2022 – Summer Week 6 Newsletter

*We are 1/3 of the way through our 18 week summer produce season now.  Many of your favorites may be just around the corner – I will write a bit about how our Nightshades are doing in my farm article

*Cucumbers and summer squash both can be sliced thinly and put in a quart mason jar with a chunk of dill, add salt and some white vinegar, pour back and forth in the jar, and then let sit in your fridge to enjoy with any meal

*Scallions are new and fresh and can be used cold (dip in salt and eat with meat??), cut into salads of all kinds, or sauteed in practically any cooked dish

*Dill is a delight – it is wonderful in many dressings and sauces

*Summer squash/zucchini and cucumbers will be plentiful for the next month or so

*For the Cruciferous family, we are about finished with the kohlrabi, collards and kale will come every other week or so for a spell, and broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower will be in boxes over the next few weeks

*Make some basil pesto, or add it to pasta, salads or to flavor many dishes

*The leaf lettuce is a mix of 4 different varieties.  We will give folks a break from lettuce (and radishes) for the next few boxes

*It was not a great season for our berry crops this year, but the apples are looking good

*Please continue to return our boxes and ice packs each week

The Nightshade family includes some popular, heavy hitters:  tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant and potatoes … also tobacco, but thank goodness that this one is waning in popularity.  Our nightshades in the field are abuzz with bees as all of the aforementioned crops are blooming in full.  The bees are also busy on the squashes, cucumbers, melons, and our acre of buckwheat.  We are beginning to harvest a few peppers as they begin to mature on certain varieties, namely, Beaver Dam, but also some bells.  The eggplant is still 2 – 3  weeks out yet and the tomatoes, hot peppers, and red potatoes will begin by mid-August or so.  Even though we all have our favorite crops, it is fun to experience the full season as it unfolds here in MN. and on Earth Dance Farm.  We hope that you are enjoying the variety of seasonal crops that you receive each week, and embracing the challenge to cook with ‘what’s in the box’.

This is a week of abundance, with things growing faster than we can manage them here on the farm. We have plenty of squash and zucchini right now, and those will be our crops of this week. The varieties we have currently are Yellow and Green Zucchini, Magda Zucchini, yellow and green Patty Pan Squash, and Zephyr squash. Some might look familiar and some you might have never heard of, but they all taste and cook quite similarly.

Squashes have been eaten in Central America and Mexico for thousands of years. One of the oldest crops still in use today. European settlers brought back seeds to their respective countries, and there have been bountiful harvests ever since. High in vitamins A, B & C, this nutrient dense family of veggies is a family favorite.

My favorite way to eat some of the bigger zucchini is to cut them lengthwise, season them minimally, oil them up and throw them on the grill. You can make zucchini noodles to make a less carb heavy pasta dish. Also a simple yet tasty squash roast is always mouth-watering. Or just chop up some squash and zucchini and throw it into your pasta sauce. Zucchini bread has been baking in the farm kitchen a lot this week; a perfect midday snack or dessert that goes amazingly with some vanilla ice cream. Bon Appetit!

-Farmer Dylan