From the Garden this Week…

From the Garden this Week…

Summer Squash, Sweet Peppers, Cucumbers, Carrots, Beets, San Marzano Tomatoes, Heirloom Tomatoes, Green Onions, Basil and Cantaloupe

Coming Soon…Sweet Corn, Spaghetti Squash

Using your Produce… by Julie Moreno

This week, I included a recipe for a one-pan pasta. When you think about all of the water that they tell you to use when you cook pasta according to the package directions, I always think about how wasteful this is. Even though we had a nice wet winter, in the Central Valley, we should always be looking for ways to save water. What is even more interesting is that this method of cooking pasta in a minimal amount of water is traditional in Italy too. It also is simple and easy to make, and we all like simple. This week we have San Marzano tomatoes coming your way. These tomatoes are famous from Naples, Italy, but they also grow well here in our warm climate. You don’t have to use them for Italian food, they are great in salsa and sliced in salad too.

One-Pan Pasta

¼ onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 cups tomatoes, coarsely chopped, (peeled first if desired)

½ cup basil leaves, coarsely chopped

12 ounces linguine or spaghetti

2 teaspoons salt

1 pinch crushed red chile flakes

2 tablespoons olive oil

5 cups water

Parmesan cheese, to garnish

fresh ground pepper, to taste

Place all of the ingredients except for the parmesan and pepper into a large pot. Cook on a high heat for 2 minutes, submerging the spaghetti into the water once it’s softened enough. Lower the temperature to medium-low heat and stir frequently until the liquid is absorbed. Serve with more fresh basil, fresh ground black pepper and Parmesan cheese.

We have lots of hot peppers available.

I will include a salsa

recipe in next weeks box for you to give them a try. We also have these small peppers that would make a great display, even if you don’t eat them.

Let me know if you are interested in making your own hot sauce. I have a few recipes that I would love to share.

Vegetables for Breakfast…

Our summer squash, peppers and green onions combine here in a simple baked egg dish. These egg muffins can be made ahead and reheated in the morning. You can scale up the recipe if you want to make extra. This is a great breakfast if you are feeding a large group. You can change the vegetables, but be careful with tomatoes and other watery vegetables, that will add excess moisture.

Vegetable Egg Muffins

cooking spray

6 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup sweet pepper, finely diced

¼ cup summer squash, finely diced

¼ cup green onion, finely diced

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

¼ cup crumbled cooked bacon (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat 6 cups of a muffin tin with cooking spray or line with paper liners. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk to blend completely. Add the salt, black pepper, diced sweet pepper, summer squash, green onions, bacon and cheese. Stir the egg mixture well and divide evenly among the muffin cups. Bake the egg muffins for 15-18 minutes or until eggs are set. Serve right away or chill and reheat later.

Cucumber Salad….

This morning we were talking about creamy cucumber salad and I included this recipe. You could substitute, plain yogurt instead of the sour cream. We have had great success growing our cucumbers this year, so we get to share them with you. Whether you peel them or remove the seeds it is your own preference. Enjoy them now while we have them. The lemon cucumbers, pictured here are my favorite. I love the texture of the seeds and I usually peel the outside of this variety.

Sour Cream Cucumber Salad

½ cup sour cream

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

Pepper to taste

4 medium cucumbers, peeled if desired and thinly sliced

1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

In a large bowl, whisk sour cream, vinegar, sugar and pepper until blended. Add cucumbers and onion; toss to coat. Refrigerate, covered, at least 4 hours. Serve with a slotted spoon.