Hi everyone, Jess here with this week’s “Tell” of the Springdell Show and Tell! I must apologize for the late night post, my littlest one was a bit under the weather and that has been priority. In between changing facecloths and giving hugs, I was shredding mass amounts of veggies and sticking them half-completed in the fridge until the next time I found a moment. (I think we all know how that goes right?) Hope everyone is enjoying the influx of veggies as much as I am! It can be downright overwhelming at times, but if we pace ourselves, we can make it happen!
This week, I took home more than my fair share, as the Springdell swap box was full of delicious produce! This is way more than my family could eat in a week, but much of it has been preserved and frozen to feed us well through the winter. The chest freezer is one of my best CSA investments.
Here we go with pickup #6!
- butter & sugar corn
- blanched and some frozen for the winter doldrums (including some Swap Box corn)
- zucchini
- Baked Zucchini Fries
- Zucchini and Squash Fritters (also made kohlrabi fritters with a swap box kohlrabi)
- Zucchini Blueberry Muffins (adapted from this recipe, and frozen for after zucchini season)
- Zoodles with Pasta Sauce
- summer squash
- green cabbage
- Pickled
- Shredded with Cabbage, Pancetta and Garden Potatoes (adapted from a Savory Tooth recipe brought to my attention by fellow Springdellian Andrea P!)
- salad cukes
- Salads, as-is and Refrigerator Pickles
- Sour Cream Cucumbers
- classic peaches
- as-is (first ones of the season just had to enjoy!)
- garlic
- rainbow chard
- kale
- micro radishes from Johnny Putt Farm
- Stirred with Ricotta, olive oil, salt and pepper (try Mozzarella House Ricotta, I can’t believe I missed a pic, but it was beautiful and my new favorite use of micro radishes!)
- pea tendrils from Johnny Putt Farm
- Enjoyed as-is, tender tendril tops sprinkled in salads
- eggs
- In Zucchini and Kohlrabi Fritters
- Zucchini Freezer Breads (8 of them!)
- Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
- peaches
- This week, as-is, maybe a cobbler or galette coming. Just happy to see these beauties again!
- gladiolas
Here’s the quick weekly trip through my chaotic kitchen!
On Meatless Monday we had zucchini night all the way. Here was our zuccchini topped pizza…
Also, we enjoyed an appetizer of baked zucchini fries, because why not?
After seeing the b-grade corn in the swap box, I couldn’t resist taking some home. Monday night I blanched and froze up a bunch. This is summer in a bag, and always a sight for sore eyes come wintertime.
After getting my first batch of curly kale for the season, I wanted to whip up some kale chips.
Kale stems make a great pesto, so save those! (I didn’t get to the pesto this week, so the stems went into my morning power smoothies.)
I made this recipe after being turned onto it by Fellow Springdellian Crystal R. – White Bean and Swiss Chard Pie from Smitten Kitchen! I used Pancetta this time around but plan to replace it with bacon lardons next time. I love the buttery flavor of these beans and swiss chard, similar to this recipe that we featured recently, from Gwyneth Paltrow. I tested one with a pre-made crust and though the real deal is better, pre-made works too when time is not on your side (just keep an eye on it, the pre-made crust cooks up faster).
Corn off the cob and a simple salad of cukes, swap box lettuce, and pea tendril tops made for a great meal.
I didn’t actually have collard greens in my share this week but they were in the swap box and after trying the pressure cooked collards I had to try them again. I really missed the garlic scapes in the recipe this time around (adding some garlic and onion instead), but they were still great.
Turns out Sour Cream Cucumbers are pretty good with Greek yogurt, too. Who knew? Ribbons of basil from the garden really bring this dish to life.
I had to make a batch of some zucchini squash fritters, just had to.
Try them with shredded kohlrabi too! Even cabbage! Try this version of Okonomiyaki! 
With fritters, I love to try different sauces. The roasted garlic sauce is great, honey soy, peanut, duck sauce, there are limitless possiblities!
I had a bit of an assembly line going this week with the zucchini, shredding in bulk and baking in between when life allowed me time here and there. I ended up with 8 loaves of zucchini bread and 2 dozen of zucchini blueberry muffins.
This one from the Kitchn is always a hit. I don’t usually like to cook veggies until they fall apart, but there are exceptions, such as the summer squash in this dish with onion and brown sugar. It is tasty.
I checked out the Lowell Folk Festival for a spell this weekend and found this very cool artisan, Jeremy Ogusky from Jamaica Plain. He is best known for his pottery, which he has been making for more than 2 decades. More recently has developed a penchant for fermentation and with that, began featuring beautifully crafted fermentation crocks. The crocks of yesteryear are large and require commitment whereas the size of Jeremy’s crocks are much more manageable for today’s lifestyle. They are so lovely, you don’t mind leaving them out in the open while they work their anaerobic magic.
My mother offered to shred up some of the veggies at Jeremy’s demonstration table while I took the photos (thanks, Ma!) Her hands-on efforts included shredding beets, garlic, cabbage and carrot. After a veggie massage and placement in a simple salt brine, her mason jar of goodies was packed down and ready for the countertop! Those beneficial microorganisms The fermentation process can go as little as a week to a couple of months, depending on how you like it. This topic is a bit bigger than I can cover in this one post, (and I’ll check in next week with the update on how our jar of veggies is doing), but if you’re interested in learning more, Jeremy also runs the Boston Fermentation Festival, coming to town on August 27, 2017. Mark your calendars as there is much to learn at this free festival that attracts thousands to learn this ancient art of food preservation.
When pickling and fermenting, remember that the nubs of veggies, such as zucchini or carrot, are also delicious pickled. Set some of that brine aside to use with these and enjoy!
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Let’s see what you’ve been up to this week!
Fellow Springdellian Andrea P shared this recipe with us for Fried Cabbage and Potatoes with Bacon, which was perfect timing for us as we had a small hunk of pancetta to use (in place of the bacon), cabbage, and a fresh batch of new potatoes from our garden. It was very flavorful, thanks for sharing, Andrea!
Fellow Springdellian Anne B reminded me of this delicious recipe from I Am Baker for Blueberry Zucchini Cake with Lemon Buttercream. Instead of the cake, I make it into muffins (less cooking time) and forego the lemon buttercream entirely. Yummy. That’s all I can say.
Fellow Springdellian Crystal R had some great recipe ideas to share this week, including Summer Squash Soup, Herbed Summer Squash Pasta Bake, and this simple and delicious brine for veggie pickling. Can’t wait to try the brine on my shredded cabbage!
Fellow Springdellian Sarah R also shared a Summer Squash and Corn Soup that looks lovely!
Fellow Springdellian Cassie B shared even more love for Smitten Kitchen with this different recipe- Charred Corn Tacos with Zucchini Radish Slaw!
Fellow Springdellian Beverly W shared this one for Zucchini Gratin. It sounds yummy and reminded me of this one from our own Sarah Buck!
Thanks to everyone for sharing their ideas! 200 kitchens really are better than one!
That’s about all I have today. Hope to see you back here tomorrow for the 7th share pickup of the season! Until then, sweet and savory dreams to you!