Harvest Notes - Week 8

Cauliflower This may be our only cauliflower harvest- depending on how the others size up.

Broccoli This is likely the last of the broccoli for the summer. Enjoy!

Eggplant We have plenty more eggplant coming this summer so get creative with variations on eggplant parmesan, braised eggplant, baba ganoush, stir-fries, curries, or your favorite eggplant dish.

Green Beans Truly fresh green beans are a whole different ball game than anything found in a stiff plastic bag at the grocery store, much less the freezer or canned good section. They are delicious raw, snacked on like sugar snap peas, or lightly steamed. I also like to sear them on the grill.

Basil The basil plants are on their way out so there may only be one more week of it, if that.

Tomatoes We grow a number of varieties of tomatoes- red, orange, dark purple/almost black, yellow, and pink. They each taste a little different. Never store tomatoes in the fridge unless you really want to stop them from ripening for a few days- just know that they’ll lose some of their flavor at cold temperatures. Plenty more to come of these for the next month!

Cucumber Lots of cultures in hot places have a recipe that is a variation on cucumber and yogurt to cool down spicy food on hot days. Persian cucumber yogurt (mast-o khiar) includes rosewater and walnuts. Indian raita includes onions and cumin. Greek Tzatziki includes fresh garlic and dill or mint. This would also be a good week for gazpacho- blending tomato, olive oil, garlic onion cucumber, green pepper salt and vinegar- blended for a long time.

Summer Squash They sure do keep coming! Try making summer squash chips- cut them VERY thin and coat with olive oil, salt, and garlic powder. Spread them out very well so none are touching and cook in the oven at 350 until fully dry.

Scallions These alliums can substitute onions in many dishes. The white and green parts are both delicious- just cut off the roots and they’re ready.

Whats Missing This Summer? You may have noticed the conspicuous absence of a very important vegetable so far this summer- garlic. I’m sorry to say that our crop contracted a garlic disease called Bloat Nematode and won’t have much, if any to distribute this season.