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Dear Common Thread CSA Members,
The rain continues although we finally have some warm weather again! Luckily we had a few breaks in the rain recently and were able to put in fall cauliflower, cabbages, kale and broccoli as well as beets, watermelon and herbs. We finally put up the last deer fence which was a big relief. Matt Marshall has joined our harvesting crew for the summer and we are finally fully staffed so we're happy about that after many weeks of everyone working extra hard. We may be looking for some additional help for the fall when several crew members go back to school.
We have some nice pick your own crops this week! The early pick your own flower patch is lovely right now with snapdragons, larkspur, dianthus, and a very pretty variety of calendula. The peas are also in - snow peas and sugar snap peas in two different spots (one next to the snow peas and the other across the path alongside the flowers). Last year's perennial herbs are getting weedy and overgrown but this year's are getting big enough to pick and look lovely.
Fennel is an exciting vegetable for those of us who appreciate it's licorice flavor. I chop it small and add it to salads. I have also added it to soups, grilled it, and made a potato-fennel gratin that was very tasty. My favorite way to prepare it is to toss it with olive oil and salt and roast it in a hot oven until it is the perfect combination of melty and cripy and then use it as a garnish on everything. Mmmm.
Zucchini and Summer Squash are now fully in! We grow a green zucchini, a yellow zucchini and two different kinds of summer squash, which are more rounded. Right now we just have the yellow summer squash but later in the season we will have 'Zephyr' which is yellow with a light green end. There are so many ways to prepare zucchini. An easy and tasty way to prepare it (the way my dad makes it) is to steam it and then grate cheddar cheese on it while it is still hot so it melts into it. It is also great in soups, ratatouille, stir-fry, baked into muffins and quick breads and grilled. It's fun to make stuffed squash out of the bigger ones.
Here are a couple fun looking recipe from marthastewert.com:
Zucchini Rollatini
INGREDIENTS
- 2 large zucchini (8 to 10 inches long), cut lengthwise into twelve 1/8-inch-thick slices
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
- 5 to 6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto (optional)
- 1 pound fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
- 24 large fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish (from about 2 handfuls)
- 1 1/3 to 2 cups tomato sauce
DIRECTIONS -
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season zucchini slices on both sides with salt and pepper. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Blot moisture from zucchini. Swirl oil into skillet and cook zucchini in 2 single-layer batches, adding more oil between batches as needed, until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side.
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Top each strip of zucchini with a piece of prosciutto torn to fit, a slice of cheese cut to fit, and 2 basil leaves. Roll each stack into a pinwheel and spear with a toothpick to hold together. 3. Place tomato sauce in an 8-inch-diameter baking dish (or divide among four 3 1/2- or 4-inch-diameter ramekins). Place rollatini (a pinwheel side down) side by side in dish and remove toothpicks. Bake until cheese is bubbling, 10 to 12 minutes. Before serving, garnish rollatini with basil.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 medium zucchini (about 8 ounces each), trimmed
- 1 medium onion
- 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (1 ounce)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for frying
- Plain yogurt and apricot jam, for serving
DIRECTIONS -
Grate zucchini on the large holes of a box grater, then squeeze dry in a clean kitchen towel or press in a ricer. Repeat with onion.
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Mix together zucchini, onion, cheese, flour, and herbs. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir in eggs just before frying.
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Heat a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, coat skillet with 1 to 2 tablespoons oil. Scoop mounds (2 tablespoons each) of the zucchini mixture into skillet; flatten slightly using a spatula. Cook until golden brown and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side.
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Transfer fritters to paper-towel-lined plates to drain. Serve with dollops of plain yogurt and apricot jam.
Yours in the field,
Wendy and Asher
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