In Your Share (August 4th edition)

IMG_0970The lowly zucchini has so much more appeal when called a courgette! Call it what you will, I came to appreciate summer squash in a whole new way the summer I discovered Lu Lu’s Provencal Table. The cookbook is at least 20 years old and the recipes are french classics – some preparations are impossibly elaborate, but many others are simple and straightforward. The Ratatouille is one of my favorites and a great way to use the many of the veggies in your share this week.

Hope you have had a chance to dig into the specially designated CSA site at Cook With What You Have. Katherine has some great ideas & recipes for all the good stuff in your share this week. Just look along the right hand column of her site and click on your favorite veggies to see all the recipes available.  Check your email for the password to access the site. Hope you’re enjoying your 24/7 access to recipe inspiration!

This week your share may include…

  • Basil: Nice little bunches of Genovese basil – perfect for a quick caprese salad or small batch of pesto!
  • Cabbage: I’ve been craving summer slaw – make it the old fashioned way, with a lemon vinaigrette or  with an asian flair – no matter how you slice it this tender crunchy cabbage makes a super salad.
  • Cucumbers: So sweet & crunchy!! If you have extras – try my Mom’s Bread & Butter Quick Pickle recipe. It’s especially good with some sweet onions in the mix too!
  • Eggplant: The long thin asian eggplant are just as flavorful as the Italian and far more productive. They make tasty little coins when roasted or add them to the Ratatouille I mentioned above.
  • Lettuce: Love these summer crisp lettuce heads, aka Batavian crisp – their beautiful whorled green leaves are sometimes streaked with red and  always stay tender and tasty – even in the peak of summer.
  • Sweet Onions: This is the classic Walla Walla style sweet onion- big, thick and juicy. Nice in salad or salsa or you could always make onions rings!
  • Potatoes: Thin skinned yellow Nicola potatoes – try them steamed or boiled.
  • Sumer Squash: As you can see from the photo above, you’ll have many different shapes, colors and sizes to choose from. The smaller ones are nice roasted whole, chop larger ones up and sautee them, or grate some and make fritters. There were a few larger ones in the share this week – perfect for zucchini bread.
  • Tomatoes: Our first tomatoes of the season!!

Coming soon…  More Tomatoes!!