

Your oil will need to be heated between 350 degrees and 375 degrees.

Filling

A scant 1/2 cup of cheese -  ricotta, goat cheese or shredded mozzarella or a blend of a couple of the cheeses

Chopped basil

Salt and Pepper

Other things that are good mixed in are chopped sautéed mushrooms, prosuitto, a little mint or parsley.

Mix together.  If you decide to incorporate something that was cooked make sure to cool it before you add it.  Sometimes it helps to put the whole mixture back in the fridge until it stiffens up a bit.

Gently open the blossoms and to check for bugs.  I will try to clean them for you.  Using a small spoon put a bit of filling inside each blossom.  Gently twist shut.  

Batter

1 cup seltzer

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp salt

Mix together.  It is okay if there are a couple lumps.  Dip blossoms in batter using the stem as a handle. Let the excess batter drip off into the bowl and gently place in oil.  Cook until they are just turning golden.  Remove with tongs and drain on paper towels.  I like to serve them with a fresh tomato sauce.  

This is not a good dish to make if you are in a rush.  It can be a bit frustrating because the blossoms are so fragile.  Whatever you decide to do with them I am sure it will be yummy.  

Week 9

We hope you all are enjoying this amazing weather.  I will admit it got a bit hot for us yesterday but having some heat in the evening for a change was fantastic.  It is perfect weather for outdoor dining and for ripening tomatoes.  Bring on the heat!

Tomatoes - There are cherries for everyone and hopefully some some slicers for the large shares and trade table.
Peppers - purple and green
Red Leaf Lettuce
Carrots
Cabbage
Kale or Chard - This week the small share receives kale and the large share receives chard.  Next week it will be the reverse.
Garlic
Potatoes - Purple on the outside and the inside these potatoes are extra high in antioxidants.
Arugula - Large Only

Every year I want to give squash blossoms but there are not enough to go around.  This year we are going to split it into two weeks.  Next week, all larges and all our members who have sailed on Showtime will receive them.  The following week everyone else will get some.   I will include some recipes next week.

Chard and kale are interchangeable in the recipe below but for some reason we really love the poached egg with the kale.  It might be that we just like kale a little more than chard.  Both chard and kale make excellent additions to scrambled eggs, frittatas and quiches.

Kale or Chard with Poached Eggs

This is just as good for dinner as it is for breakfast.  I usually serve it over polenta, grits or roasted potatoes.  If you can part with any of your cherry tomatoes they would be awesome in this dish but I know they fall into the you can't eat just one category and they may be all gone by the time you go to cook a meal.  A little chorizo is an excellent addition as well.  Garlic and onion are just a starting point.

1-2 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 onion chopped
1 bunch kale or chard with stems removed if they are though or you don't care for them and roughly chopped
poached eggs

Saute the garlic and onion until soft.  Add the kale or chard and cook until tender.  Kale is sometimes a bit tougher than chard but your kale is tender and mild and this won't take long.  Top with poached eggs and enjoy an easy tasty meal.

Week 8

It was barely light this morning when I woke up.  The days are getting noticeably shorter.  As much as I love the long days of summer, the earlier sunsets provide us with a bit of relief.  We ate dinner early enough last night that I actually spent a few minutes reading before going to bed.  I collect old cookbooks and a friend picked me up a McCormick Spice cookbook from the 1920s at a yard sale last weekend.  I know you will be as excited as I am to make the endive, banana and pimento salad.  Yikes!  It makes for fun fun reading and I love the glimpse into the past.  Each page has either a quote on the top of it or some statement about the purity of McCormick spices.  The following one is on the first page.

Good Food is necessary for good health.  Use only the best of everything.  It is the cheapest in the end.  

Of course, I am choosing which wisdom to include based on my personal biases.  But including the bit about how if more women took pride in their profession (housework) there would be no need for divorce seems a bit out of date!

We hope you enjoy your vegetables and the meals you prepare with them this week.

Rainbow Carrots
Lettuce
Summer Squash
Sweet Onions 
Garlic
Wax and Green Bean Medley
Cukes
Beets 
Broccoli - Large Only
Salad Mix - Large Only


Zucchini/Summer Squash Bites 
Since there are no bananas in the box today I will skip the banana recipe I mentioned above and include one for summer squash instead.  I don't usually include recipes I haven't tried but a customer gave me this one on Saturday and it looks simple and fun.  She said they reminded her of tater tots which I will admit that if we didn't have a closet full of potatoes every winter I might be tempted to buy them.  You will need a mini muffin pan for these.  I imagine they would come out fine but a bit different if you made mini pancakes in a skillet.

1 cup grated Summer Squash
1/4 cup diced onion
1/4 cup grated cheddar or parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1 egg
salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees and grease the muffin tin.
Put the squash in a clean dish towel and twist to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Use a dish rag you don't care about because sometimes it can stain a little.
Mix every thing together and divide between muffin cups
Bake about 15-18 minutes until browned

Roasted Beans with Garlic and Anchovy
I don't find the anchovy flavor to be strong but I also really like anchovies.  You might want to use a little less.

1 pound trimmed beans
3 smashed garlic cloves
3 mashed anchovy fillets
Finely chopped zest from one lemon
Squeeze of lemon
Olive Oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Toss beans with oil, garlic and thyme and spread on a large baking dish.  It is best if they are in a single layer.  Roast, stirring occasionally for 12- 15 minutes until they are done.
Remove the thyme and toss in a bowl with the zest, lemon juice and anchovies.

Week 7 

We started picking green beans, cucumbers and tomatoes out of the field this week. The cukes and the beans are out of the gate with a bang, enough for everyone.  The tomatoes are a little slower to start and there aren't many of them.  We have over 200 cherry tomatoes planted so there will be plenty for everyone very soon.

Lettuce - Romaine
Salad Mix - Large Only
Cucumbers 
Carrots
Green Beans
Bunched Pearl Onions
Potatoes
Flat Leaf Parsley 
Cherry Tomatoes - Large Only
Bell Pepper - The variety is Flavorburst.  It starts out light green and turns to yellow.  The catalog claims it has a slight citrus taste.  Either they are just trying to sell seed or our tastes buds are not refined enough to detect citrus.  Regardless, it is early and sets a lot of fruit and is one of our favorites to grow.

Green Bean Recipe

Scooter's Grilled Green Beans with Blue Cheese

This recipe came from a customer.  I never would have thought to mix blue cheese and beans but it is delicious.

Green Beans
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper
Crumbled Blue Cheese

On a piece of aluminum foil toss the green beans with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Set foil on a medium hot grill.  Turn frequently with tongs until green beans have softened and browned a bit.  Top beans with crumbled cheese and remove from heat as soon a cheese begins to soften, almost immediately.

Week 6

I read two good articles on certified organic products and vegetables recently. The first in the New York Times is fairly critical of the certified organic label.  The other in Mother Jones defends it.  I don't know how many of you make a point to buy products labeled organic but if you have never given a whole lot of thought to what the label means you will find the articles interesting.

New York Times article
Mother Jones article in response

Your box if filled with beautiful vegetables today although you might notice a little hail damage on your lettuce.  We have had some trouble growing nice lettuce this year.  It is not uncommon for us to have some downy mildew in our lettuce in the spring.  However, this year it was worse than usual.  Last Wednesday we officially ended the lettuce drought.  We started harvesting from a planting that looked beautiful.  The lettuces were big with no trace of mildew, had a great texture and good taste.  And then hail the size of marbles fell on us on Friday!  I am happy the damage wasn't worse.  It could have been devastating.

Zucchini 
Garlic
Green Cabbage
Head Lettuce
Carrots
Beets
Raspberries - maybe the last of the season
Snow Peas
Potatoes - Large Only
Choice of Herbs (Dill, Cilantro, Parsley or Basil) - Large Only

Cabbage Recipe

Curtido - El Salavadoran Cabbage Slaw

I heard a story about a food truck in Seattle that serves pupusas and it gave me some dinner inspiration the other day. With or with out the pupusas, the El Salvadoran "cole slaw" that is served with them is great.  Traditionally it is lightly fermented but I didn't have time for that.  Here is my quick version.  I used a bit more cumin and oregano than I wrote but Kelly thought the oregano was bit strong.

1/2 head green caggabe shredded
2 carrots grated
1 small onion or scallions finely chopped
1/2 cup apple cider or white vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon mexican oregano (regular oregano would be fine)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Mix everything in a large bowl.  If you don't have time to let it sit you can squeeze it a few times with your hands.  That will give it more of a traditional texture.  Taste and adjust seasoning to your preference.

Coming soon....

Cherry Tomatoes

Green Beans

Tropea Onions

Week 5

It has been a busy week.   I commented to Kelly that we were getting a bit behind on laundry and his response was that we were a bit behind on life.  It made me laugh.  It is true.  Everywhere I look, whether it is at the farm or at the house, there is something that should have been done yesterday.  July is here and it is kicking our butts.   We do have some great help this year.  Wes and Claire have helped our sanity immensely, but with more help we just try to do even more.   I imagine it will always be that way.

We started pulling garlic yesterday to hang and dry.   It looks awesome.  If the rest of the varieties do as well as the one we pulled yesterday we will be relieved and excited to have one crop down that sometimes gives us problems.  The onions look promising and should be showing up in your boxes soon.  As you have probably noticed we are having a great pea year.  Snap peas are back again this week.  Hopefully that makes you all happy.  With this fantastic hot weather we will be saying good bye to the peas soon and making room for zukes, cukes and peppers.

We hope your week is filled with amazing meals.

Head Lettuce
Carrots
Potatoes - The variety this week is Red Gold.  It is our favorite potato to dig as a new potato.
Kohlrabi - If there is one veggie that might not look familiar to you it will be the kohlrabi.  Sometimes called the apple of the cabbage family it has a mild flavor.  It can be cooked but it is great raw as well.  The bottom should be sliced off and the skin peeled.  If you are feeling adventurous you can eat the leaves.  Cook them the way you would cook collard greens.
Snap Peas
Cauliflower or Broccoli
Raspberries
Cucumber 
Kale - Large Only
Scallions - Large Only
Dill - Large Only

Mexican Street Snacks  - Spicy Cucumbers and Kohlrabi

I will admit I have never had a kohlrabi in Mexico nor do I think I have ever seen one in a market.  However, I love eating the street food.  Often included with the mango and pineapple are cucumbers and jicama. Kohlrabi has almost the same texture as jicama so it is what I use when I make these at home.  They are a great afternoon snack on a hot day or a nice bit of crunch to go with a Mexican dinner.

Cucumber - Sliced or cut into wedges
Kohlrabi - Sliced into thick slices and then cut in thirds
Chile Powder
Salt
Lime

Sprinkle with salt and chile powder and squeeze the lime over the top.

Week 4

Surprise!  When we picked the yellow snow peas we discovered one purple snow pea plant in with the yellow snow peas.  We are going to let the pods mature so we can save the seed.

Lettuce - A nice assortment of baby head lettuces
Carrots - We started pulling carrots from our second planting of carrots this week.  We seed carrots seven times during the summer to make sure we have them until we close the stand in November.  You will notice they are a bit smaller than last week's carrots.
Radishes - Pink beauty is the variety.
Cilantro - If you detest cilantro we will have some flat leaf parsley on hand for you instead.
Snow Peas - A mix of green and yellow - most people think snow peas taste best cooked.
Strawberries
Raspberries
Garlic - This garlic has not been cured.  Use it the same way you use cured garlic but you need to make sure you keep it out on the counter or some place where there is a bit of air circulation.  It has so much moisture in it that it might mold otherwise.
Cauliflower or Broccoli - Kelly is cutting these right now so we will see how it works out.  The plan is that if you receive broccoli this week you will get cauliflower next week and vice versa.
Basil - Large Share Only
Summer Turnip - Large Share Only

Let us know what you think of the yellow snow peas.  We both have an opinion (we always do) about how it looks, how it picks, how it tastes and how it compares to the green one but your opinion counts too.  Your feedback will help us decide if we should grow it again.