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

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.

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 – 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.

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.

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

Peppers – A variety from sweet to mild to hot!

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.

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