Week 17: A Cascade of Late Summer and Early Fall Veggies
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Good Morning and Happy September!
September on the farm brings a cascade of late summer and early fall veggies and we are looking forward to a bountiful month! This week we harvested our blue hubbard squash that we plant as a trap crop on the boarder of our winter squash. Not only do these squash look like they are left over from prehistoric times, but they also are hardy enough to stand up to the cucumber beetles that would like to invade our squash patch each year; hence they are one of the strategies that we use to keep the delecata, acorn, pie pumpkins, and butternut squash safe from invaders. Although the size of these squash usually make them overwhelming for the single family home, they are sweet and delicious and many a beer brewer have taken a shining to their flavor for autumn libations. Stay tuned to find out what the brewers will come up with this year!
This week at the stand we will start to welcome back some spring crops in addition to the summer bounty. Cherry bell Radishes will be back this week and there is a chance we may have some arugula at the Saturday market too. This is my favorite time to make pizza as creativity can go wild. We love to have folks over for a grilled pizza marathon and challenge our friends to do the topping. Think arugula and roasted beets with caramelized onions, eggplant with fennel (coming soon) and pesto, or perhaps just big slices of heirloom tomatoes with basil, garlic, olive oil and good salt. Pick up some hot peppers and try your hand at homemade pickled jalapenos for those of you who like the heat or dress up in your best labor day whites and grab some bell peppers, chop them up fine with some sweet onions and garlic and make some heirloom tomato salsa for the weekend's event.
This Week's Harvest:
VEGGIES:
Kale
Collards
Chard
Butterhead Lettuce
Carrots
Beets
Radishes
Sweet Onions
Yukon Gold Potatoes
Hot Peppers
Cabbage
Heirloom Tomatoes
Cherry Tomatoes
Salad Cucumbers
Summer Squash/Zucchini
Eggplant
Cabbage Salad From 101 cookbooks
Photo credit: 101 Cookbooks (www.101cookbooks.com/archives/a-good-shredded-salad-recipe.html)
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons runny honey
fine grain sea salt, to taste
one small bunch of cilantro (leaves and stems), chopped
1/2 cup peanuts, toasted
1 bunch of scallions, shredded
2 cups finely shredded cabbage
1/2 cup mung bean sprouts
1/2 cup broccoli or pea sprouts
3 large stalks celery, thinly sliced on diagonal
2 tablespoons shoyu or soy sauce
1 tablespoon (brown) rice vinegar
toasted sesame seeds, black or white
In a medium bowl, stir together the sunflower oil, sesame oil, 1 tablespoon of the honey, and a generous pinch of sea salt. Add the cilantro, peanuts, and scallions. Stir well to combine. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, combine the cabbage, mung bean sprouts, broccoli or pea sprouts, and celery.
In another bowl, stir together the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and remaining 2 teaspoons of honey. Stir to combine, pour over the vegetables, and toss to coat. Add half the cilantro-peanut mixture, toss again, and transfer to a serving dish. Top with the remaining cilantro relish and a sprinkling of sesame seeds.
