CSA Week 3
No pick ups anywhere on the 4th – that’s you Tuesday peeps! You are getting the letter anyway so you don’t miss out on some amazing nugget of farm news, LOL!
I’m expecting you to have both green and golden zucchini, pickling/Kirby cucumbers, mesclun or lettuce (some kind of salad green ;), arugula, bunching onions and blueberries! Looks like a great week for some nice salads.
We are excited to be picking cucumbers! These first guys we typically refer to pickling cucumbers, but sometimes they are referred to Kirby cucumbers, which I kinda like better because it sounds more inclusive and not like you are compelled to make pickles, which you are not. Did you know they are the most widely grown cuke anywhere?
Stillman’s Bucks/Store Credit
We give everyone who signs up early a fixed amount of CSA store credit – the earlier you sign up the more credit you receive. This year, we offered the option of a free 2 week extension ($70 value) OR $60 of store credit for signing up early, what a bargain. How does it work? We have your amount loaded into our POS system, found by your name. You shop at any of our markets and give your name at check out and we run your purchases off your pre-loaded credit. Simple, well, it should be 😉 Sometimes the staff doesn’t run it in the moment and leaves it for me to do later. How could that ever go wrong?
Recipes
Zucchini Bread from Tammy
- 3 ½ cups shredded zucchini
- 3 eggs
- ½ cup applesauce
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 ¼ cups sugar
- 4 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 4 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup nuts
Preheat oven to 350, oil 2 8×4” loaf pan
Sift all dry ingredients together except for the sugar then stir to combine. Beat eggs, applesauce, oil, sugar and vanilla. Slowly add liquids to dry ingredients and mix. With rubber spatula fold in nuts and shredded zucchini. Pour into prepared pans and bake 45-60 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Remove from pans and cool on wire rack.
*Tammy adds a little cinnamon and brown sugar to top before cooking for crunchy – yummy topping.
Need more guidance on utilizing squash in every recipe?
Zucchini and Summer Squash Lasagna
Swiss chard, summer squash, black bean quesadillas
Sautéed Summer Squashes (any variety)
Here’s one from the Inspiralized website cold-spiralized-sesame-noodle-salad
Pro tip: lightly salt it after spiralizing, slicing, etc, to draw out some of the water. In a fresh salad this process tenderizes the squash and also prevents your dressing from becoming watery, if used as the lasagna layer it won’t make your finished dish runny, and if sauteing will allow the squash to brown.
Sprinkle squash with 1/2-1 tsp of salt, let sit for at least 10 minutes, drain and pat with paper towel if needed. I toss mine in salt right in the colander and let it drain while I organize the rest of dinner.
Cousa serving as the lasagna “noodles”
Grilled Summer Squash
any summer squash
S&P
2-4 TB olive oil
2+ TB Balsamic vinegar
Wash and trim squashes. Cut into 1/3″ slices. Yes, you can go thicker or thinner, but tend to them accordingly 😉 Preheat the grill. Lightly salt the squash, let drain and blot off excess moisture. Toss with oil. Place the squashes on the grill, cooking for a few minutes per side. These can char pretty quickly, so don’t get involved with a good book. When done, they should be perfectly fork tender and have nice grill marks. Season with another drizzle of oil and balsamic, ground pepper, and salt if needed.
Leftover grilled squash makes for a yummy quesadilla or enchilada filling.
Farm Dirt
Things are ripening up around here nicely. Glenn picked the first ear of corn yesterday (June 28th!) and he thinks we will pick on Monday July 3rd! With the cool, wet weather, he wondered if it was going to happen. Otherwise, we would have been picking this week.
Bluebirds and Blue Jays have fledged. While we love to her the Bluebirds all over the yard, the Jays are super obnoxious, bratty adolescents. They spend the day squawking at their haggard parents, and, if it annoys e, I cannot imagine how they feel, LOL.
Blueberries are ready! Beans are looking good, I think you will see them next week – SOOO early for those of you who are new to New England. Corn is forthcoming.
With that, July will bring the first of so many things. It is a perfect time to plan a visit to the New Braintree farm. Yes, come on out. Wear sensible shoes, plan on getting MUDDY, pack a picnic lunch or check our local attractions page for other options. Yes, you can pick some produce, bird watch, catch frogs, walk your dog, let you kids run off leash, and see where and how your food is growing.
We wish all of you a SAFE and HAPPY Independence Day!!!
Eat well,
Geneviève Stillman
PS: YES, there is pick up for everyone who is not scheduled for the actual 4th of July.
