CSA Week 7
The plan for week 7: corn, summer squashes, zucchini, blueberries OR possibly raspberries, eggplant onion, pepper, cucumber
Last year I was busy writing about how the peaches would be ready soon. Waaaaaaaah! 😭 No stone fruit of any kid in New England. Such a sadness, and yet another financial loss for farmers in the area that there is no remediation for.
Let’s celebrate what we DO HAVE: nice berries, the first eggplant, a great garlic harvest, excellent tasting corn, bountiful squash and cukes and so much more! Oh, I also have the pure joy of sharing the beautiful company of countless bees, butterflies and other pollinators, as well as the hummingbirds, while I cut flowers 🙂
This is such great summer weather for grilling squashes or anything really. For me, when I am hurried (most of the time) everything ends up as ratatouille or stirfry if it doesn’t land on the grill.
Recipes
Hey it’s eggplant time!!! Here’s a fail proof, non slimy, not greasy recipe that I post every year:
Baked Eggplant (even my kids like this) Slice thinly (the long way or the round way), lay on greased baking sheet, spread mayonnaise on top, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and pepper and bake in hot (450) oven for 10 mins, or until fork tender. If you’re a purist with garlic, omit the powder and mix minced garlic in with the mayonnaise. Everyone has time for this recipe!
The leftovers are good on a sandwich. The past two years I have had very good luck freezing the above recipe. Make all you want, then slide the cooked eggplants onto a baking sheet, let them snuggle if you like, and then freeze. After they are frozen, you can transfer to another container or ziplock bag. Reheat on a baking sheet at 350 until hot; you’ll never know they were frozen! You could also add tomato sauce and serve on pasta or what have you.
Member Lisa sent me this and I am 100% on board for making it this week! I LOVE lemon and blueberry (or raspberry) combos!
She says: Hi Genevieve and family! We love this recipe for lemon yellow squash (or any summer squash) bread. It’s also awesome if you add some of your blueberries to it! Enjoy!
Summer Squash Frittata
- 3 Tbs butter or olive oil
- about 4 cups or so assorted zucchini and yellow squash, chopped (I quarter the squash the long way and then slice no more than thick
- 1 small onion chopped
- 7-12 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup sour cream or ricotta
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- many grinds of pepper
- shredded basil leaves or any fresh herbs are nice addition
- 1/4-1/2 cup shredded parm or other cheese you love
Heat butter or oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet sauté zucchini, squash, and onion, until tender. Whisk together eggs, sour cream or cheese, S & P, herbs and pour over veggies in skillet. I like mine to cook on the stovetop for a few minutes to get it set up quicker (“starving” people here in the evenings), then pop in 350° oven for 15 minutes or as long as it takes to set up and not be runny in the center.
Summer Squash/zucchini Soup, yet another version
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- 3-4 summer squash
- 1 qt chicken or favorite broth to barely cover (you can use water, but adjust seasoning accordingly)
- package of instant grits (plain instant oatmeal or something to thicken)
- one stalk Egyptian Walking Onion
- 1/2 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp ground mustard
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (too hot and lazy to walk out to field and get a new bulb)
- fresh black pepper
- dash cayenne
- 1/4-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- pretty sure I tossed in some turmeric and a spot of very hot paprika – whoa
- 1/2 cup cream
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Wash, trim and cut up the squash, you are going to blend it in the end, so it does not have to be pretty. I always quarter squash the long way and then 1/2″ slice. Prepare alliums. In appropriate size pot, add the vegetables and broth/stock. Stir in all the spices, heat and then simmer until squash is very tender. Turn off heat. Stir in instant grits package. “No self–respecting southerner uses instant grits. I take pride in my grits.” Well, with the use of “magic grits” this soup took 20 minutes start to finish, while drinking a glass of Pinot. But I digress. Let the grits soften for a few minutes. Blend with immersion blender until mostly pureed looking. Add cream and blend for a few more seconds. Taste test. Enjoy hot or cold.
Farm Dirt
I dunno people, It was 81 degrees yesterday and my mother was telling my brother and I (via the group chat) it was too hot to be doing exterior housework or yardwork. It’s summer, we were longing for days over 80 most of June. The only thing unusual, but not so unusual that we recorded very similar weather 4 years ago, is the never ending rain…but we have had years when we had to abandon entire swaths of the farm, had crops not get planted and other rot in the field. We are still praying this year does not turn into that one. As it is, every crop has a section of dead from too much water accumulating, which is a little discouraging for us who get great joy form looking at a beautifully planted and maintained field. We did have a tiny window of opportunity this week and planted lettuces and herbs that had been sitting on the benches for weeks. So that’s more happy news!
We are contemplating putting green tomatoes in your bag… we will share our Brazilian friends’ recipes 😉
There is going to be a big gap in lettuces and greens because even though we seeded them on time, we could not set them out to grow…but we are pushing hard to make it all happen 🙂 Also, Glenn wants me to let you know, barring any unforeseen event, there will be a nice tomato crop, eventually. The plants are beautiful bushes with lots of nice size GREEN fruits. Don’t forget, May and June were cooler than average, and with all this rain, the tomatoes are taking their sweet time to color up.
Once again, you are welcome out to the farm to pick a few raspberries or just roam freely. If you do make it out for a visit, please pop in the farm stand or greenhouse and let staff know you are visiting – we don’t actually allow non-CSA members roam the farm and the staff here does not recognize everyone 😉 Also, please be respectful of the rows and assume if there is a plant growing or plastic laid, that you should not step on it. it is very tempting to short cut across a field and march across the rows, but it takes a big stride to do it without stomping on the edge of the plastic or the plants, plus with all the water in the rows, you are bound to wipe out.. Thanks in advance!!!
As with last year, everywhere is aflutter with Monarchs, Fritillaries, Tiger, Spicebush, and Black Swallowtails, interesting moths (not the Cabbage Loopers, they are not interesting :P) and so many more. This is also a great wildflower time for you anthophiles out there. Oh, and it’s a great time for you herpers too!
Many wonderful things to take in at the farm for all ages.
Eat well,
Geneviève Stillman
Coming up: garlic, greens, tomatoes someday…