So…… I changed my mind about the stir fry, there really isn’t much to one to begin with. Just throw everything you want in one, in a pan and cook till its tender. season with salt and pepper or lemon pepper. Vwalla! dinner is served!!!

Cody and I were watching ratatouille the other day (his new favorite show next to “good dinosaur”), and I got to thinking its like a fancy version of stir fry but how does it actually taste? the mean critic guy seemed to really like…. yes, I know it’s a movie. So Cody and I hit the cook books looking for a good recipe and settled on this one.

Roasted Ratatouille

• 1lb plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 4 large cloves of garlic
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and cut crosswise into slices 1/4″ thick
• 1 small eggplant, trimmed and cut into 1″ chunks
• 1 small zucchini, trimmed and cut crosswise into slices 1/2″ thick
• 1 small yellow crookneck squash. trimmed and cut crosswise into 1/2″ thick slices
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 1/2 inch squares
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil
• sea salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup finely shredded fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme

preheat the oven to 425*F

combine the tomatoes, garlic, onion, eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash, and bell pepper in a large bowl. Drizzle in olive oil, sprinkle generously with salt, and toss to coat.transfer the vegetable to a large rimmed baking sheet and spread in an even single layer.

Roast the vegetables, stirring once or twice, for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the basil and thyme. Continue to roast, again stirring once or twice, until the biggest pieces are tender when pierce with a fork, 5-10 minutes longer. remove the vegetables from the oven and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the ratatouille to a bowl, warm or at room temperature.

makes 6-8 servings

Happy almost 4th of July everyone! I’m so excited for fireworks this year and our annual family get together/picnic feast. (but to be honest it’s just my dad-in-laws potato salad that I want.) This weeks basket gave me some awesome ideas of what I’m going to bring this year. Its like the ultimate salsa basket (minus the cilantro) for either a traditional salsa or a peach salsa, aaarrrgggg the choices! then there is all the ingredients for some awesome stir fry too. I’ll post that recipe later.

Time to tell you what you get this week in you basket:

• Carrots
• Onion
• Apricots
• Plums
• Peppers
• Basil
• Squash
• Cucumber
• Tomatoes
• Hard-neck Belarus garlic
• Very small peaches, but you saved my tree by taking them!

p.s. we would love your feedback on what you like or dont like about the baskets so week can make them even more awesome!

p.s.s. they are also ready for pick up now!

We are finished with shares today if anyone would like to pick up early!  We have been trying to beat the heat…….the nice balmy 108 degrees!   

This week the cucumbers took off and found their way into the baskets along with summer squash, tomatoes, small head of cabbage, yellow plums, apricots, delicious fresh potatoes, garlic, small bag of lettuce and microgreens.

Enjoy your fresh produce!  And remember if there is ever anything you don’t want or won’t use, leave it behind and we will pass it alone to some who is in need!  

Stay cool……. Sigh

Please bring back the little plastic containers we put your berries, currants and other small produce in!  We wash and reuse these little guys for the next shares in line.  Thanks

What a wonderful, crazy loud, couple thunderstorms we had this week. I don’t know about you guys, but they were loud enough at our house to rattle the pictures on the walls! Thankfully little Cody sleeps like the dead and didn’t wake up for any of them! Also it seems to make the garden a little more green and perked up after lots of lighting. Crazy sounding I know, but next time take a before and after picture and you will see what I’m talking about.

Speaking of the garden, lets see what we have in you basket this week: apricots, shallots, red onion, cherry tomatos, big tomato, thyme sprig, pluots, celery, carrots, bag of lettuce, summer squash, peppers, garlic head, blackberry, currants, micro greens, and a red bloom.

With the currants its best to use them fairly soon, they are fantastic on ice cream, oatmeal, yogurt, or dried and used in trail mix, in cookies or muffins.

This buttermilk-based sherbet tastes like decadent ice cream, but is a lot lower in fat, and get an antioxidant boost from the blackberries. It’s an outstanding source of fiber, calcium, and potassium. And it’s just plain hot, so whats better than something cold that’s good for you?

Use either fresh or frozen blackberries in this recipe. If using frozen, buy ones without added sugar, and thaw them  before using, reserving the juice.

• 2 1/2 cups blackberries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1. in a blender or food processor, whirl blackberries (along with any juices from thawed berries) until smooth. Pour puree into fine mesh strainer set over bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much puree as possible (you should have about 1 cup of puree) discard solids.
2. add sugar and whisk until dissolved. whisk in buttermilk and lemon juice.
3. freeze mixture in an ice-cream maker according to manufactures instructions. transfer to an airtight container and freeze until firm enough to scoop. 4-6 hours.
4. if you don’t have an ice-cream maker you can put it into a 9×9 pan and freeze until the edges start to freeze, stir and freeze until firm, just before serving transfer to a food processor; process 1-2 minutes or until smooth.

Wondering how and what to do with those large pods that look like a bean that you got in your shares today?  

They are a little work, but so worth it!  Shell the beans,  then toss them into boiling water for about 2-3 minutes.  Drain and let cool slightly or set them in an ice water bath to cool quickly.  Now for the “double Peel”.  Remove the skin that surrounds the bean.  Using a knife to pierce the skin encasing makes it a little quicker.  The inner bean will slip out.  

Toss these beans in salads, pasta dishes or vegetarian dishes.  Good cold or warm.

If you don’t have time to deal with these beans right away, keep them in a loosely sealed plastic bag in the crisper of your refrigerator, but no more than five days.  

Fava beans are low in fat and high in protein.  They are also a good source of fiber, vitamin A, C, potassium, and iron.  Those with Favism (a rare hereditary disease) should avoid fava beans. 

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat white flour
• 1 1/2 Tbs. baking powder
• Generous pinch kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups shredded Tuscan kale
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or full fat)
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. and grease a loaf pan with baking spray or line with parchment paper.
2. Combine the flours, baking powder,salt, pepper, kale, and feta in a large bowl.
3. Whisk together the eggs, olive oil, yogurt, and milk in another bowl.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together until just combined. transfer the batter into loaf pans. sprinkle the chopped walnuts on top, if using.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean and edges start to brown. let sit for 10 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.

1 loaf will serve 12

WOW! it has been a very hot week with not much motivation to be outside in the garden or outside in general. But because we love what we do, we still go out and do it, also there is the promise of some of the first ripe tomatoes on the vine if we do go out, always a plus! Which brings us to this weeks basket and all the happiness it contains. You will find apricots, beets, fava beans, garlic, kale, mixed potatoes, an onion, pie cherries, and pluots. So many possibilities for so  many recipes and we would love to hear from you what your favorite ones are. Either bring your recipe to us and we will post it with your name or post a comment to our blog.

On some of the produce you will be getting this week there are a coupling things that need to be mentioned.

1. there will be a later post on the fava beans on how to double shell them.
2. if you don’t want the pie cherries please don’t take them. they are a royal pain to pick and we will gladly use them.
3. use the potatoes fairly soon because they are “NEW” potatoes and wont keep for very long.
4. also the solid purple potatoes (yes they are dark purple all the way through and yes they are normal) are better used as mashed potatoes instead of baked. learn from my mistake.

This is basic recipe that is great served on cooked fish, chicken, meat, and steamed vegetables. Pretty easy to make and only requires minimum ingredients to which is plus.

what you will need:

• 2/3 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
• finely grated lemon zest
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

( see pretty minimum for big flavor)

In a small bowl, stir everything together

A little side note about garlic

“using raw garlic provides the most nutritional benefits, including anti-inflamitory, antibacterial, and antimicrobial powers. let chopped garlic stand for about 10 minutes to increase its powers and offset the heat of cooking, which diminishes them. Adding garlic later in cooking also helps retain its nutritional benefits.” Dana Jacobi, good for you cookbook