This week your basket contains: garlic, lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, onions, basil, BEANS, and CHERRY TOMATOES (full shares) OR TOMATOES (half shares.

Last week it was cucumbers that came on like gangbusters, this week it is beans!  The salad recipe below is a classic.

GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH PROSCIUTTO

1 Lb. green beans

4 Oz. prosciutto cut into thin strips

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/8 tsp. ground white pepper

3 Tbs. olive oil

½ medium onion chopped

1 Tbs. fresh basil

1/2 cup shavings of Parmesan cheese

Cook beans in a pot of salted water until tender; approx. 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  Allow to dry.  In a large non-stick skillet add prosciutto and onion.  Cook over high heat until onions are translucent and prosciutto starts to crisp.  In a large bowl, combine the vinegar, kosher salt and white pepper.  Whisk in the oil.  Add the prosciutto mixture and the basil and mix well.  Add the beans and cheese shavings and toss gently.  Serve immediately.  Adapted from 1999 Food and Wine Recipes.

If you want to get a head start on preserving beans, this is a good recipe.

TARRAGON or BASIL GREEN BEANS

6 cloves garlic, sliced

36 black peppercorns

3 lbs young, tender snap beans, trimmed, if necessary, to 4 inches

6 tarragon sprigs or 12 basil sprigs

3 ½ cups white wine vinegar

3 ½ cups water

2 Tbs. pickling salt

Into each of 6 sterile pint mason jars, put 1 sliced garlic and 6 peppercorns.  Pack the beans vertically into the jars, adding 1 tarragon sprig or 2 basil sprigs to each jar.  In a non-reactive saucepan, bring to a boil the vinegar, water and salt.  Pour the hot liquid over the beans, leaving ½ inch headspace.  Close the jars with hot two-piece caps.  Process the jars for 5 minutes in a boiling-water bath, or pasteurize them for 30 minutes in water heated to 180-185 degrees, F.  Store the cooled jars in a cool, dark place for at least 1 month before eating the beans.

If you have celery left from the last couple of weeks, the recipe below is an excellent choice. Mirepoix, raw, roasted, or sauteed with butter or olive oil, is the flavor base for a wide variety of dishes such as stocks, soups, stews and sauces.

MIREPOIX

1 cup diced onions

1/2 cup diced carrot

1/2 cup diced celery

Try to dice vegetables to a uniform size. You can dice into larger pieces for a longer-cooking recipe, smaller for a shorter cooking time. The diced vegetables can be sautéed in olive oil or butter over relatively low heat until starting to brown. A littlle tomato sauce can then be added if desired.

Other signs of full-on summer in your basket include TOMATOES and TROMBONCINO.  The tomatoes are from our hoop houses, where the plants were sheltered from the weird, wet, and cool spring.  We expect more and more as the summer progresses.  TROMBONCINO are an Italian heirloom summer squash grown on trellising (they love to climb!).  These, too, are in a hoop house.  We love the crazy, curvy shapes they make.  They are also very tasty and tender while also remaining firm when cooked.  We are still unsure how many we will be able to harvest on any given day, so keep an eye out for them as we rotate through who gets them as they are available.  They are great in this recipe.

ZUCCHINI PICKLE RIBBONS

1 cup  cider vinegar

1 cup  water

1/4  cup  sugar

2 teaspoons  salt

1 teaspoon  mustard seeds

1 teaspoon  turmeric

1/2  teaspoon  crushed red pepper

8 fresh dill sprigs

3 garlic cloves, peeled

3 medium zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds), thinly sliced lengthwise

1 cup  thinly sliced onion

Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 15 minutes. Combine zucchini and onion in a large bowl; pour hot vinegar mixture over vegetables. Cover and let stand at room temperature 3 hours. Chill 8 hours before serving.  Note: Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 1 month.