This week your basket contains: broccoli (full shares), sweet peppers, tomatoes,  cherry tomatoes, elephant garlic, basil, zucchini, cucumber,  beans, onions, and carrots.

As summer harvest starts to hit its stride, two iconic summer dishes come to mind.  Our favorite gazpacho and ratatouille are below:

GAZPACHO

2 slices whole grain bread or ½ garlic bagel

3 cloves garlic, squeezed

¼ cup olive oil

2 cucumbers

1 onion

1 summer squash

2 basil tips

salt and pepper to taste

2-3 lbs tomatoes

½ lb. green beans

1 sweet pepper

Blend bread, garlic, onion and olive oil in a blender or food processor until smooth.  If needed, add tomatoes for additional liquid.  Trim vegetables of stems and blossom ends, but you do not need to peel them.  Continue adding ingredients until all are included, emptying blender as needed.  Taste and adjust seasonings then chill.  Serve cold with garnish of hard-boiled eggs, chopped onion and croutons.  Serves 4 –6.

BUDDY’S RATATOUILLE

1 cup chopped onion

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups chopped zucchini

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tbs Balsamic vinegar

Basil pesto

1 cup diced tomatoes

Oregano

Salt

Pepper

¼- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large sauté pan heat the oil and cook the garlic and onion until the onions are translucent.  Add the zucchini, oregano, tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.  Cook until zucchini is tender.  Add basil and Balsamic vinegar.  Stir in Parmesan cheese and serve.

WHAT IS THAT LONG, CURVY SQUASH IN YOUR BASKET?  Those are an Italian heirloom squash called tromboncino!  They have great flavor and have the added benefit of maintaining a firmer texture when cooked.  You can use them in any way you would use other summer squash, including the recipe below.  We are keeping track of who has gotten tromboncini and will rotate who gets them to make sure that over time 0everyone gets to enjoy our limited production.

ROTINI TROMBONCINI

1 pound tricolor rotini

olive oil

1 Tromboncino Squash

1 pound italian sausage

1 handfull  greens

1 handfull Parmesan cheese

1/2 handful Feta Cheese

1/2 handful Mozarella

Set a large pot of water over high heat to start it boiling. Meanwhile, chop the neck of the tromboncino squash into cubes about the same size as your pasta. Heat a very large skillet over medium-high heat, with a drizzle or two of olive oil in it. Add the tromboncino, and cook until it just begins to soften, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, cook the pasta once the water boils. Add the sausage to the squash skillet. If using bulk sausage rather than links (I usually do), move the squash away from one side, so you can make sure the sausage makes good contact with the bottom of the pan so it can brown nicely. Keep stirring the squash, but avoid breaking the sausage up too much. Flip it to make sure it cooks. Meanwhile, cut thick stems out of the greens, and chop them into approximately 1″ lengths. Shortly before the sausage is finished, add the greens so they can cook down a bit, and turn bright green. When the pasta is finished, drain it. Stir in the contents of the skillet, as well as the cheeses. Serve hot immediately, and/or eat the leftovers cold.

BLACKBERRIES are ripe!  Now is a great time for you to come and enjoy your fill of great blackberries that grow free from roadside contamination.  We welcome you to come out to the farm on your schedule (please email to let us know your plans so we can greet you and point you in the right direction).  You are welcome to pick as many berries as you like free of charge. 

IF YOU WANT HOT PEPPERS (when they are ready) please email us as we only give them to people who ask for them.  If you were on the list last year we still have you on the list and you don’t need to email again.

EGG CARTONS:  If you have egg cartons (pulp or paper; no plastic please) you can leave them in your empty basket for us to collect and re-use. Please do not include containers larger than 1 dozen.