Hot days are on their way, and I’m sweating just thinking about it. But, there will be fresh Red Haven Peaches from Okanogan on hand too, and that sort of syrupy sweetness goes a long way. I’m the sort of person who will go to great lengths to avoid cooking when it is hot, but shredding up a quick slaw, splitting a head of lettuce down the middle for a nice wedge salad, or if I am feeling ambitious, popping those halves onto the grill for a hot bit—those are the kinds of summer meals that I can muster up the energy to make when the temps creep up. While I may not be thrilled about the heat, I am overjoyed that our Napa Cabbage and Little Gem Lettuces are ready for harvest this week. Little Gems are SO CUTE. They’re smaller, squattier heads of lettuce that still form nice little hearts. Napa is frilly, elongated and can be used to make anything from Kimchi to a creamy slaw. Such a treat!

The crew harvested hundreds of pounds of Zucchini and Summer Squash this morning, and the week has only begun. I know. I know. I know. Zucchini has a reputation that is larger than life, and if overlooked at harvest time, that’s exactly how big it will get. Ironically, what gets under people’s skin about Zucchini is exactly what makes it so great. Indeed, it has a tragic flaw—serious fortitude! And like many great heroes of lore, Zucchini is one that we can all count on. Somehow, it is ALWAYS there, regenerating right before our eyes. (Speaking of which…we just picked the field you see pictured 10 hours ago, and the little baby ones are already sizing up on our heels). Zucchini can overwhelm, but it is beyond versatile. It can be the basis of a crowd-pleasing pan of Lasagna, a noodle, a boat, or as was the case when I made lunch a few minutes ago, something that barely counts as a recipe. I quickly sliced up two medium sized zucchini into raw thin rounds on my mandolin slicer, right overtop of a bowl that held a chopped up piece of leftover grilled chicken. Topped the whole shebang with some leftover dressing from last week (this Creamy Ginger-Sesame one) and called it a quick and tasty salad lunch. No matter how you slice it, spiralize it, grill, it grate it or even air fry it, Zucchini gives us lots of options and opportunities to enjoy our Summer meals. I’ve included a few of my favorite recipes below, and I look forward to sharing a whole lot more from members of the CSA as the season moves along!

Enjoy!
Katie

Check out Claire and Maple rounding out a full harvest day by washing up a truck bed stacked with beautiful bunches of Red Beets! This was our first harvest for the year, which means that you’ll have the edible beet greens to cook with as a little Summer bonus. The day started in the greenhouse picking Cucumbers, and then out into the field for Zucchini, Summer Squash and another round of fresh Fava Beans. Harry, who could be seen, once again, actively snacking on favas in the field today says that the beans are still incredible this week, and I couldn’t agree more. Mark and I have been grilling ours up a storm, and we’re going to try making this Easy Weeknight Pasta with Sauteed Fava Beans & Mint this week. Easy is what we need to get us through the Dog Days of Summer, right? Because if all of the vegetables weren’t enough to keep up with, our Blueberries are ripening, which means that we’re picking as quickly as we can to beat the Starlings to them out in the field! Birds have a way of making farming feel like the worlds most delicious fools errand, but when it is good, it is pretty great.