This week your basket contains: tomatillos, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, beans, sweet corn, kale, onions, basil, and sweet peppers.This is a great time of year when the veggie lineup of summer and fall overlap.  It creates a great opportunity to blend flavors that at other times of year are not available to the seasonal cook.  Sukuma Wiki, ubiquitous in Kenya, is a great example of this.

SUKUMA WIKI

1 bunch greens

1 onion

2 cloves garlic

1 – 2 lbs tomatoes

2- 3 Tbs. Olive oil

Sauté onions and garlic in olive oil until onions are translucent.  Add diced tomatoes and cook until they have released their moisture.  Add chopped greens and continue cooking until the greens are fully wilted and tender.  Serve over polenta.

SLOW COOKED PORK LOIN WITH TOMATILLOS

3 to 4 pound boneless loin of pork,cut in 2″ cubes

1 medium onion, sliced

3 jalapeno chile peppers seeded

1 clove garlic, crushed

6 outside leaves Romaine lettuce

3 tomatillos, fresh or canned

1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro

1/4 cup orange juice

Salt & pepper

1 cup water

Put pork loin in pan with water to cover. Simmer 1 1/2 hours; drain and transfer to slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Season pork loin with salt and pepper to taste then pour blended mixture over. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 to 10 hours.  Serves 6 to 8.

If you are looking for a way to serve the corn other than on-the-cob, this chowder is an excellent alternative.

SUMMER CORN CHOWDER

6 ears sweet corn

6 cups chicken broth

2 cloves of garlic, bruised

1 russet potato cut in ½ inch cubes

2 cups milk

salt and pepper

4 slices of bacon diced

4 medium tomatoes cubed

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Strip corn from ears and set aside.  Simmer the cobs and garlic in the broth for 10 minutes.  Remove the cobs and garlic, stir in the potatoes and half of the corn kernels and simmer for 10-12 minutes.  Puree and set aside in a bowl after stirring in the milk, salt and pepper.  Cook the bacon in the original pot until fully cooked (approx 6 minutes).  Add the onion and sauté for 10 minutes.  Add the reserved pureed soup and the remaining corn then simmer for 8 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes and basil and serve.  From Culinate.com

CORN AND ZUCCHINI SALSA

3 medium zucchini, cleaned, trimmed, and diced

1 1/2 tsp salt

2 ears  yellow corn, husked, silks removed

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 cup fresh lime juice (8 medium limes)

1/2 cup cider vinegar

2 jalapeno chiles, seeded and minced

1/4 cup finely chopped scallions with tops

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Toss the zucchini with the salt and “sweat” for 3 minutes in a nonreactive colander. Rinse and dry. Coat the corn with 2 teaspoons of the oil and roast on a cookie sheet in a 400 degree oven for 30-40 minutes. Cool. Cut off the kernels and scrape the cobs. Combine the zucchini, corn, remaining oil, tomatoes, lime juice, vinegar, jalapenos, scallions, garlic, and pepper in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for 2-3 minutes. Ladle into hot, clean jars. Cap and seal. Process in a boiling-water-bath canner for 15 minutes. From Preserving the Harvest by Carol Costenbader

POLLY can make you a beautiful bouquet for only $7 with 20+ stems and will come with your veggie basket whenever you want them.  Just email to order!