Share Contents and Kitchen Tips for Week 7!

Peaches are making their first wee appearances this week, which means we're well into mid-summer crops. We'll see those again for weeks to come.

In the shares this week:

Single:

Onion

Tomato

Cucumber
Garlic

Peach

Peppers

Yellow squash

Carrots, bunch
Lettuce, 1 head

Potatoes, 1 lb

Kale, bunch

Family adds:

Raspberries

Zucchini

Cantaloupe

Kitchen Tips:

You may have noticed that zucchini season has arrived. Summer squash produces rather prolifically and while its mild taste is a delight, if you're a grower, or have friends that grow it, your kitchen can become a bit overwhelmed.

Garrison Keillor says that July is the only time country folks lock their car doors in the church parking lot, lest someone sneak in and put squash on their seat. Barbara Kingsolver shares this tale along with anecdotes about checking and re-checking that her home's never-locked doors are well secured in the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. There's no messing around when it comes to helpful neighbors trying to dispose of their extras. Unchecked, zucchini and yellow squash will grow to arm's length, but the skin is softest on immature fruit. It's so delicate that fingernails will easily catch on the waxy coating during stacking. It's something we watch for carefully. 

In most of Europe, the French term courgette rather than the Italian zucchini is more often used. In South Africa, it is know as baby marrow, which honestly creeps me out a little bit.

A good source of vitamins C & B-6, summer squash is an incredibly versatile, low-calorie food. When the fruits are still immature, the skin will be pliable. Sometimes the patty pans we get require peeling and some seeding, but early in the season, they're fine to chop as is. Sauteed lightly with butter or olive oil, with or without fresh herbs, squash is a delightful summer side dish. When eggplant and tomatoes start rolling into my City Fresh share, we like to layer these together with tomato sauce as a ratatouille, which we like to serve over rice.

Stir fry is always a go-to for maximizing vegetable usage or not knowing what to prepare for dinner. During the winter, zucchini is the number one ingredient we miss for Stir Fry Night. Similarly, soups and stews use lots of different vegetables and the tomato-based minestrone is a favorite at our house (which also utilizes some of those heads of cabbage we get). Served with crusty bread and salad, soups are pretty simple to throw together and make lots of leftovers for lunches. They're also freezable, so we can enjoy our courgette during the winter months.

Shredded summer squash can be baked in breads and cakes, which I like to do to trick my kids into fully adoring it. Shredded it can also be mixed with egg and bread crumbs to make squash pancakes, like potato pancakes. By adding Italian spices and Parmesan, I've found that this mush is a lot like a tater tot if baked in a mini muffin tin then dipped in ketchup or fresh aioli. These were a big hit at our summer parties last year. Friends of mine with fancy spiralizers make spiral tempura-like, batter-dipped squash fries. Children like the shape and the springiness.

As with almost any vegetable, when all else fails, covering it with cheese and butters works excellently. I like to shred a bit for omelets or frittata or add to quesadillas with chard and dip in salsa. We've also added it to lasagna and enchiladas. I've found that I can pretty much hide squash in anything.

Have a great week!

Peace and veggies,

Anna Kiss