Month: August 2022

Surprising Abundance
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Surprising Abundance

It is that time of year again. We are surprised by the abundance of produce, and the rate at which it is maturing. Once we remember that it is the end of August, it seems somewhat logical. Each growing season is different, and therefore creates outcomes that don’t always align with the previous year.

I know it can feel overwhelming. I encourage you to preserve this food. Freeze it, dry it or can it. This will not only help you with your pocketbook. It will also help make your meals simpler and faster during the craziness of the school year. Plus, it is always fun to pull out preserved garden produce for a hearty soup or hot dish in the cold of winter.

We are blessed to have this abundance and so if it is to much to consider the preservation. I bet it would make a neighbor or coworkers day to share it with them. Enjoy! The growing season will be over before we know it.

Garden Science

While many think of bees when discussing pollinators, butterflies also are an important pollinator.

Learn more about pollinators here.

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce – One of my favorite garden crops. Some of the crops are ran under cold well water to take the field heat off of them so they last longer in your refrigerators. They are not washed – just cooled. So remember to wash your vegetables before eating.
Black Seeded Simpson and Oak Leaf Lettuce freshly cut each Wednesday. The cool thing about this crop is the leaves grow back.
Spinach can be harvested many times from the same crop. You cut the leaves off of the plant, and they grow back. So we get several harvests from one planting.

Spinach/Black Seeded Simpson/Red Oak Leaf Mix – You will notice that there has been insect pressure on the spinach eating small holes in some of the leaves after we received the rain.

Green Beans – The first crop of green beans are done. Another round will be upon us in a few weeks. Think about ways to preserve them so your family can enjoy them this winter. Check out these resources for freezing or canning.

Super Sugar Snap Peas

Super Sugar Snap Peas – Our last round of peas are ready for harvest. Enjoy!

Carrots – The carrot crop is looking good. It is so interesting to see how the root vegetables have been adapting to grow deeper to reach moisture. You may notice a few carrots where the potato fork may have broken them off in digging. Learn how we get baby carrots in the grocery store on America’s Heartland.

Dark Red Beets – Some of our shareholders like to cut these up and eat these raw in their salads. I enjoy cooking them, peeling off the skin and putting a little bit of butter on them. This is an interesting resource from NDSU Extension.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers have kicked production into high gear. Let us know if you would like to make pickles and would like dill. Here is a recipe from Pioneer Woman.

It is that time of year again. We are surprised by the abundance of produce, and the rate at which it is maturing. Once we remember that it is the end of August, it seems somewhat logical. Each growing season is different, and therefore creates outcomes that don’t always align with the previous year.
Kennebec Potatoes

Potatoes – Kennebecs this week make great baked potatoes!

Sun Gold Hybrid

Tomatoes – Fourth of July and Sun Gold Hybrid cherry tomatoes this week. Let us know if you would like some for canning.

Peppers – A variety from sweet to mild to hot!

Eggplant – Learn how to use this vegetable here.

Purple Cabbage – Martha Stewart’s favorite recipes here.

Zucchini – So many wonderful ways to use Zucchini. Try this pasta primavera recipe from Martha Stewart.

Summer Squash – Check out these recipes from Farm Flavor.

Fresh cut arrangement – Sunflowers and Zinnias.

Recipe of the Week

Simple Coleslaw

6 cups shredded cabbage (from about 1/2 head), a mix of red and green, if desired

2 cups julienned carrots (from about 4 medium carrots)

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

In a bowl, toss together cabbage, carrots, mayonnaise, mustard, and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 1 day.

Source: Martha Stewart

Grateful
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Grateful

It’s that time of year when surprises appear in the garden. These surprises wouldn’t be possible if we hadn’t been blessed with some timely rains. We are extremely fortunate to have received them, and therefore, we feel grateful.

We are seeing watermelon, muskmelon, winter squash and pumpkins peaking through the canopy of leaves. In some ways, it has us excited for harvesting them, and in other ways, it has us feeling sad that it is a sign that summer is coming to a close sooner than we would like it too. Either way, we view all these things with a deep since of gratitude for all it takes to produce the bounty.

“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”
—William Arthur Ward

It is so exciting to se what is growing under the leaves.
Butternut squash

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Spinach/Black Seeded Simpson Mix – You will notice that there has been insect pressure on the spinach eating small holes in some of the leaves after we received the rain.

Jade Green Beans

Green Beans – The first crop of green beans are done. Another round will be upon us in a few weeks. Think about ways to preserve them so your family can enjoy them this winter. Check out these resources for freezing or canning.

Carrots

Carrots – The carrot crop is looking good. It is so interesting to see how the root vegetables have been adapting to grow deeper to reach moisture. Learn how we get baby carrots in the grocery store on America’s Heartland.

Dark Red Beets – Some of our shareholders like to cut these up and eat these raw in their salads. I enjoy cooking them, peeling off the skin and putting a little bit of butter on them. This is an interesting resource from NDSU Extension.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers have kicked production into high gear. Let us know if you would like to make pickles and would like dill. Here is a recipe from Pioneer Woman.

It’s that time of year when surprises appear in the garden. These surprises wouldn’t be possible if we hadn’t been blessed with some timely rains. We are extremely fortunate to have received them, and therefore, we feel grateful.
Purple Onion

Purple onions – I always cut my onions up and freeze them so it speeds up meal preparation.

Potatoes – Red Norland potatoes are good as boiled or mashed potatoes. Learn more about how potatoes are grown here.

Fourth of July Tomatoes
Sun Gold Hybrid Tomato
Napa Grape Hybrid Tomato

Tomatoes – Fourth of July and Sun Gold Hybrid cherry tomatoes this week.

Peppers – A variety from sweet to mild to hot!

Eggplant and peppers

Eggplant – Learn how to use this vegetable here.

Sweet Corn – Thank you to our neighbors Far-Gaze Farms for this week’s sweet corn.

Zucchini – So many wonderful ways to use Zucchini. Try this pasta primavera recipe from Martha Stewart.

Summer Squash – Check out these recipes from Farm Flavor.

Fresh cut arrangement – Sunflowers and Zinnias.

Zinnia
Sunflower

Recipe of the Week

Yellow Summer Squash Soup

1 large sweet onions, chopped

1 small leek (white portion only), chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

3 medium yellow summer squash, seeded and cubed (about 3 cups)

2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 fresh thyme sprigs

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

dash teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and leek; cook and stir until crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Add squash; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in broth, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until squash is tender, 15-20 minutes.

2. Discard thyme sprigs. Cool slightly. In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to the pan. Stir in lemon juice and hot pepper sauce; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and lemon zest.

Note: I cut this recipe in 1/2 for 4 servings. A size I thought is good to go with a sandwich or to try.

Source: Taste of Home

Soak up the Moments
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Soak up the Moments

Life passes us by so quickly. So many times in the rush of life, we forget to sit back and tell ourselves to soak it all in. Remember this moment. There are so many times this summer where I have stepped back and did exactly that. Primarily, it has been after Sam has begged me to go fishing for yet another day.

There have been other moments like watching the boys play baseball to watching them have the fair in person and showing their pigs to watching the sunset. Even the moments working outside together like our 20 min power break weeding sessions with timer and music in hand or simply good conversation.

I encourage you to take time, soak in those precious moments with those around you, be present and take those snapshots in your mind to hold close to your heart.

“Therefore, do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” Matthew 6:34

Garden Science

Squash bugs primarily attack squash and pumpkins, although they can also attack other plants in the cucurbit family, such as cucumbers.
Squash bugs are appearing in great numbers. We will be monitoring them and whether we will need to an insecticide to control them from damaging the pumpkins and squash.

Learn more about squash bugs from the University of Minnesota Extension.

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Spinach/Black Seeded Simpson Mix – The rain really helped with both the insect pressure and overall growth.

Green Beans – The first crop of green beans are nearing the end. I’d encourage you to consider freezing or canning some for this fall. Let us know if you need some dill to make green bean pickles.

Dragon Tongue Beans

Dragon Tongue Beans – The Dragon Tongue bean can be utilized at multiple stages of maturity. When harvested young the entire bean, shell and seeds are edible. When cooked, the bean will lose its variegated colors. If allowed to mature fully the stripes on the bean will turn to a deep red color and the internal seeds of the bean pod can be shelled and used as is or left in their pods to dry then used as a dried bean.

Carrots – The carrot crop is plentiful. It is so interesting to see how the root vegetables have been adapting to grow deeper to reach moisture. Learn how we get baby carrots in the grocery store on America’s Heartland.

Eggplant – Boy is this a bountiful crop this year. Let us know if you like eggplant!

Dark Red Beets – Some of our shareholders like to cut these up and eat these raw in their salads. I peeled off the skin before cooking them this week and that worked well. Learn more about their nutrition here.

Cucumbers
Did you know that when we harvest cucumbers that they have small spikes on them? Cucumbers may have become spiny for the same reason that some animals are camouflaged or have horns…to protect themselves from predators.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers have kicked production into high gear. Let us know if you would like to make pickles. We do have dill that you could use. Here’s an interesting link on their nutritional value.

Potatoes – Red Norland potatoes are good as boiled or mashed potatoes.

Tomatoes – Fourth of July and the cherry tomatoes are Napa grape and Sun Gold Hybrid.

Zucchini –So many wonderful ways to use Zucchini. Try this zucchini mock apple pie square recipe.

Summer Squash – I had completely forgot about Summer Squash soup…another great way to use this vegetable. Check out the recipe below.

Fresh cut arrangement – Sunflowers and Zinnia.

Recipe of the Week

Yellow Summer Squash Soup

2 large sweet onions, chopped

1 medium leek (white portion only), chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

6 medium yellow summer squash, seeded and cubed (about 6 cups)

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

4 fresh thyme sprigs

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1 tablespoon shredded Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1. In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and leek; cook and stir until crisp-tender, 5 minutes. Add squash; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Stir in broth, thyme and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until squash is tender, 15-20 minutes.

2. Discard thyme sprigs. Cool slightly. In a blender, process soup in batches until smooth. Return all to the pan. Stir in lemon juice and hot pepper sauce; heat through. Sprinkle each serving with cheese and lemon zest.

Source: Taste of Home

Another Zucchini?
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Another Zucchini?

I was tossing and turning last night dreaming of digging myself out of a pile of zucchini and patty pan summer squash. You too may have very well found yourself in a similar situation or looked in your box and sighed at the sight of another zucchini and summer squash.

Maybe you were even thinking, hmmm, how can I use this to keep my teenagers in line? I’m here to tell you they work well to keep a teenager in line/throw them off guard. Hence, why the boys may hear me yell, “Hut, hut!” or “Go long.” “Heads up!” Yes, zucchini and summer squash can provide some good entertainment.

Sunburst Hybrid Yellow Summer Squash and Fordhook Zucchini

At this time of year, it gets to the point where some may feel like you can’t even give zucchini away! Perhaps you have thought about gifting the zucchini to a neighbor at night. It kind of reminds me of fruit cake at Christmas. I’m here to say, reconsider the zucchini.

One night, the subject of “What is the big deal about zucchini?” came up at the supper table. So we Googled it and found a few resources that speak to the nutritional value of zucchini including WebMD and LiveStrong. I particularly liked how this vegetable has a lot of vitamins, helps to protect my eyes, my skin, weight, heart, possible cancer reducing properties, aids in digestion and more.

So, I figured I needed to find more ways to use this. I feel like they could make some comedy video on my discussions with people about how they use zucchini and summer squash. I do like what I have found on the Taste of Home, Martha Stewart and more.

This week we tried a hotdish that was a success and dessert with zucchini fudge brownies. Yes, the hotdish recipe was a discussion I had while watching one of the boy’s baseball games.

So give it another try. Provide some additional healthy options for your family. Next time I see you, just be prepared if I yell, “go long” just because moms can have fun too.

Boxes of Produce

This list is prepared before we harvest your share. Some guesswork is involved! We do our best to predict which crops will be ready to harvest, but sometimes crops are on the list that are not in the share, and sometimes crops will be in the share even though they’re not on the list. Remember food safety in your kitchen when preparing, always wash your hands before working with your produce and always wash your produce before eating.

Spinach/Red Oak Lettuce/Black Seeded Simpson Mix – The dry weather has put pressure on the crops that were planted in mid-June and early July. We are grateful for the rain we received this week. You will notice that there has been insect pressure on the spinach eating small holes in some of the leaves.

Green Beans – The green beans are plentiful. I’d encourage you to consider freezing or canning some for this fall. Here are a few recipes from Martha Stewart.

Dragon Tongue Beans

Dragon Tongue Beans – The Dragon Tongue bean can be utilized at multiple stages of maturity. When harvested young the entire bean, shell and seeds are edible. When cooked, the bean will lose its variegated colors. If allowed to mature fully the stripes on the bean will turn to a deep red color and the internal seeds of the bean pod can be shelled and used as is or left in their pods to dry then used as a dried bean.

Carrots – The carrot crop is progressing. It is so interesting to see how the root vegetables have been adapting to grow deeper to reach moisture. Learn how we get baby carrots in the grocery store on America’s Heartland.

Radishes – This crop has been long-lasting this year. Wash, cut off the tops and also the bottoms, slice and enjoy in salads or put in hot dishes. Some enjoy dipping in salt. Some radish recipes from Martha Stewart.

Dark Red Beets – Some of our shareholders like to cut these up and eat these raw in their salads. I peeled off the skin before cooking them this week and that worked well. This is an interesting resource from NDSU Extension.

Cucumbers – The cucumbers have kicked production into high gear. Let us know if you would like to make pickles. We do have dill that you could use.

Red Norland
Kennebec

Potatoes – Red Norland potatoes are good as boiled or mashed potatoes. The brown-skinned potatoes are Kennebecs. Learn more about how potatoes are grown here.

Fourth of July Tomatoes

Tomatoes – Fourth of July and Sun Gold Hybrid cherry tomatoes this week.

Sunburst Hybrid Summer Squash – butter yellow scallop-type squash.

Zucchini –So many wonderful ways to use Zucchini. Try this pasta primavera recipe from Martha Stewart.

Fresh cut arrangement – Sunflowers and Zinnia.

Recipe of the Week

I used Sunburst Hybrid summer squash.

Spanish Style Squash Hotdish

Source: Farm Journal and from the kitchen of Mary Jo Patzer mother of one of our shareholders Laura Eschen. Thank you for sharing!

1 pound ground beef

1/3 cup chopped onion

5 cups Zucchini sliced (I used summer squash and used the slicing/chipping option in my salad shooter)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon garlic salt

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1/16 teaspoon pepper

8-ounce tomato sauce

12 oz mexi-corn or corn and peppers diced

Top with mozzarella cheese

Saute ground beef and onion. Add squash and seasonings. Cook over medium heat 3-5 minutes. Add tomato sauce and corn. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover. Simmer 10 minutes or until squash is tender. Top with cheese. Serve after the cheese has melted. Serves six.