Veggie Feast (CSA) July 24, 2019

by

Notes from the Farm

Cedar waxwing

Our son took this photo of a  waxwing eating raspberries a few years ago.  These little bandits love fruit.  Many people have heard about waxwings eating fermented fruit in the wintertime and then having a bit of trouble flying off.  The little drunkards!  This time of year they zip around sharing the bounty of the season.  I heard their calls as I was picking berries today and then got a fly-by.  They are gregarious creatures, and will gladly share the berry patch with us as long as we are not picking in the same row.

This Week’s Veggie Feast

Veggie Feast July, 24 2019

Zuchinni, new potatoes, walla onion, raspberries, red Russian kale, snap peas, lettuce

New This Week

Zucchini

It’s zucchini season!  This versatile veggie can be sautéed, baked, stuffed, grilled, added to soups, and grated for baked goods. Zucchini contains a fair amount of water, which makes it perfect for salting. Salting improves texture and concentrates the squash flavor. Simply toss coarsely grated or diced zucchini with a small amount of salt, let it sit in colander for 15-30 minutes, then rinse and squeeze dry. Zucchini partners well with butter, yogurt, Parmesan cheese, garlic, dill, basil, marjoram, mint, lemon, walnuts, tomatoes, and peppers.

New potatoes

These potatoes have very thin skins that do not stay put.  Although fragile (for a potato) they are delicious and can be steamed, roasted or baked.  Cooking time is less than a storage potato.  Because the skins are thin they are not great keepers, so best eaten within a week.

Sweet onions

The first of the sweet onions.  Like everything this year they are a bit behind schedule, but certainly worth the wait.  They will store well in the fridge.

Raspberries

We managed to pick a few raspberries before the waxwings found them!  These sweet little gems are very perishable, however, they will store for a couple of days in the refrigerator.

 

Recipe

Grilled Zucchini Ribbon and Kale Salad

zucchini kale salad1 bunch kale
3-4 small zucchini
blue cheese crumbles
cashews
salt
pepper

olive oil
lemon juice
honey

Slice the zucchini into ribbons using a mandoline or vegetable peeler.

Tear the kale away from the stems in little chunks.

Lightly coat the grates of a grill with cooking spray. Bring the grill to medium-high heat and arrange the ribbons on the grates. Lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Once you start to see browning where the grates are, you can use some tongs and just remove them from the grill. The ribbons are so thin, there’s no real need to flip and grill the other side.

To make the dressing, whisk together some olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Lightly toast your cashews.

Toss the kale with the dressing in a bowl. Arrange on a plate and top with grilled zucchini ribbons, cashews, and a good sprinkling of blue cheese.

adapted from: Tablespoon.com