Week #15
- · Lettuce
- · Sweet onions
- · Garlic
- · Zucchini
- · Cucumbers (remeber Becca’s Thai Cucumber recipe totally worth the extra effort and your 6 cucumbers will get gobbled up)
- · Snap beans or the first tomatoes or last of the sugar snaps
- · Basil
- · Cabbage or cauliflower
- · Potatoes
- · Carrots
- · Parsley
- Transluscent Apples (great for baking)
We are about midsummer and midseason for the CSA. I occasionally check back on past years to see how we are doing in comparison and this is traditionally a slow week. Summer crops have not yet come on in abundance and spring crops are petering out. We have managed to get the summer squash up and running despite the early spring on slot of cucumber beetles. You will note a lot of yellow zucchini this season, the cucumber beetle does not like yellow squash hopefully you will!
The pole beans we planted at the end of May have finally decided to flower which means green beans are on the way. Cherry tomatoes are not far behind. For now you will have to be diligent with eating cucumbers and zucchini to finish them off before the next week. See the recipe tab for favorite recipes for summer squash/zucchini, everything from zucchini bread, with or without chocolate to zucchini pesto or pancakes. If it is time to “put it by” then look at the pickling recipe.
On Tuesday I will testify at the Planning Commission meeting about the proposed traffic light and road changes in Helvetia. It is our strong belief that the county and city of Hillsboro must do more to protect farm land and keep traffic off of the roads that boarder the rural urban divide. We have received several letters from our members in support of keeping the rural area free of commuter traffic. It is not to late to bring that hard copy of your letter with your signature and your address to the farm. I will take them with me to the hearing on Tuesday.
The pigs are all gone. The last of the 8 siblings has gone to the butcher. So far we are quite happy with the job done. The bacon according to Juvencio and Luna was great, others thought it might be on the salty side. We are using a very local butcher and want your feedback so that we can decide to send the beef and lamb his direction or not. We still have beef for sale, we plan to butcher in the late fall. You can order ¼ to ½ of the steer and you can also find a partner to share that ¼ if it seems to be too much. Our experience is that most people manage to eat the meat they order. They may end up eating more meat than they did in the past. The beef and lamb is all pasture raised and more healthy than store bought feed lot raised meat by far.
Luna and Diego head off to the Washington County Fair this week. They move their animals in on Wednesday and the fair opens on Thursday. Entrance to the fair is free of charge and tends to be lots of fun. They will be showing their goats in the afternoon on Friday at 4:00. It is really quite fun to see and especially so if you know the people and animals being shown. Diego will be showing “Buealah”, Luna will show both “Mia” (the goat) and Bellatrix “the heifer calf”. We’d love to see you at the fair just stop by the goat or dairy cow barn and say “hi” they are in the “Contented Munchers” 4-H group.
We continue to plant and sow seeds for fall and winter. Polly has shared some of her many varieties for over wintering Cauliflower which we hope to share with you all in April thru June of next year! Hard to believe we are planting now for April 2013, but that is part of the forward thinking we have to do season to season.
Sara’s Great Frittata Recipe:
2 lbs summer squash
Salt
Green onions(healthy fistful chopped)
Basil leaves(fistful again)
2 garlic cloves
4 eggs
1/4 Cup oil
1 Cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 Cup parmesan/pecorino cheese
The summer squash, green onions, and basil make a wonderful frittata.
In the main bowl of a food processor, grate about two pounds of summer squash. Put the squash in a colander and lightly salt. Leave to drain, and put the chopping blade in the food processor. Add a healthy fistful of onions and the leaves from a bunch of basil. Toss in a couple garlic cloves if you have them, and pulse until well chopped. In a big bowl, mix around a cup of flour with a couple teaspoons of baking powder and about a half cup of grated parmesan or pecorino Romano cheese. Lightly beat four eggs and a quarter cup of oil (if you’re feeling decadent and there are no vegetarians in the crowd, add a couple spoonfuls of bacon grease). Put the grated squash in a thin clean dishtowel or heavy duty paper towel and squeeze out excess liquid. Combine all the ingredients in the big bowl. You should have a thick, fragrant batter. Pour the batter into a greased 13×9 baking pan and sprinkle a little more cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees until golden, about 30-45 minutes (it depends on the moisture left in the squash). When cool, cut into squares and serve.
These make great appetizers or savory treats at a tea or coffee!
Thyme-Braised Zucchini in Crème Fraiche
Braising zucchini brings out their subtle, delicate flavor.
Serves 4
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 medium zucchini, about 1-1/4 lbs., trimmed and thinly sliced Salt and freshly ground black pepper Zest of one lemon and juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh thyme
3/4 cup crème fraîche
Melt butter over low heat in skillet. Add zucchini, salt, pepper, lemon juice and thyme. Cover skillet and braise over low heat for 6-8 minutes, or until just tender. Uncover skillet. Gently fold in crème fraîche and just heat through. Correct seasoning and serve at once.
Concia Zucchini with Mint and Vinegar from Cucina Ebraica by Joyce Goldstein
4 to 6 small zucchini, about 1.5 pounds
salt
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint or basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 large cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch thick slices, or to prepare it Veneto fashion, cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and let stand in a colander for 30 minutes to drain off any bitter juices. Rinse and pat dry. In a small bowl, combine the mint or basil, parsley, and garlic. Warm the olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. In batches, add the zucchini and cook, turning as needed, until golden on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to a shallow serving dish and sprinkle with some of the mint mixture and some of the vinegar. Repeat with the rest of the zucchini, mint mixture, and vinegar. Leave at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours, basting occasionally with vinegar in the dish, before serving.
Zucchini and Chickpeas
adapted from Mediterranean Vegetables by Clifford Wright
2 T olive oil
1 pound young zucchinis, trimmed and sliced about ½ inch thick
16 oz can chickpeas, drained
2 large garlic cloves, chopped
S & P to taste
2 T finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the zucchini, chickpeas, garlic, salt and pepper until the zucchini are slightly soft, about 20 minutes. Toss with the parsley and serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 4 servings
Easy Zucchini Soufflé By Dave Holt (habanero_holt at yahoo.com)
Sauté:
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
5 zucchinis, 6-8″ in length, sliced ¼” width
3 cloves garlic, pressed 5 scallions, diced
Soufflé:
6 eggs, size large
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated monterey jack cheese
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
½ teaspoon cardamom
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Prepare a 9×9 ceramic or glass baking disk with a light coating of extra virgin olive oil.
Soufflé Preparation:
Beat eggs and sour cream with a medium sized whisk until thoroughly mixed (This aerates the soufflé and allows us to skip the step of separating whites & yolks – thereby making this an “easy” soufflé). Add cheeses and seasonings and mix well with whisk. Add processed sauté mixture and mix well with whisk. Pour soufflé mixture into baking dish and place in oven, center rack. Bake for one hour at 325 degrees, or for forty minutes using a convection oven (soufflé is done when middle of soufflé has risen to same height as the periphery). Let cool for 10 minutes to set up before cutting and serving.
Serving Suggestions:
Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving.
Aunt Joan’s Zucchini, as remembered by Julia
1.5 pounds summer squash, mixed or all one variety
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
some chopped fresh basil
grated fresh parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
Thinly slice the summer squash. Heat oil over moderate heat in medium-large frying pan. Add the minced garlic, and let cook for just a few seconds, don’t let it brown. Then add the squash, spreading out in the pan so it can all cook evenly. Once the first layer is browned up a bit, stir it around the pan, letting the still-uncooked squash hit the oil below for a little browning. You can add a bit more oil at this point if you like. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Once it’s all cooked (7-12 minutes), remove to a serving dish and top with the fresh chopped basil and the parmesan. Serves 3-4
Pasta with Zucchini, Lemon, Pine Nuts, and Herb adapted from The Greens Cook Book
1 pound corkscrew pasta (gemelli, rotelli, etc.)
8 ounces small, firm green or golden zucchini
1/2 c. mixed fresh herbs: Italian parsley, marjoram, basil, chervil, hyssop, oregano, lemon thyme and others (I used basil and thyme, but oregano and marjoram are also good. Avoid tarragon in this dish.)
1 lemon
6 T. virgin olive oil
5 T. pine nuts
1onion or 3 shallots, thinly sliced then roughly chopped
4 t. tiny capers, rinsed in water
2 sun-dried tomatoes, cut into narrow strips (I used 8 halves)
Salt & Pepper
Parmesan (grated, fresh)
Slice the zucchini diagonally into pieces about the same thickness as the pasta (matchstick size, 1/8″ or so). Line up the slices and cut them into narrow matchsticks. Each one will be tipped with green or gold. Make a selection of fresh herbs from those suggested in the ingredients list. Pull the leaves off the stems and chop them, but not too finely. Include any flowers, such as the purple flowers of the basil or pink thyme blossoms. With a vegetable peeler, remove a thin strip of peel from the lemon and cut it into fine slivers. (I grated the peel.) Heat 2 T. olive oil in a small pan and add the pine nuts. Cook them until they begin to color; then add the shallots. Cook the two together over medium low heat until the shallots are soft and the pine nuts are brown. Transfer them to a wide bowl and add the rest of the oil, the capers, lemon peel, sun-dried tomatoes and herbs. Season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon or so lemon juice to taste. Add salt to the boiling water, drop in the zucchini and cook it about 1 minute. Scoop it out, shake off the water, and add it to the bowl with the other ingredients. Next, cook the pasta, scoop it out and add it to the bowl as well. Toss with a pair of tongs, so that the noodles are coated with the oil and herbs. Serve with the cheese passed separately. For a wine, serve a sauvignon blanc. Serves 2-4.