Spoutwood Farm CSA Harvest Guide: Week 5: July 12, 2007
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Greetings, Spoutwood Farm friends! Welcome to the fifth week of our CSA Harvest season. “High Summer” is definitely upon us, with hot, hazy, and humid days (and nights), high weeds (which don’t seem to mind the drought), and heat-loving insects galore. But this time of year also brings those lovely summer vegetables we all love so much. Check below for this week’s delectable selection!
As always, we continue to face the challenge of both bugs and weeds. To combat the former, we’ve sprayed BT (bacillus thurengiensis), a beneficial bacteria, on our kohl crops. Please be sure to wash your broccoli, cauliflower, or cabbage thoroughly before eating. To combat the latter, hand weeding and mulching is the natural solution. We’re deeply grateful for those wonderful shareholders who’ve come out help us with these necessary tasks. If you’d like to join our “Weed Warriors,” please contact us at our e-mail address, spoutwood_csa@yahoo.com. An intern or staff member checks this address daily, so don’t hesitate to be in touch.
Please feel free to also drop us a line if you discover a new recipe, have any cooking tips, or would like to share your favorite way to eat the veggies from our harvest - email us and we’ll share with everyone else! You might also want to post these to our interactive web presence at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/spoutwoodcsa. There you can post messages that all members can read, add photos of your favorite Spoutwood memories, and otherwise contribute to our CSA community here at Spoutwood Farm. You’ll find an invitation to join the Spoutwood CSA e-group at Yahoo in your e-mail, and we hope you respond favorably. If you do NOT find this invitation in your in-box in the next 24-48 hours, please let us know!
Beans – Just like last year, only more so… a veritable “bean-anza” of lovely green and burgundy beans! They’re early and ample: enjoy them steamed, stir-fried, in soups or other dishes, or preserve some for the off-season.
Broccoli – Last of the Spring sowing! Broccoli is rich in antioxidants and fiber. Try steamed with rice and seasoning, or top with a squeeze of lemon for a low-calorie treat, grated cheese for a luxurious delight. Herbs that enhance the flavor of broccoli include basil, dill, garlic, lemon balm, marjoram, oregano, tarragon and thyme.
Cauliflower – In the same family as broccoli (Cruciferae, from the cross-shaped leaf pattern), cauliflower is also very rich in antioxidants and fiber. Try mashing cauliflower with cheese and herbs as a flavorful alternative to mashed potatoes. Some will receive cabbage, others will get a lovely head of…
Cabbage – High in vitamin C (like its cousins broccoli and cauliflower), cabbage is very versatile. It may be chopped, shredded, or grated. Another way to use cabbage is to use the leaf as a wrap – fill with a rice or veggie dish, wrap and bake in the oven at medium heat.
Lettuce – “Lettuce” entertain you! Back after a week’s hiatus. Select your choice of red or green leafy lettuces. So much better than “iceberg,” and so much fresher than store-bought “mesclun mixes”! Delicious in salads, sandwiches, or use your imagination.
Squash – What would summer be without summer squash? Select from zucchini, yellow crookneck, and two types of patty-pan. The patty-pan squash is a small, saucer-shaped squash. Its cream-colored flesh is more dense and slightly sweeter than that of zucchini, and is delicious stuffed. Scrape out the seeds and some of the flesh, and parboil the remaining shell. Coarsely chop the removed seeds and flesh and sautée in olive oil or butter with chopped onion and mushrooms. Spoon into the shell, top with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, and bake until done. Yummy! Each type of squash is entirely edible (skin, flesh, and seeds). See “Vegetable of the Week” for more ideas…
Purslane – Called by some a “weed,” purslane is a naturally occurring herbaceous plant with a mildly sour, tangy taste that goes extremely well in salads.
Basil – A delicious and fragrant herb – add to pasta sauces, make a fresh tomato, basil, and mozzarella salad (toss in olive oil), or pesto (Combine basil, garlic, onion, olive oil (parmesean cheese optional also) to use on breads, salads, or pasta. Please note: Basil should be placed in a vase with water, as you would cut flowers. Most refrigerators are too cold and tend to blacken the leaves.
Parsley – More than just a garnish! Use in salads, soup stocks, or in place of part of the basil when making pesto.
Bread – Bread this week remains to be announced…
Flowers –This week’s bouquet will include Bee Balm, Zinnias, Dillflowers, Meadow Rue, and Snowball Hydrangea.
Summer Squash Salsa
"Instead of adding the hot and spicy touch to foods that regular salsa does, this version actually helps to cool down a hot and spicy dish." George Stella
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (canola recommended)
1 cup small diced zucchini
1 cup small diced yellow squash
1/2 cup small diced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup small diced red bell pepper
1 tablespoon sugar substitute
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup small diced cantaloupe
METHOD
Place the oil in a sauté pan and preheat over high heat.
Add all the ingredients, except the cantaloupe, and cook for only 2 minutes, just until tender.
Remove from the heat, drain, and spread out on a plate. Refrigerate quickly without a cover to sop the cooking.
When cooled, mix in the cantaloupe, cover, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Yield: 24 servings
Barley Salad with Zucchini, Red Pepper and Salami
You need chunks of salami for this recipes, so buy a whole salami in your favorite Italian store.
2 cups cooked barley
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 zucchini, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup cooked garbanzo beans
4 ounces salami diced
Grated zest of 1 lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup parsley, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
Method
Heat three tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan. Stir in garlic, zucchini, red bell pepper and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. This is just to take the edge off the vegetables. Set aside to cool.
Mix together lemon zest, salt and pepper, parsley, 1/4 cup oil and vinegar. Whisk to lightly emulsify.
Combine cooked barley and garbanzo beans. When zucchini mixture is cooled, add to barley and mix well. Keeping a few salami chunks aside to garnish top, add salami. Pour dressing over all and mix with a fork to combine. Top with the salami cubes.
Serves: 4 - 6
Contributor: Francesca Rossi
Penne Pasta with Roasted Veggies and Goat Cheese
"Carb angst? Toss the veggies with the goat cheese and forget the pasta. Try a drizzle of balsamic glaze over all - you won't miss the noodles at all." From Culinary Confessions of the PTA Divas
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares
1 medium eggplant, cubed
2 yellow squash, cubed
2 zucchini, cubed
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
8 garlic cloves, peeled
Coarse salt and cracked black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 pound penne pasta, prepared according to package directions
2 cups crumbled goat cheese
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
12 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn (optional)
Colache - Summer Squash
Ingredients
4 summer squash (zucchini or yellow squash)
4 ears corn
3 ripe tomatoes
1/4 c. butter
1 sm. onion, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
Wash squash and slice into disks. Cut corn from cob. Peel the tomatoes and cut into cubes. Melt butter in a saucepan and saute the onion until transparent.
Add the squash, corn, tomatoes and salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes stirring occasionally.
Farm
Happenings
Check it out! Heather found these sites to be helpful when preparing this week’s harvest guide:
www.seasonalchef.com – This site focuses on local, seasonal produce, has interesting recipes, and also gives tips on preserving!
www.whfoods.org – This site is great if you’re interested in the nutritional benefits of food. Very informative!!
Our featured vegetable summer squash, a native of the “New World” is presently among the top eleven favorite vegetables of the world.
The delicate flavor, soft shell and creamy white flesh of summer squash is a perfect addition to any summer meal. They are in season between May and July when they are at their best and most readily available. Summer squash comes in a variety of shapes and colors from green white to yellow to dark green. Given the soft skin, summer squash may be eaten unpeeled and raw, steamed or roasted. If overcooked the vegetable looses its nutrients and becomes watery.
Summer squash, members of the Cucurbitaceae family and relatives of both the melon and the cucumber, come in many different varieties. While each type varies in shape, color, size and flavor, they all share some common characteristics. The entire vegetable, including its flesh, seeds and skin, is edible. In addition, some varieties of the squash plant produce edible flowers. Unlike winter squash, summer squash are more fragile and cannot be stored for long periods of time.
Summer squash is ready to pick about 50 days after planting. If the squash is left to mature, the plant will stop producing.***summer squash may be used interchangeably in recipes (zucchini, yellow, patapan etc.)
Nutrition: Squash, especially zucchini is low in calories, and cholesterol free zucchini is high in folates, potassium and vitamin A with lesser amounts of the B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and copper.
Cooking: There are a few golden rules for cooking this versatile vegetable. Remember that it turns to water if overcooked; that it is so markedly free of its own pronounced flavors that it absorbs the savory flavors you prefer; and don't forget to use the flowers, especially if you have a garden.
Check it out! Heather found these sites to be helpful when preparing this week’s harvest guide:
www.seasonalchef.com – This site focuses on local, seasonal produce, has interesting recipes, and also gives tips on preserving!
www.whfoods.org – This site is great if you’re interested in the nutritional benefits of food. Very informative!!
Our featured vegetable summer squash, a native of the “New World” is presently among the top eleven favorite vegetables of the world.
The delicate flavor, soft shell and creamy white flesh of summer squash is a perfect addition to any summer meal. They are in season between May and July when they are at their best and most readily available. Summer squash comes in a variety of shapes and colors from green white to yellow to dark green. Given the soft skin, summer squash may be eaten unpeeled and raw, steamed or roasted. If overcooked the vegetable looses its nutrients and becomes watery.
Summer squash, members of the Cucurbitaceae family and relatives of both the melon and the cucumber, come in many different varieties. While each type varies in shape, color, size and flavor, they all share some common characteristics. The entire vegetable, including its flesh, seeds and skin, is edible. In addition, some varieties of the squash plant produce edible flowers. Unlike winter squash, summer squash are more fragile and cannot be stored for long periods of time.
Summer squash is ready to pick about 50 days after planting. If the squash is left to mature, the plant will stop producing.***summer squash may be used interchangeably in recipes (zucchini, yellow, patapan etc.)
Nutrition: Squash, especially zucchini is low in calories, and cholesterol free zucchini is high in folates, potassium and vitamin A with lesser amounts of the B vitamins, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and copper.
Cooking: There are a few golden rules for cooking this versatile vegetable. Remember that it turns to water if overcooked; that it is so markedly free of its own pronounced flavors that it absorbs the savory flavors you prefer; and don't forget to use the flowers, especially if you have a garden.
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