Hi everyone, Jess here.
The pic here is a little deceptive, as I’m showing much more than just what came in the CSA box today. I also grabbed a few things from the swap box and the farm stand. I usually take my first picture of the share at the farm, but since it was raining I brought everything home and almost forgot to take the picture of all the stuff, so what you’re seeing in the above pic is a little of the CSA, the swap box, and the farm stand.
I have to share this pic of today’s generous swap box. Don’t worry, this isn’t all being left behind by other CSA members, but a lot of it is actually the B-grade veggies that Farmer Jamie selected and popped in the swap box. I love that Farmer Jamie seeds the swap box this way! Let’s break down the share box for the week:
butter & sugar corn- zucchini
- summer squash
- green cabbage
- salad cukes
- classic peaches
- garlic
- rainbow chard
- kale
I must say I’m so excited about Farmer Bill’s peaches (out of Sterling, MA) after two years of very rough peach seasons. In 2015 there was that bad hail storm that took out the entire peach crop, and then in 2016, there was the early warm snap followed by a very cold snap that again took out the entire peach crop, fooling their poor little blossoms into blossoming too soon.
- gladiolas
Tonight I boiled and shucked up some corn for the winter, and got started on those zucchinis!
Our Friday pizza night moved to Monday, as some fresh zucchini was a great pizza topper. The kids were a bit iffy about the zucchini, as it’s one of those seasonal veggies that they forgot that they’ve already tried and loved (two years ago, when I tried this version). The thought of zucchini pizza was not appealing to them tonight (even through they’ve had it before, sheesh). I was picking my battles this evening, so I made them a plain pizza and whipped up some zucchini fries while the oven was hot.
The smaller zucchinis make perfect fries as you don’t have to go through all the trouble of de-seeding as the seeds are so tiny! There are many variations here, I’ll mention a few that I’ve tried. After cutting the zucchini into little spears, I dipped them in melted Amish roll butter before rolling them in a combo of panko or breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. If you’re watching the butter thing egg/egg white is a great substitute, too! Want to keep them vegan? Try a little olive oil and nutritional yeast! Whatever you choose, dip your zucchini sticks into your wet mix, then roll in your dry mix before placing on your lined cookie sheet (parchment paper or foil works). Bake at 425 for about 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through if you like them a bit crispier (the water content of a zucchini makes them not quite a sturdy as a french fry, but they are still yummy!
Serve with tomato sauce, a garlicky pesto mixed with sour cream or Greek yogurt, or whatever tickles your fancy! My kids went with ketchup, but hey, at least they re-tried zucchini!
Here’s a 2015 variation on the same concept (with panko egg and parmesan)
In Springdell news if you’re interested in a Springdell spring share next year, (the 4-6 week share that seamlessly bridges the Winter CSA into the Summer CSA) you still have a couple of weeks to sign up! For the cost of a weekly trip to a grocery store, you can have a month or so of fresh veggies and sometimes other goodies in your kitchen at the very beginning of the season! If you like fresh asparagus, this share is definitely for you! Get in touch with Farmer Jamie if you’re interested.
That’s about it for me this evening. What are you up to with your share? I’d love to hear from you! In the meantime, sweet and savory dreams!