From the Garden this Week…

From the Garden this Week…

Broccoli, Summer Squash, Red Leaf Lettuce Heads, Snap Peas, Carrots, Bok Choy or Tatsoi, Potatoes, Leeks, Cabbage, Arugula

Coming Soon…Cucumbers, Garlic, Onions

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This is peak summer squash season, so I am here with more ideas to help you use the harvest. I like to grill the squash slices and then add salt and pepper and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil after cooking. This is a much easier way to cook them and it seems like you don’t have so much of the seasoning going through the grill grate. Try a few sliced of grilled squash on a hamburger or sandwich instead of lettuce and tomato, or just make a sandwich of grilled squash topped with avocado. The recipe that I included here is one of my favorites, Parmesan Roasted Summer Squash. All of the varieties will work well here.

Parmesan Roasted Summer Squash

1 cup coarsely grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh or dried Italian seasoning (basil, rosemary, thyme, parsley)

4 summer squash, sliced into ½ inch rounds

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

½ teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. and line a large rimmed-baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl combine the squash rounds with the olive oil, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Toss to coat. Add the Parmesan cheese and herbs and lightly toss again. In an even layer place the seasoned squash on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the squash is tender and the cheese is deeply golden.

Potato Leek Soup… With both potatoes and leeks in this week’s basket, here is a recipe you might need. Our leeks are going to seed, so remove the inner core if it is too woody and use the outside layers.

4 cups water or stock

3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces

2 leeks (whites and light green parts only), thoroughly washed and sliced

1-2 stalks celery, roughly chopped

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 cup heavy cream or half & half

Put the water or stock, potatoes, leeks, celery, bay leaf and thyme in a large pot and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Boil until the potatoes are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender (or in batches in a blender or food processor), blend the soup, add the cream and bring back to a simmer and serve.

Vegetable Fried Rice

When we have fresh snap peas, this fried rice recipe makes a simple meal with lots of vegetables. You can change up the vegetables as needed, or use more or less quantity that I mentioned here. I have written this recipe to be vegetable heavy as opposed to your favorite Chinese restaurant that keeps it as a rice dish. Right now we have both peas and carrots, so it is a good fit for the season.

Asian Fried Rice

2 cups raw rice, 4 cups cooked

3 eggs

3 tablespoons coconut or olive oil divided

½ cup diced onion

2-3 carrots, peeled and diced small

1 basket sugar snap peas, sliced

¾ cup cooked and chopped shrimp, chicken or pork (optional)

1-2 cups chopped bok choy or tatsoi

2 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

Cook 2 cups of raw rice according to package directions. While the rice is cooking, scramble the eggs in a non-stick sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Remove the eggs from the pan and set aside. Prepare all of the vegetables and meat and wait until the rice is done cooking before proceeding. In a very large skillet or wok, heat the remaining 2 ta

blespoons of oil and sauté the onions and, add the sugar snap peas, bok choy, cooked shrimp or chicken, cook for about 2-3 minutes until the meat is heated through. Add the cooked eggs, cooked rice and soy sauce. Stir thoroughly to combine and serve.

Metaphors of Soil and Soul… by Cindi J. Martin, LCSW

Have you ever seen lettuce, celery or cilantro that has gone to seed? Suddenly the plant loses its compact appearance and shoots toward the sky in a growth spurt that resembles the tall and lanky adolescent that seems to grow overnight from a cherubic child. Like adolescents, bolting vegetable plants are a lot of work! It is easy to look at the rows of tall plants and feel overwhelmed at the strength and time it will take from our volunteers to pull them out so something new can be planted in their place. But along with the cost of spent vegetation, there is also a great benefit: Beautiful flowers and seeds for another generation of planting and other kinds of cooking.

Are you starting into a new season of life and feeling pretty spent? Without even realizing it, your life may be in the midst of producing beautiful flowers and power packed seeds that will multiply your influence in ways you could never even imagine.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your body and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” -- Proverbs 3:5-10

Every week, we pack one extra bag of produce to honor the Lord from the first fruit of our produce. If you know someone who would be blessed by this gift and would like to deliver it to this person, call or text Cindi at (209) 607-1887.