Vegetable Journey

This weekend I made a journey to Johnstown, Pennsylvania to go to a wedding in my boyfriend's family. On our journey I decided to bring a few of our veggie specimens from the farm to show my boyfriend's eighty-five year old grandfather, Anthony. Anthony's parent's emmigrated from Italy many years ago and a tradition of growing their own veggies runs strong in their family. I always hear stories of how beautiful Anthony's garden is. His garden is filled with strawberries, peppers, squash, and tomatoes. When we arrived at Anthony's house we checked out his garden and it was just as gorgeous as I had heard. His tomatoes were staked perfectly and his strawberries were mulched and weed free. Anthony and his wife JoAnn greeted us at the door and I couldn't wait to show them the vegetables I brought them. I brought with us one of the farm's Italian Eggplant varieties 'Clara'. The 'Clara' Eggplant is a white variety and they could not believe it. They said that they had never seen an eggplant like it before. I also brought one of the patty-pan varieties of squash which was swirled yellow and green. They were so excited to see the vegetables but were unsure how to use them. I could see that they were a little nervous so I gave them a simple recipe to use the patty-pan squash. At the end of the weekend they let me know how much they enjoyed the patty-pan squash and that it was one of the best squash they had ever had! Just goes to show that you shouldn't be intimidated by the more unusual varieties of veggies. Give them a shot! You never know what you'll be missing!

This recipe was taken from the Oh She Glows Blog.

Pretty-in-the-Pan Stuffed Patty Pan Squash

If you can find some Patty Pan Squash you will love this dish, perfect for the summer months! It is extremely flavourful, has a great texture, and is very light. You will not feel loaded down after eating this meal! I purposely made it tonight because I am going for a run later and didn't want to be weighed down.

Inspired by Susan's PP Squash Stuffed with Cajun White Beans. 

Ingredients:

• 10-11 Patty Pan Squash
• 1 zucchini (sliced in half with one half scooped out)
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large green onion stalk (or 1/2 sm. sweet onion will work)
• 1 cup short grain brown rice
• 2 cups (or a bit more if necessary) vegetable bouillon
• 1-2 garlic cloves, poked with a fork
• 3 tbsp (approx) tomato paste
• 1.5 tbsp Earth Balance (or margarine/butter of choice)
• Pinch or two of sea salt
• Freshly Ground black pepper
• Dried or fresh parsley, to garnish
• Freshly ground black pepper, to garnish

Directions: (Please don't be intimidated by the long directions, I just wanted to be detailed! It was actually very easy and took under 45 minutes start to finish).

1. Take a medium sized pot and bring 2 cups of vegetable bouillon + sea salt + poked garlic cloves to a boil on high. Add 1 cup short grain brown rice and stir well, checking often. Add more bouillon if it gets too dry. After about 10 minutes reduce to medium heat. Cook for about 20-25 more minutes over medium heat. Check it often as it can burn easily. [By 'infusing' the garlic in the rice, I was able to add a bit of garlic flavour without actually having the raw garlic in the dish!].
2. While the rice is cooking, take a large pot and fill it with 1-2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Place patty pan squash in the pot and cook for about 7-8 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and allow to cool.
3. While the above is cooking, prepare the stuffing. yes, you are a multi-tasking goddess for this recipe! Take the carrot, 1/2 a zucchini (plus insides from other half), and green onion and process in a food processor until fine.
4. In a small bowl, mix the sauce for the rice. Take the earth balance in a small bowl and heat until soft. Now mix in the tomato paste until smooth.
5. When the rice is done cooking remove garlic cloves, add the tomato paste + Earth Balance mixture, and stir very well. Taste. Add salt and black pepper if necessary. This rice + tomato mixture BLEW MY MIND. It tasted so good!!! Addicting.
6. Take your cooled squash and chop off the heads and remove the insides carefully with a spoon. Take the flesh that you remove and add it to the processed mixture of carrots, onion, and zucchini.
7. Take the processed mixture (carrots, zucchini, onion + squash insides) and dump it into the rice pot. Stir well and taste for any adjustments you need to make.
8. Stuff the Patty Pan squash with your rice + veggie mixture. Take any remaining leftover rice mixture and scoop it onto the pan around the squash. Bake in the oven at 375F for about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, serve and enjoy!

Serves about 3.

Notes from the Edible Classroom

What a difference a few degrees can make! Finally, the heat has abated and we can once again walk 5 minutes without breaking into a shirt-drenching sweat!  I know the heat will return in just a few quick weeks, but I'm happy for the momentary relief.

The blueberries are back!  Visitors to the Horsham EC have been patiently watching the transformation of the "hard as rock" little, green fruit to the "firm with slight give" deep bluish purple berry most of us cannot seem to get enough of!  Interestingly, the birds remain uninterested in our little cache of fruit and that's fine by me.  Please feel free to pluck one or two as you go by, all I ask is that you sample responsibly.

Also of note in the Horsham EC is the reappearance of the single, flower bud of the water lotus.  I was so happy to see this spear-like stem rising from the edge of the pond.  Last year we watched and waited for our single bloom to open, and it did on Friday, August 3rd.  The delicate flower lasts only a day or two, so again we will wait for its beautiful unveiling.  Because this plant is a rarity for us, please admire with your eyes only.  This is a photo of last year's lotus flower.

Lots going on over at The Highlands EC!  For our facebook followers (thanks!), you may have noticed that our long-awaited shade canopy is up!  I'll move a few tables and chairs into the shade so you can have a comfortable spot to relax on your next visit to The Highlands.  A few weeks ago one of our visiting groups created and planted a few lasagna beds.  Well, I'm happy to report the beans and sunflowers have sprouted, the basil looks terrific and we have a few okra pods ripening in the summer sun.  All good harbingers of things to come at The Highlands EC!

Our Plant of the Week is sorghum!  In my May 3rd Notes, I introduced sorghum as an alternative grain which can be used by people suffering from Celiac Disease.  Two months after direct seeding the sorghum, our plants look great!  The seed heads are filling out and I believe we might just be able to grind some seed by the end of the season. The plant itself is a sturdy grower and, as with corn, to which it is related and closely resembles, is supported at its base by prop roots.  In addition to being grown for human consumption (used as a flour,  to make a sweet syrup and as an ingredient in beer), sorghum is also used as a forage crop.  According to this WiseGEEK entry it can be used to manufacture adhesives and ethanol.  From a bird's perspective, sorghum provides great cover and the seeds  provide a quick meal.  Stop by and check out our crop, it's at the far end of the EC in Horsham.

A final note for the kids who have been looking in the Horsham EC pond for a tadpole w/ emerging legs.  I was able to get a photograph of one earlier in the week - here it is...

Have a good week

Low Carb Zucchini Oven Chips 

Tuesday, July 30, $8.00 per child 

9:30-10:30am - Little Seeds - Ages 3 & 4 

11:00am - 12:00pm - Little Sprouts - Ages 5 & 6 

Make Your Own Fresh, Seasonal Fruit Pie!

"Wildman" Steve - Foraging Walks

August 11 - The Highland Site

October 6 - Pennypack Ecological Trust 

Medicinal Herbs 101

Tuesday, August 20, 2013 - 6:30pm - Dark

Class will be limited to 12 participants and the fee is $15/person  

Join Susan Curry, founding member of Pennypack Farm & Education Center and local herb bed curator, for an introductory class on medicinal herbs. We'll travel meet at the church and travel to a neighborhood herb garden where Susan will provide a basic, introductory class on medicinal herbs.