In the share this week: 2 delicata squash 1 head garlic 1.5 lbs tomatoes 1 bag edamame (fresh soybeans) 1 pint banana or poblano peppers 1 head summer crisp lettuce 4 small cucumbers Thoughts from Farmer Anna: It's been awhile since we've had as much rain as we've gotten in the last 10 days or so. Working in the wet, cool drizzle is a welcome change to the sun-baking heat we been accustomed to over the last few months. The rain is mostly a good thing at this point. Our fall plantings don't need to be irrigated and are growing quite well. The downside is that some of the weeds are growing well also and it's going to be too wet to do any hoeing for several more days. I'm hoping it will be dry enough by Friday to get in and hoe all of our fall beds. If not, we'll have to do some of that work over the weekend. Farming tasks often spill over outside the 'normal' work week hours, but I do my best to try and keep myself from working too many hours in a day or week. Of course there is always something to do, but rest and family time are too important to neglect just so I can cross every last item off my list. This means I have to be a ruthless organizer and prioritizer in order to cross as many things off the list as we can in a reasonable time frame (weather dependent of course). This is a process of on-going improvement, and I do feel that we get better with it every season. It's actually a part of farming that I really enjoy too. It's like a puzzle to solve each week and I love trying to figure out how to optimize our time spent on the farm. While it's still wet this week, we'll be continuing to trellis and prune our tomato plantings to help them stay productive for another 6 weeks or so, and we'll be getting more of our fall planting into the ground - mostly green onions and lots of lettuce this week. I'm hoping to have all of our fall transplants in the ground by the end of next week. The share this week is fairly similar to last week's, with the addition of edamame and summer crisp lettuce! Fresh edamame is such a treat for our family. All three of our kids really love these fresh soybeans and I'll often let them eat just that for a meal. If you've never tried edamame before, it's quite easy to prepare. Just boil them for 10-15 minutes in salted water, drain the water and sprinkle a little more sea salt on the pods. Then squeeze the beans out straight into your mouth or use in a recipe like the one Maria has for us below. The last of this season's cucumbers are in this week's share, so enjoy them while they last! They will keep longer if you quick pickle them with vinegar, salt and a bit of sugar. There are lots of good recipes out there if you need help with the ratios of those ingredients. Recipes from Maria: Fattoush Salad Ingredients 2 cucumbers, diced 5 radishes, thinly sliced 1 head lettuce, chopped cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered 2 green onions, thinly sliced 1 piece of stale pita bread, coarsely chopped 4 ounces crumbly goat's cheese (or feta cheese) 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1/4 cup chopped mint juice of 1 lemon 2 tablespoons olive oil pinch of salt and pepper 1 teaspoon sumac powder Instructions Combine the cucumbers, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pita bread in a large bowl. Toss to combine. Top with the cheese, parsley, and mint. Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Drizzle across the salad. Sprinkle the sumac on top and serve! Creamy Garlicky Pasta with Mushrooms and Edamame Ingredients 3 garlic cloves minced Button mushrooms 16 ounce, chopped edamame beans 1/2 cup Linguine pasta 12 oz 1/2 cup full fat coconut milk 1/3 cup water 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp dried oregano 1.5 tsp black pepper salt optional basil leaves, finely chopped Instructions Cook pasta according to package directions. When done drain and set aside. In the meantime, Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and 1 tsp of water(or olive oil). Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chopped mushrooms, dried thyme, oregano , black pepper and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 8-10 minutes or until mushrooms turn brown. Add water(or oil) as needed. Add the cooked pasta, coconut milk and stir everything very well to combine. Reduce heat to low and let the coconut milk simmer for 5 minutes Remove from heat. Garnish some finely chopped basil leaves on top(optional). Add in the edamame beans and serve!
