Weeks like these I want to laugh in the face of anyone who has ever thought of farming as the Simple Life. As I paced my way in from the blueberry field a bit ago, I was hit by the realization that we’re currently tending to four seasons of crops (the majority of which are not perennials). While some of the days were spent picking blueberries, loading up wheelbarrows of zucchini and trellising Tomatoes that are just starting to blush, the crew spent the end of the week knocking out huge fall and overwintering planting—one that we will likely be harvesting from well into next Spring. And at one point in the past 24 hours, Mark discovered that the pump we currently rely on for irrigating our fields of Sweet Corn, Celery and Winter Squash was down for the count. (Thank goodness for this overcast Monday weather!) And thankfully, after troubleshooting, ordering parts, troubleshooting some more, he got the pump up and running again. This is all to say that farming is just a bonkers line of work, but I’m thankful that we have good food to show for it. So, let’s get into it!

The Zucchini and Summer Squash apparently looooved the warm weather last week, so they’re coming on in full force and have invited Cucumbers to the party.  We’re picking Persian, English and Japanese Cucumbers from the greenhouse as well as sweet Marketmore and those blonde Silver Slicers from the field as of this morning.  Looking at the mild temps in the forecast, before and after the weekend, there might be a nice window for baking Zucchini Bread. I’m including my favorite recipe below, but if you have a tried and true one, dust it off and put it to work.

Mark worked an experimental bed of Golden Purslane into the crop plan when I wasn’t looking, so I’ve spent the past couple of weeks exploring recipes from the Mediterranean to Mexico and experimenting with it in the kitchen.  It is good for me—good for tapping into that beginner’s mindset.  Purslane is an edible succulent that is related to Portulaca, the flowering groundcover plant.  Due to its citrus-like flavor and nutrient density, it is a commonly foraged weed that comes on like gangbusters in dry warm soils.  The Golden Purslane that we’re growing and harvesting is a cultivated variety (which is just a fancy way of saying that we’ve planted it on purpose), and I have been treating it as an herb over the past few weeks, stripping the tender leaves from the thick stems, chopping it up into salads and dishes here and there.  It can be used as a solitary salad green, like this Turkish-inspired recipe from David Leite, as part of a composed salad with lettuce, herbs and yogurt like this recipe from Sunset , or incorporated into this sauce/dip with strained yogurt for a traditional meze or your favorite afternoon snack.  Since we’re pulling beautiful bunches of Red Beets today, I’m looking forward to having mine with Vinegar Roasted Beets, inspired by Alison Roman’s method. It’s my favorite and is going to taste delicious with a smack of citrusy Purslane.

Thank You,
Katie

PS: I almost forgot! The CSA Flower Garden is starting to pop, so we' invite our members to cut a few stems starting this week, free of charge!

IN THIS WEEK’S FARMSHARES:

• Beets

• Cucumbers

• Fava Beans (Lg Shares)

• Zucchini/Summer Squash

• Fresh Garlic

• Lettuce

• Purslane

• Apricots

• Fresh Blueberries

AT THE FARMSTAND THIS WEEK

RECIPES & SEASONAL TIPS

Foraged Flavor: All About Purslane - Serious Eats
45 Things To Do With Purslane - Chocolate & Zucchini
27 Brilliant Beet Recipes - Food & Wine
Apricot Jam - David Lebovitz

CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI BREAD
My tried and true favorite from Lore, who loves Chocolate as much as she loves Vegetables—which says a whole lot.

• 2 (1oz) Squares Unsweetened Chocolate

• 1 1/2 C Sugar

• 2 C Zucchini, grated

• 2 C Whole Wheat Pastry Flour

• 1 tsp Salt

• 3/4 C Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

• 3 Eggs

• 1 C Vegetable Oil

• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

• 1 tsp Baking Soda

• 1 tsp Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Melt chocolate squares in a double boiler until smooth. In a large bowl, combine eggs, sugar oil, grated zucchini, vanilla & chocolate; beat well. Stir in the flour, baking soda, salt & cinnamon. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake in preheated oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. 

DISAPPEARING ZUCCHINI ORZO
Umami Girl, inspired by Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

• 1 pound orzo pasta

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced

• 6 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 large zucchini, shredded

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

• Juice and zest of 1 lemon

• ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (more to taste)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

BEET HUMMUS
Love & Lemons

• 1 medium or 2 small red beets

• 2 garlic cloves

• 1½ cups cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2 tablespoons tahini

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 to 3 tablespoons warm water

• ½ teaspoon each of cumin and coriander (optional)

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

BREAKFAST APRICOT CRISP
Smitten Kitchen

FOR THE FRUIT BASE

• 1 pound apricots

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1 tablespoon flour

• Grated fresh nutmeg, a pinch

  FOR THE CRISP TOPPING

• 1/2 stick (4 tablespoons, 2 ounces) butter, melted

• 6 tablespoons turbinado or regular sugar (turbinado, also sold as Sugar in the Raw, gives an excellent crunch)

• 1/2 cup oats

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (or a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour)

• Pinch of salt

• 2 tablespoons sliced almonds

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

FRIDA KAHLO’S ENSALADA DE CALABACIN
Saveur (I chopped Purslane into this last week and it was tasty—added Pepitas for some extra crunch).

• 8 T Olive Oil

• 3 T Red Wine Vinegar

• 1 tsp Kosher Salt, plus more

• 1/2 tsp Sugar

• 6 Small Zucchini, sliced

• 2 Ripe Avocados, sliced

• 3 oz. Queso Anejo, crumbled or Parmesan

• 2 T Cilantro, roughly chopped

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

TURKEY-ZUCCHINI BURGERS
Ali Slagle

• Neutral oil (such as grapeseed), for greasing

• 1pound ground turkey

• ½cup coarsely grated unpeeled zucchini (from 1 small zucchini)

• 1tablespoon mayonnaise

• Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper

• Hamburger buns, toasted

• Toppings and condiments, as desired

CONTINUE TO RECIPE

LEMON POPPYSEED ZUCCHINI MUFFINS
Dishing Up the Dirt

• 2 cup whole wheat pastry flour

• 1 tablespoon baking powder (make sure it isn’t expired!)

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds

• grated zest of 1 lemon

• juice from 1 lemon

• 1/3 cup walnut oil

• 1/2 cup runny honey

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk

• 1 cup packed shredded zucchini

CONTINUE TO RECIPE