squash partay pt 2

summer squash medley: Leonardis Organics and Full Moon Farm a wonderful mix of ronde de nice, hurakan, green, and yellow zucchini.
ok. if you havent figured out what to do with summer squash, this is the week to play around and find that special recipe to make use of this early summer bounty.
I brought some to my friend's wedding party this weekend and they were a big hit grilled. Just slice 1/4" thick lengthwise pieces, oil, salt and fire. or soak in a spicy/savory marinade  befor grilling. see last weeks post for more  ideas. the zucchini bread ala heidi swanson is highly recomended, and if you still have corn flour, add that to it too!

striped armenian cucumbers: Leonardis Organics. so delicious. with that refreshing cool cucumber crunch and a melon like sweetness. slice and salt lightly  for a quick hydrating snack in the shade. nothing beats it when working all day in the hot sun. farm approved.

basil: Leonardis Organics. I'm glad Jim offered these this week as our second attempt at basil is getting established and will be ready in a few weeks. Due to extreme temperatures and fungal issues, our first batch never made it out of the greenhouse. As the weeks progress I am ever so grateful to the community of organic farmers here, who have supplemented our box with awesome veggies and excellent friendship. It takes a village to feed a village.
what to do with basil? the obvious choice is pesto . I like to substitute walnuts for pinenuts, but whatever floats your boat. Also basil is medicine for the lungs. Its aromatic oils uplift the spirits and clear the air, and with so much smoke blowing over from the colusa fires, couldnt be more timely.

chard : Ancient Lake Garden. Big leaves and heavy stems sure to cook up into a fantastic meal.
steam and squeeze some lemon juice on these for a bright steamed salad, saute with onion and garlic for a classic taste or create a unique dish all your own.

collards, kale or mustard greens: Ancient Lake Garden. The collards are huge! showing a capacity to absorb a lot of sun and make use of a rich soil, these babies are certainly nutrient dense. Use as you would any green. One of my favorites is simply steamed or braised and topped with olive oil, tamari or ume vinegar.
The mustards are both sweet and spicy, delicious raw or gently cooked, some of the best Ive ever tasted.
Got greens and dont know what to do? we like to use them as "crust"  in our quiche recipe. chop and lay in a pie pan, next add sauted veggies ( squash, carrot, turnip, onion, garlic, herbs), cover with whipped egg batter and a generous layer of cheese. bake at 400 for 30 minutes or so and hitch a ride to your local flavor filling station.

purple top turnip: hitting their stride this month and look - less bug damage. Organic farming is more than marketing terminology. It is about land and environmental stewardship. What makes up a farm eco system?
soil, water, air, weather, rocks, plants, bugs, animals, bacteria, fungi and people too, not necessarily in that order.
If we try to remove one of these elements, take bugs for instance, our system goes out of balance. Bugs are helpful, even the ones that we call "pests". Believe me sometimes they live up to that name, but the pests become food too, for other insects, frogs, lizards, snakes, spiders. sometimes we like to leave a pest population undisturbed to attract "beneficials" like those named above. those pests may cause some damage to our food, but with a wider lens we see this as natural and healthy. Pesticides, even "organically approved" may also kill the beneficials or kill the pests before the beneficials arrive leaving our eco system with an imbalance requiring more pesticides or creating mutations or resistance to these means, furthering a system out of balance. "everything in its right place" by radiohead seems like an appropriate song to reference here.
This may be counter to our "conventional produce wisdom" which tells us that bug damage equals food unfit for human consumption. But this conventional practice of sterilization and killing in the name of  "perfect" vegetables leads us away from the source of life and over emphasizes shallow beauty. One of the great things about our CSA program is the intimate connection between farm and eater. You as the eater are privy to the goings on of the farm and with your support, we may continue to grow our farm eco system including delicious food. I would like to provide more education and begin to shed light on some of the deeper/subtle practices here to give you a fuller perspective and dynamic diet.