Week Four Newsletter and Recipes

Greeting Friends and Members,
Here we are at week 4 already. We've been meaning to applaud all of you for your commitment to using your own BAGS!  What a turn-around from last year-- well done!!  Also, several of you have been carpooling and riding your bikes to the farm.  Thanks for all your efforts. 
 
Suddenly it's really looking and feeling like summer out there:  sticky, warm, rain on and off, and sun.  Good growing weather.  And, I'll be honest:  this has been one of the best weather patterns I can remember.  While hail has fallen in Shelburne (enough to leave dents in cars and tear apart crops), and a farmer friend in East Middlebury swims in 9 - 10 inches of rain and watches water flow through his fields, we've been lucky thus far.  Knock on wood.  We haven't had to water in over a month, and we've been able to get thousands of transplants in the ground with well timed and moderate rain.  Frankly, this is unheard of in my years of farming here.  Yet, even as I write this we have a flood warning for overnight tonight-- so it's not that I'm making any prognostication about our future.  I'm just appreciating a stretch that has helped us get a ton done with a minimum of issues.  With all that said, we had a little bad luck with some early spinach that caught a collective case of the blahs (the more technical name:  downey mildew).  However, we've had some great carrot and corn seedings and the tomatoes to come are looking amazing!  Everything out in the field looks great.
 
This week your share will include:
 
Lettuce, Scallions, Bok Choy, Greens, Kohlrabi, Summer Squash & Zucchini (see recipe below), Garlic Scapes
 
other "maybes":  beets & broccoli
 
U-Pick:  peas are looking good, strawberries are fading, basil is looking strong, flowers are coming on
 
Happy Fourth of July!  Enjoy, D, E, & e
 
 
RECIPES:
 


Summer Squash with Thyme & Toasted Pine Nuts

2 lb. small summer squash
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground 
black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons mild-buttery extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Cut the squash from stem end to blossom end into slices about 1/4 inch thick rounds. Fit a steamer basket in a pan, add water up to the basket level, and bring the water to a boil over high. Add the squash, season generously with salt and pepper, and cover the pan. Reduce the heat to low and steam until tender, 5 to 6 min. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and sprinkle with the thyme. Cover to keep warm. Just before serving, drizzle with the olive oil and gently lift the slices of squash so the oil gets distributed. Sprinkle with the pine nuts and serve immediately. Serves eight.

 

Grilled Summer Squash- A great idea for your next backyard barbecue.

2 medium summer squash 
olive oil, salt 
Dill or lemon pepper 

Slice squash lengthwise (into long strips). Brush each side of squash strips with olive oil and then salt. 
Place slices directly onto warmed grill. Remove from grill when squash is tender but still firm.  Place squash in serving dish and sprinkle with dill and/or lemon pepper.  Grilled summer squash are also good sprinkled with lemon juice, fresh basil, and red pepper flakes.