• Lettuce
• Kale
• Zucchini – wow is it on! Time to make zucchini bread, see the recipes below for some family favorites. Try it on the grill, give it away to friends!
• Broccoli – finally enough for everyone (we hope)
• Cabbage – try the Mexican Cole slaw recipe below again a family favorite
• Green onions – the walla wallas are sizing up, so enjoy these green ones while you can
• Yellow potatoes – so sweet, we enjoy them in the mornings as potato Parsley or cilantro
• Basil, time to make pesto?
• Garlic
• Cucumbers – coming on, most are so sweet, occasionally you get a very bitter one, not sure why, so cut off the ends.
• Sugar snap peas or wax beans – the peas are on their way out as the beans are coming on, a taste of either.
• Translucent apples – these are the first apples, they are fairly simple and bruise easily but they make good apple sauce. They are on the first tree as you enter the orchard, pick what your family will use.

The tomatoes are out of control! We hope after the harvest this morning we can wrangle them back into some sort of support system. They are growing like wild things making it difficult to walk down the isles not to say harvest them. There are a very few ripening, but we know they are not far off and by the end of the month we should have tomatoes to share with everyone. The peppers are loading up with tons of small green peppers which also should be in your share by the end of the month. It is really starting to feel like summer.

We have much work to do with 2 new greenhouses to install and the old one to repair. We had few offers to help with this huge project. We will get started sometime this month and hope to get it completed by the end of August in time for fall and winter planting. The fall broccoli and cauliflower is screaming to get in the ground but there is no space on the farm to plant it. We need to pull the onions first and they are not ready yet for prime time. Such is life on a very small farm with ambitions to be bigger!

We still have shares available for ground beef. Please sign up in the barn and leave a deposit of $50. We want orders of 20# or more. This is grass fed beef all pasture raised and the healthiest beef you can eat.

We are not planning on having a canning party this year. We will take a break from this fun but very time consuming activity and see what the interest is next year. If it was something you enjoyed or will miss you should let me know, otherwise it may not happen again. We continue to make cheese, tons of extra work but if it does not sell we will stop making it. I love to make flower bouquets and will continue to do so, again please consider adding this on to your share. Flowers brighten your home, bring you joy and bring the changing seasons into your home. Consider buying a bouquet every week.

The harvest festival will go on. We are planning for October 9^th. It should be a great community event, that seems far off but will come up faster than we expect. If you want to lend a hand we can always use extra help on that day. Well, off to harvest now, looks like a nice day, hopefully we’ll get done early and have a chance to steal away to the beach! Happy fourth of July!

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.

Baked Summer Squash with Pesto Crumbs
from More Recipes from a Kitchen Garden by Renee Shepherd
This can be served as a whole meal, over wild rice and garnished with toasted pecans.

3 lbs. Mixed summer squash
3 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. mace
1 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
2 shallots, minced
4 scallions, finely chopped
½ cup Pesto Bread Crumbs Recipe(see below)

Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly oil a 2 ½ to 3 quart casserole dish with cover. Trim squash and cut into large chunks (about 1 ½ inches). Arrange squash pieces in casserole and set aside. Melt butter and olive oil together in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients, blending thoroughly. Pour sauce mixture over squash, tossing until squash is coated. Cover casserole and bake 40 minutes. Toss squash gently and spoon juices and seasonings from the bottom of dish over squash. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and bake uncovered for 10 minutes longer, until squashes are tender when pierced with a knife.

 

 

Paleo Zucchini Bread (tested and approved by Sue Kass)

 

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare 1 dozen muffin tins or oil and line w/parchment standard loaf pan.

Blend until smooth:
1 c almond butter
2 Tbs cocoa powder
3 Tbs maple syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Add in
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Mix well, then fold in
1 c. Shredded zucchini, excess moisture squeezed out.

Muffins take about 15-20 minutes, loaf 30-40.

Doubles, freezes well.

Mexican Coleslaw

Dressing:

2/3 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon maple syrup

½ tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove, minced

1 or 2 jalapeno chiles, stemmed, seeded and minced

 

Slaw:

4 cups shredded cabbage

1 ½ cups shredded carrots

½ cup diced red bell pepper

½ cup minced cilantro

 

To make the dressing:  Mix together the mayonnaise, maple syrup, mustard, rice vinegar, lime juice, cumin, salt, minced garlic and chiles in a bowl.  (If you want a mild salad, add just one chile.)  May be made 1 or 2 days ahead; refrigerate in a covered container.

To make the slaw:  Combine the cabbage, carrots, bell pepper and cilantro in a large bowl.  Add two thirds of the dressing and toss to combine.  (If you like a creamier slaw, add all of the dressing.)

Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Keeps well for up to 1 day in the refrigerator.

SERVES 6

 

Lonnie’s chocolate Zucchini Cake

½ c soft butter

½ c cooking oil

2 eggs

1 ½ c sugar (can be cut down)

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 ½ c flour

1 tsp soda

½ t salt

½ c chocolate chips

½ c sour milk (buttermilk)

4 T cocoa

½ tsp. Cinnamon

2 c grated zucchini

¼ c chopped nuts

 

Mix butter,oil, eggs, sugar, vanilla and milk together.  Add cocoa, soda, cinnamon and salt and mix well.  Add flour, mix well, add zucchini, chocolate chips and nuts.  Mix well.  Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.  13 X 9 inch pan or 2 loaf pans.

Zucchini Bread Geri Jacobs’ Special

 

3 eggs beaten                           1 ½ cup sugar (scant)

1 cup salad oil                         2 cups flour

¼ cup ground orange peel      ½  teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt                        2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons baking soda         1 cup chopped walnuts

2 teaspoons cinnamon            2/3 cups chopped dates

2 cups grated zucchini

 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat eggs, sugar and oil in mixer until fluffy.  Stir in Zucchini.  Sift baking powder, salt, flour, soda, and cinnamon (set aside ½ cup of the mixture).  Add flour to Zucchini,  Mix well, stir in vanilla.  In cuisenart chop dates, nuts and orange peel.  Mix in the reserved flour mixture.  Add chopped ingredients to other zucchini mixture.  Pour into greased and floured baking pan (2 small loaf pans) and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake at 325 degrees, 50-60 minutes.

 

 

 

 

Chocolate Zucchini Cake 2

A great cake for all that zucchini at the end of the season, and the kids love it too!

Makes 1 9 x 13 inch cake

Printed from Allrecipe, submitted by Sandi

 

½ cup butter, softened                            1 ¾ cup white sugar

½ cup vegetable oil                                 2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract                       ½ cup sour milk

2 ½ cups all purpose flour                      ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda                          1 cup semiweet chocolate chips

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon                2 cups zucchini, finely diced

chocolate chips

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, grease and flour a 9 x 13 inch pan.
2. Cream the butter, oil and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, vanilla and sour milk(sour milk = 1 teasopon vinager in ½ cup milk)
3. Mix flour, cocoa, baking soda and cinnamon toger and add to creamed mixture.  Beat well, stir in diced zucchini
4. Pour into 9 x 13 inch pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake at 350 for 40 – 45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean.