This week your basket contains: summer squash, cucumber, carrots, onions, ELEPHANT GARLIC, TOMATOES OR CHERRY TOMATOES, and lettuce.

We had a very successful and fun subscriber day!  It was so great to see many old friends and to also meet newer subscribers.  We want to do it again soon, so watch this space for a date and time.

AUGUST WILL BE THE MONTH FOR FLOWERS.  Polly will not be going to the Beaverton Farmers Market in August which means we will have a lot of flowers for you to enjoy.  You can have a gorgeous bouquet delivered with your basket each week in August for only $50 (5 weeks @ $10/week).  If you haven’t tried our flowers yet, this would be the perfect time to try a short-term subscription.  You can also order individual bouquets for any week you want.  If you would like to see some sample pictures, check out our Instagram (@PumpkinRidgeGardens) or Facebook (Pumpkin Ridge Gardens).  Please email to order.

BAKED ELEPHANT GARLIC

Elephant garlic is not a true garlic, it is a leek.  It has a milder garlic flavor which means you can use it the same way as regular garlic in even larger quantities.  The mildness also makes it very well suited to mashing in potatoes, roasting on kabobs or slicing into scalloped potatoes.  Our favorite way to use it is roasted: take a knife and cut through the wrappers at the neck of the garlic.  Peel the wrapper so that the head stays intact at the root end.  Pour 2 Tbsp. olive oil or a pat of butter on top of the head, bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour, until the skins on the cloves are browning.  Add a little water to the bottom of the pan and keep baking for 15 minutes.  The garlic should be soft.  It can be squeezed out of the clove onto crusty French bread.  Top with goat cheese and accompany with red wine.  Enjoy!

We served a lot of pizzas on Sunday which brought this recipe to mind.  You could use either slicing tomatoes or cherry tomatoes for this.  As always the toppings are really just a suggestion and can be modified to your own taste.

PIZZA PRIMAVERA

For the dough:

½ tsp. active yeast

¼ cup warm water

1 ½ cups unbleached flour

1 large egg, beaten

2 Tbs. olive oil

For the topping:

1-2 fresh onions, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves thinly sliced

2 Tbs. olive oil

6 large plum tomatoes (canned or frozen)

2 zucchini, thinly sliced

¼ – ½ cup sliced black olives

½ cup thinly sliced mushrooms

1 cup grated mozzarella or 8-oz. soft goat cheese

In a small bowl, stir the yeast in the water and set aside until foamy.  Place flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.  Add the beaten egg and olive oil in the well and begin incorporating the flour.  As you mix, stir in the dissolved yeast.  Continue mixing until a supple dough forms; you may need to adjust either the water or flour.  Knead the dough until silky smooth, transfer to a lightly oiled bowl, cover loosely with wax paper and let rest.  Meanwhile, in a heavy saucepan or casserole, cook the onions and garlic in the olive oil over low heat until thoroughly softened and lightly golden; approx. 20 min.  Add chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring often until the mixture is very thick; approx. 15 mins.  Season with salt and pepper and let cool.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees, divide the dough into two pieces and roll each piece out into an 8-inch crust.  Place the crusts on a lightly oiled cookie sheet, spread with the onion mixture, scatter zucchini, mushrooms, olives etc. and top with your choice of cheese.  If using the goat chesse or other soft cheese scatter in small pieces.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is golden.  Can be served hot or at room temperature.

ROASTED CARROTS WITH GARLIC AND THYME

1 ½  Lbs carrots, peeled

10 – 12 small garlic cloves

2 Tbs Olive oil

salt and pepper

thyme sprig

chopped parsley, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut carrots into 1-2 inch pieces, toss with oil, then season with salt and pepper.  Put them in a roomy baking dish with the unpeeled garlic and thyme sprig.  Add 2 Tbs of water, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until tender, 25-45 minutes.  Check at least twice to make sure there is moisture in the pan and stir the carrots gently.  Toward the end, remove foil and continue roasting until liquid is reduced and the carrots are browned.  Serve garnished with parsley.  Note:  The unpeeled garlic cloves can be squeezed to remove the creamy garlic, which can be used as a spread on bread or mixed with the carrots for a stronger garlic flavor.  Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison.