Week #14, Is that mud??

Farm News

Have you heard about this stuff called … mud?  We rediscovered it on Monday, during the first all-day rain of the year.  We had to get the rain gear out of storage.  That’s pretty crazy; it’s August.  We are happy to get the rain – it has been a very droughty season here.

The irrigator is parked, at least for now.  

We said good-by to longterm employee Karen.  
After ten years working for us, she’s returning to school to become a registered nurse.  Karen is great, up for any challenge and friends with all her coworkers.  We will miss her energy and deep Tipi experience.  She lives across the road so this is not a formal goodbye.

Gorgeous corn.
This is a beautiful batch of sweet corn.  It’s the ‘Vision’ variety again.  You know you can eat raw corn, right?  That’s how we celebrate the end of each sweet corn harvest. It is amazing straight from the plant.

Corn smut.
Here’s a twist.  If you find large black kernels in your sweet corn, it is a naturally occurring fungus called corn smut.  Known in Mexico as huitlacoche, it’s a delicacy when young.  By the time the corn is ready to harvest, the kernels are fully black inside and not good to eat.  If you catch it younger, the corn kernels are their normal color, often veined with black.  It’s a delicacy and very delicious.  Tastes like a combo of corn and mushrooms.  Corn smut is more common at the tip of the ear but we throw away those obvious ears.  It’s harder for us to detect when under the husks, and therefore more likely to show up in your CSA box.

The rest of the ear is perfectly fine.  Snap off and throw away the black kernels, then eat the ear of corn.

Looks like I will lose a chunk of garden. That’s the risk if you plant too close to the road.

Power outage
Our power was off Tuesday afternoon.  That’s a huge problem because we need functioning coolers and plenty of wash water.  Turns out that a crew installing underground fiber optic cable severed the main electric line for our road.  What a sheepish-looking group of men standing by the side of the road.  They freely admitted it was their mistake.  And a dangerous one!  The utility got the power back in a few hours and life went back to normal.  Next step, they tear up the roadside in front of our house.

Believe it or not, Steve and I got away for a weekend.  I rented a lake house halfway to St. Paul and our kids met us there.  It was great!  It’s amazing how restorative just a few days can be.

Thanks for reading.  Have a great week!
Beth

Veggie List & Veggie Notes
Week #14, Aug 17 / 18, 2023

– Weekly shares
– BiWeekly/ green
– Sampler/ B group

Sweet corn, 9 ears
Red watermelon
Green beans, 3/4 lb
Slicing tomatoes, ~3 lb
Cherry tomatoes, 1 pint
Zucchini or yellow squash, 1 or 2
Cucumbers, 3
Silver Slicer cucumber, 1 or 2
Red bell peppers, 2
Yellow ‘Elsye’ onion
Jalapeno chile

Next week’s box will probably contain sweet corn, melon, tomatoes, peppers and more summer goodness.  It’s that time of year!

Red watermelon – These compact beauties are ‘Mini Love’.

Zucchini or yellow squash – First harvest from a new patch!

Cucumbers – Folks, enjoy these cukes as their season will end soon.  I have sent a lot of cucumbers recently, including this week.  Our second planting is on richer soil and has cranked out so many fruit.  It peaked in this week and last week but I think it’s going to crash soon.

Yellow onion – This variety is supposed to be mild, but we are finding that all the onions this year are pungent.  These will fry better than the recent Walla Walla onions.
Storage: Room temperature or refrigerate.

RECIPES by PHOEBE

Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Tomatoes and Peppers

I’ve developed a few sheet pan gnocchi recipes for Love & Lemons this year, and I think they’re such a fun, easy way to make dinner! You don’t have to boil the gnocchi—just toss it with veggies, olive oil, and flavorful seasonings, and roast until it’s tender and the veggies are browned. The red pepper flakes add a spicy kick to this recipe. Use less (or omit them) if you’re sensitive to heat.

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 3 to 4

1 pound store-bought gnocchi, refrigerated or shelf-stable
1 large slicing tomato, cut into thin wedges
1 bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and thinly sliced
½ small onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, less if sensitive to spice
Freshly ground black pepper
4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, torn

Preheat the oven to 450°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, combine the gnocchi, tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, red pepper flakes, and several grinds of pepper. Toss until the gnocchi and vegetables are well coated in the seasonings.

Spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for 17 to 22 minutes, or until the gnocchi is tender and the vegetables are browned.

Remove from the oven and scatter the cheese evenly on top. Season to taste and serve.

Photo by Jack Mathews and Jeanine Donofrio

Watermelon Gazpacho

From Love & Lemons
It looks like we have a warm week ahead of us, so I thought a gazpacho recipe was in order! This recipe is a great fit for this week’s box, using watermelon, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and jalapeño. Here are a few tweaks to save you a trip to the store:

• Make sure to seed the watermelon!
• Replace the green onions with 1/8 white or Spanish onion. Add more to taste.
• Omit the basil if you don’t have any on hand.

Photo by A Couple Cooks

Easy Corn Fritters

From A Couple Cooks
These corn fritters really are easy, made with basic ingredients that you likely have on hand. Replace the green onion with a couple tablespoons of minced white onion.

Photo by Cookie + Kate

Cucumber Tomato Salad with Greek Dressing

From Cookie + Kate
This simple salad will pair nicely with almost any summer meal. Omit the fresh herbs if you don’t have any on hand—the tangy dressing packs this salad with plenty of flavor.

Photo by Minimalist Baker

Almond Butter Tofu Stir Fry

From Minimalist Baker
Almond butter adds rich, nutty flavor to this simple weeknight stir fry. The recipe calls for green beans and small, spicy peppers (your jalapeño would work!), but for a milder version, you can toss in a bell pepper or two.

Photo by Eva Kolenko

Zucchini Smoothie

From Love & Lemons
I thought it would be fun to feature some zucchini breakfast recipes this week. First up is this smoothie. Even though it’s made with a vegetable (and other good stuff like almond butter and dates), it tastes like a chocolate milkshake. A perfect breakfast for a hot summer day.

Photo by The First Mess

Zucchini Baked Oatmeal Cups

From The First Mess
The easiest way to take oatmeal on the go! These cute little oatmeal cups are vegan and gluten-free…and studded with chocolate chips, because who doesn’t like chocolate for breakfast?