As I stood at my kitchen counter cutting up this huge beet and some kohlrabi, I was reminded of why I enjoy gardening. You see, I am one of those people who always wants to maximize my time and organize it to live life to the fullest. Yet a book I read/listened to (audible book) recently, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry,” provided me time to reflect on how that isn’t always the healthiest way to live life.
Take a look at this huge red beet harvested today.
The book stressed the importance of taking the time to take in what is around us, reflect on moments that were occurring or had occurred and appreciate the world around us. Whether time was specifically set aside, or we recognize time given to us such as moments waiting in lines as a time to pause and be grateful.
So back to the kohlrabi and beet, gardening forces me to slow down and enjoy the world around me. It provides the opportunity to see these amazing wonders that God provides every day. Because I am out working outside, I see the miracle of seeds sprouting and growing to plants being pollinated to create beautiful pumpkins, delicious vegetables and fruits, the amazing sunrises and sunsets and amazing insects and wild animals/birds in Creation. It also forces me to take time to peel a beautiful beet and see the amazing rich, vibrant color patterns.
I challenge you to recognize whatever rush or hurry is in your life and find time to try to eliminate or decrease that hurry so that you can take time to enjoy the wonderful gifts provided around us.
Garden Science
Insects, insects every where including this green tomato worm.
Tomato Hornworm learn more from the University of Minnesota Extension.
-Tomato hornworms are very large caterpillars with a horn-like tail.
-Their favorite plant is tomato.
-Hornworms chew leaves and can completely defoliate plants.
-They can also chew holes in the fruit.
-Physical removal is usually the only necessary management.
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.
Green Beans – Like the lettuce, this crop really took a jump in reaching maturity after a drink of water from Mother Nature. We have more if you are interested in freezing or canning some. Let us know if you need some dill to make green bean pickles.
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.
Black Seeded Simpson can be harvested for several weeks.
Black Seeded Simpson Mix – The rain we had last week really helped give this crop a boost.
Broccoli – This may be the last taste of this vegetable for the season.
Cucmbers – there is dill and cucumbers for canning for those interested.
Cucumbers – The cucumbers are having a wacky growing cycle with our drought. They loved the rain, and we have a flush of new cucumbers. Plenty for canning. Here’s an interesting link on their nutritional value.
Purple Kohlrabi – love the color.
Kohlrabi – I simply eat these peeled and cut up like an apple with some peanut butter. Here are some recipe ideas and additional information on this vegetable from Taste of Home.
Peppers – Holy Sweet Peppers. We have many! Let us know if you need more next week for making stuffed peppers or other dishes. Here are some pepper recipe ideas from Martha Stewart.
Potatoes – Kennebec and a few Red Norlands are in your box this week. Learn more here.
We enjoyed cutting the radishes up and using them in a saute with onions and peppers to place on top of sandwiches or other meals. We loved them this way.
Radishes – While this is a young new crop, it did grow through the 100 degree week. So watch out for holy hotness. Here are some radish recipes from Martha Stewart.
Summer Squash – I bet your trying to figure out how to use this squash. Here are some ideas from Pioneer Woman. Also check out the hotdish recipe below.
Super Sugar Snap Peas – Yum! Eat these raw in the pods, dip in Ranch dressing or use in stir fry. One of our favorite summer vegetables is in your boxes this week.
Extra sweet corn after a meal: What we don’t eat, we simply cut off. We us a bundt pan to catch all of the corn. We then place it in a Ziploc bag that has been labeled and dated and place in the freezer to use this winter.
Sweet Corn – Thank you to our neighbors FarGaze Farms for this weeks sweet corn.
Tomatoes – The tomatoes loved the rain. In your boxes this week are Napa Valley cherry tomatoes, Sun Gold cherry tomatoes and 4th of July tomatoes.
Zucchini –So many wonderful ways to use Zucchini. Try this zucchini mock apple pie square recipe.
Hydrangeas, Sunflowers and Rudebeckia
Fresh cut arrangement – Sunflowers, Rudebeckia, Hydrangeas and Zinnia.
Recipe of the Week
Spanish Style Squash Hotdish
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.
Source: Farm Journal and from the kitchen of Mary Jo Patzer. Thank you for sharing!
