Hello everyone, Jess here, hoping you’re all having a lovely day! The heat is daunting, but producing some awesome food! Let’s take a look at this week’s vegetal treasure chest.
Lots of good looking colors in this pickup!
- butter and sugar corn
- yellow onion
- heirloom okra
- classic peaches
- salad cucumbers
- sungold tomatoes
- beefsteak tomatoes
- hot peppers
- amethyst basil
- kale
- classic carrots
Small Shares included corn, cucumbers, Patty Pan squash, bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, peaches, Genovese basil, classic carrots, and kale.
- watermelon
- peaches
rainbow chard- head lettuce
eggs
Gladiolas! (pictured from this week AND last week)
Tonight’s dinner included so much summer on plates it was ridiculous! There were a few no-brainers, such as salad, sliced fruits, and corn on the cob.
For those with an influx of hearty greens at the moment, try running them through a pasta cutter (mine is a little attachment that hooks onto my Kitchen Aid). The hearty leaves (such as collards, broccoli or cauliflower leaves) slice much like a sheet of pasta, and the extra surface area created means that the greens steam up tender without a whole lot of cook time. Enjoy the noodles with whatever sauce works for you (I love curry or peanut sauce). If you don’t have one of these pasta cutters handy, fear not! Instead try the chiffonade!
If it’s unfamiliar, the word chiffonade may sound fancy and daunting. It’s a simple idea though, basically, you roll your leaves tightly and then cut the rolls crosswise thinly. Little ribbons of deliciousness are the by-product of cutting the rolls!
Today, we also got okra! I’m going into my fourth year of doing this blog, and this is something new to my CSA box! Farmer Jonathan of the ‘Dell Crew grows lots of okra back in Jamaica and is managing the crop in the high tunnel (thanks, Jonathan!) I’ve enjoyed many Creole and Northern Indian dishes with this veggie- (which I’m just learning is technically a fruit) but I’ve never myself cooked with them so I’m looking forward to it! From my limited knowledge, I know that okra has a Jeckyll and Hyde reputation. It is often used to thicken stews and if cooked a certain way, it emits a gummy and slimy goo. If cooked another way, no goo is present at all and the okra game changes completely. What will you try to cook with yours? Perhaps Gumbo or Bhindi Masala? This week, I plan to try a roasted okra with cherry tomato recipe (this one) and I’ll report back. If you have any info you’d care to share about okra, please feel free to get in touch and I’ll pop the info into Veggiescope for all of us to be able to access!
Gladiola season is amazing! It is so wonderful to be out in the field with them, as well as picking a personalized bouquet to take home. Hooray for the Flower Share!
There are some exciting programs coming up, be sure to check out the “Events” section on the main home page for details. Meanwhile, get in touch with your questions, comments, suggestions or recipes. As always, thank you for tuning in, I’m truly honored that you do! Until next time, sweet and savory dreams to you!