THIS WEEK YOUR BASKET CONTAINS: lettuce, zucchini, kale, cucumbers, tomatoes OR cherry tomatoes, beets, BEANS, and basil.

AUGUST FLOWER SPECIAL:  Polly does not go to the Beaverton Farmers Market in August (her primary outlet for flower bouquets) and so always has a surplus of flowers for the month.  You can sign up for weekly bouquets for the 3 remaining Tuesdays in August ($12/week; $36 total) and we will deliver a gorgeous bouquet with each of your remaining August vegetable baskets.  YOU CAN ALSO ORDER FOR ONE WEEK ONLY OR ANY NUMBER OF WEEKS. Simply email to order.  We will bill you in September for the flowers you get in August.

Heather at MILLENNIAL ACRES has Figs and peaches ready!  You can contact her directly at millennialacres@yahoo.com or order through her web site (https://millennialacresllc.weebly.com) and we will deliver your order with your veggies

WE ONLY GIVE HOT PEPPERS TO PEOPLE WHO ASK FOR THEM (no extra charge).  If you got them last year, you don’t need to do anything, and you will get some as they are ready.  IF YOU WANT TO GET ON THE LIST FOR THE FIRST TIME, JUST EMAIL AND LET US KNOW YOU WANT HOT PEPPERS.  We’ll add you to the list and send them along (usually in the greens bag) as they are available.

You may well have seen the recipe below at some time in the past.  We love to use this basic technique for snow peas as well as for green beans.

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.

The beets in your basket today are all low-staining varieties (Golden Beets and/or Chioggia).  They both have a milder flavor than traditional red beets and are great in this recipe.  On the other hand, I like to make this with regular beets because I like the pink couscous it produces!  We also use store bought Ponzu sauce which makes things much easier.

PONZU GRILLED SALMON WITH GOLDEN BEET COUSCOUS

Couscous:

1  teaspoon  extra virgin olive oil

2  tablespoons  thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)

8  ounces  golden beets, thinly sliced, peeled, and quartered (about 1 1/2 cups)

1  cup  uncooked Israeli couscous

2  cups  water

1/4  teaspoon  salt

1  cup  raw spinach leaves, trimmed

Sauce:

1/2  cup  fresh orange juice

2  tablespoons  brown sugar

3  tablespoons  low-sodium soy sauce

2  tablespoons  sake (rice wine)

1  tablespoon  fresh lime juice

1/2  teaspoon  cornstarch

1/8  teaspoon  crushed red pepper

Remaining ingredients:

4  (6-ounce) salmon fillets with skin (about 1 inch thick)

Cooking spray

Lime wedges (optional)

To prepare couscous, heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallots and beets; sauté 5 minutes or until shallots are tender and just beginning to brown. Stir in couscous; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add water and salt; cover and simmer 8 minutes or until couscous is tender. Remove from heat; stir in spinach. Toss gently until combined and spinach wilts. Keep warm.  To prepare sauce, combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (through red pepper) in a small saucepan, stirring well with a whisk; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 1 minute.  To prepare fish, brush cut sides of fillets with 1/4 cup sauce; place, skin sides up, on grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill salmon, skin sides up, 2 minutes. Turn salmon fillets; brush with remaining 1/4 cup sauce. Grill 3 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork or desired degree of doneness. Serve with couscous and lime wedges, if desired. Yields 4 servings.  Adapted from Kathryn Conrad, Cooking Light, JUNE 2005