THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, basil, TOMATOES (full shares), cherry tomatoes (half shares), beans, RED ONIONS, elephant garlic, and summer squash.

HOT PEPPERS are not too far in the future.  We only send along hot peppers IF YOU REQUST THEM.  If you were on the list last year, you don’t need to do anything.  If you want on (or off) the list, just email us.

Our neighbor & farmers market partner, Luna at La Finquita del Buho, raises quail for eggs.  These petite and beautiful eggs are perfect for carbonara or Caesar salad or other recipes that call for raw egg because they can’t carry salmonella.  They are also delicious and cute as a garnish or deviled eggs.  We can include them in your basket for $7/doz. email us to order

Another neighbor, Heather at Millennial Acres, has a lot of fruit coming ripe.  You can order directly from her and pay her directly.  We will deliver her product with your basket.  She will be offering the following:

Figs A La Carte  $5/pint  Fig Subscription five weeks of figs, one pint per week – $20.00

Apples A La Carte  Gravenstein, Jonagold, and Braebrun – $3/lb; Honeycrisp and Pink Lady – $4/lb

Apple Subscription eight weeks of apples, three pounds per week – $90.00

Orders for the week are due Sunday evening to allow harvest and delivery planning.  If you decide after Sunday evening there is something you can’t live without, please get in touch!  We will do our best to get it to you.  Payment via Venmo is preferred; if you don’t have Venmo we ask that you mail a check. website:  https://millennialacresllc.weebly.com email:  millennialacres@yahoo.com

TZADZIKI

WHAT TO DO WITH ALL THOSE CUCUMBERS?  Make tzadziki, of course!  Simply grate whole cucumbers, lightly salt and set aside for 20  minutes.  Drain off the liquid that accumulates, squeeze in a few cloves of garlic and stir in some yogurt and/or sour cream (we find it best to use a 50/50 mix).   Generally, you want to use equal volumes of cucumber and dairy product. Serve with toasted pita bread or crackers.  It is also great as a side with grilled chicken, sausages, or any grilled meat.

GARLIC BEANS WITH FILBERTS

1/2 lb. beans, cut to 1-2 inch pieces

2-3 small carrots, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup chopped filberts

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. butter

salt to taste

Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy frying pan.  Sauté onions and garlic until the onions are translucent.  Add carrots, chopped nuts (almonds or walnuts can be substituted for filberts) and salt.  I tend not to use much salt when I cook, but this is one recipe where I use more than usual.  The effect you are shooting for is for the nuts to take on a salted, roasted taste.  Cook for 3-5 minutes.  Add the beans and cook stirring until they take on a dark green color.  This recipe is also great with snow peas instead of green beans.

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!

BLACKBERRIES ARE RIPE!  You are welcome to come to the farm to pick to your heart’s content (free of charge).  Just email us to let us know when you would like to come so we can keep an eye out for you and point you in a good direction.