Boy, we needed this rain! Even though we all love a string of hot dry days in the summer so we can get out and enjoy the sun, when you garden for love or a living all of your best laid plans and crops can be laid waste by a few weeks without water. There’s a popular country music song right now called “Rain Is a Good Thing” which captures some of what farm boys feel about it (lots of which has nothing to do with plants!) but the video is really adorable and has some wonderful footage of old farmers talking about rain. Sort of like a very modern take on a Wendell Berry poem.

Though we do our best to keep up on the irrigation, which on our place means switching hoses to different sprinklers every few hours all day long, the stress of heat without moisture is tough on plants – we’ve been watching our pumpkin leaves curl up and some of the longer tomato fruits dry up and rot on their blossom ends. We didn’t love harvesting in the rain, but there is no way we could have dug the potatoes without it – they were stuck tight in the ground, and so we ran out and got them directly after yesterday’s morning downpour.

New Potatoes – We’ve got more delicious Red Gold potatoes with some Adirondack Reds. These waxy type potatoes are just perfect for boiling and using in warm and cold salads. Use a simple dressing so you can enjoy the flavor of these special heirlooms.

Zucchini and Summer Squash – So early, so big! We usually put large zucchinis in the box toward the end of the season when we’re not picking as much, but these are growing at a rapid rate and we all get to enjoy bread and cake now! We are growing green, black and white zucchini as well as yellow crookneck squash both smooth and bumpy. You might have any of these. These skins are a bit firm to saute, but the flesh is tasty and tender for grilling, pan frying or grating into baked goods. Try the recipe below for a traditional Stuffed English Marrow.

Green Tomatoes – We have so much fruit on the tomato vines that a lot is actually sitting on the mulch where it might rot before ripening, so we thought we’d harvest those and you can have Southern Fried Green Tomatoes. We had them last night and we just couldn’t stop eating them!

Red Tomatoes – Yippee! The market farmers in my area estimate that tomato season has arrived nearly a month early this year. We are so thankful for the health of the vines after last year’s total loss to late blight. I suppose it could still turn up, but we’ll enjoy what we can until it does! You’ve got a mix of various heirlooms here – the first to ripen in the rows was Red Zebra – the little stripey guys. These low-acid beauties are all sweet. You’ve also got some bigger reds.

String Beans – Yum, yum, yum! These are so tasty and tender we’ve just been lightly sauteing them in olive oil, then adding a bit of vinegar and salt when serving. If you cover the skillet, the beans will also get steamed and cook faster.

Broccoli – We’re still cutting side shoots off the plants, and you’ll find these to be tender all the way down the stalk. Don’t throw anything out! Chop heads, leaves and stalks and steam lightly for a uber-healthy treat.

Arugula – We feel so lucky to have this still growing in the shade of the potatoes. Usually arugula bolts for us in late spring, but the combination of the variety and the conditions in the garden are just right this year. One of our workshare members confessed this week she still has no idea what to do with it – so I made her a pizza with it on top and I think I won her over. DO TRY arugula on pizza – just rinse and put the whole leaves all over the top before you bake it. Cover the whole thing, the leaves will shrink as they bake. Otherwise – try the recipe at this link. Or add it to the basil for a kick-butt pesto.

Swiss Chard – We keep picking these leaves when they are small so they are staying really tender. Such a wonderful treat to have sweet greens in the heat of summer. One of our members told us she fried the chopped chard up in butter and added it to cottage cheese for breakfast. Sounds good!

Baby Kale – We usually save kale for the fall boxes, but our good gardening friend Bryan told us last summer about having Kale Chips at a picnic. We were so intrigued we planted the kale earlier this year so you could serve this amazing treat at your picnics! See this link for a full description. But basically, all you’ll do is preheat your oven to 400, rinse the kale, cut it into 1 1/2 inch strips (discarding stems) toss it well in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a teaspoon of rice wine vinegar, lay on a parchment covered baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then roast for 5 minutes, flip and roast another 5 minutes. Then allow to cool and eat.

Basil – Pesto season is here and we just couldn’t be happier! A few farm workers recently told us basil tea is an aphrodisiac. Hm. Well, we don’t know about that but we certainly feel euphoric when eating pasta slathered in pesto!

Herb Bouquet: Parsley, Chocolate Mint, Oregano, Lime Thyme, Sage, Chives, Peppermint, Dill Flowers. Probably the only herbs you won’t be familiar with in this bouquet is the Peppermint – the leaves are rounder and fuzzier than the Chocolate mint, and you’ll be able to smell the difference, too. There are literally hundreds of mints, and we grow at least four on our farm at any given time – what they all have in common is a square stem, which is pretty cool if you check it out. The Lime Thyme is also pretty special – the tiny little leaves are super bright green and they are quite a bit spicier and hotter than typical thyme. Use sparingly in egg, squash, tomato and pork dishes. Amazing!

Flower Bouquet: Butterfly bush blossoms are so amazingly fragrant, I’ve become addicted to their scent these past few weeks. We hope that when you open your boxes that the smell envelopes you and fills your whole kitchen. This is probably the last time we’ll harvest these, since their season is about through, and we’ll really miss them. You’ve also got pretty white liatrus and some fun native sedges.

Fried Green Tomatoes
4 green tomatoes, or whatever you’ve got
2 eggs
1/2 C. milk
1 C. flour
1/2 C. cornmeal
1/2 C. breadcrumbs or crushed crackers
2 tsp. coarse kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
Vegetable oil for frying

Wash and slice tomatoes between 1/4 and 1/2 inch thick. Mix eggs and milk thoroughly in a medium deep bowl. Measure flour on to a plate. Mix cornmeal, breadcrumbs, salt and pepper in a pie pan. In a large skillet, heat about 1 inch of oil on medium-high. Dip tomatoes in flour, both sides, then in egg/milk mixture, then in cornmeal/bread mixture. Place tomatoes in frying pan 4 or so slices at a time, so they don’t touch. When browned, flip and fry other side. Remove and drain on paper towels. Do not use the ends. Serve with sea salt, ketchup or mayo to dip.

Circle M Basic Pesto
Basil – as much as you’ve got
Olive Oil
Walnuts
Garlic
Shaved Parmesan Cheese
Lemon Juice

If you’ve ever been out to the farm during a meal, you already know how I cook, so you’ll understand this recipe quite well. “Pesto” comes from the same root as mortar and pestle, so it really can be just any few greens or herbs mashed up together with olive oil. We use a food processor here but otherwise follow that basic idea. Wash basil gently then pick leaves off and throw in a food processor. The smaller stems are fine to use. We don’t like to waste any basil! Add the washed leaves of any other herb or green you are in the mood for – arugula, chickweed, spinach and lemon balm have all been used in my kitchen. Add a few cloves of garlic – just peeled. Add a cup or so of walnuts, a 1/2 cup or so of Parmesan cheese, a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Blend. Add more olive oil to create the consistency you want – thick for a sandwich spread, thin for a pasta sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

English Stuffed Marrow
In England, small summer squash and zucchini are called courgettes, while larger squash are called marrows. This is a wonderful, hearty way to take advantage of a zucchini that’s grown too big to just slice and saute.

A good sized marrow
¾ lb good quality sausage meat. A cheaper, and lower fat, option is to use sausage meat mixed with cooked lentils.
Two medium sized onions
Cooking oil
A bay leaf
Sage, 1 level teaspoon of dried herb or six leaves of fresh sage.
Salt and pepper

Preheat your oven to 425°F. Chop the onion and gently fry until slightly brown with the bay leaf. Meanwhile, slice the marrow into six 2 inch slices, and hollow out the soft core of seeds from each slice with a knife. Discard. Lightly grease an oven dish, and lay the slices of marrow in it. Chop the sage if fresh. Mix the sausage meat , cooked onion (discarding the bay leaf), sage, salt and pepper with a spoon in a bowl. With clean hands and a tablespoon, fill the core of each slice of marrow with the sausage meat mix so that the mix bulges a little from the top of the slice of marrow. Roast for one hour, reducing the oven temperature to 375°F after half an hour. Baste two or three times during cooking; a low calorie cooking oil spray is ideal to keep the dish moist without adding excess calories. Serve with a buttered baked potato and summer vegetables and good gravy, such as this simple recipe.

Simple Gravy Recipe
Mix a little meat stock, or instant bouillon/stock, with two tablespoons of plain white flour and mix to a paste. Add a cup of bouillon liquid and whisk hard with a fork or whisk until the mixture is smooth. Heat the mix in a small pan over a low heat, stirring constantly. When the mixture simmers, take care to mix vigorously to avoid lumps; the gravy will gradually thicken. Boil through thouroughly for two minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste, remembering that many bouillon or stock mixes are already heavily salted. Pour over the piping hot, stuffed marrow.