Hooray for zucchini! This mild vegetable is a summer staple, often associated with sweet bread, but capable of so much more!
Salad! We enjoyed this version last night with a Father’s Day BBQ (photo below).
Pasta! Lots of celebrity chefs offer zucchini pasta recipes – this one we’ll be trying as it does not need 4 hours to cook or a quart of cooking oil for frying.
Stuffed! Good for larger zukes, and this recipe offers variations.
Hooray for zucchini! This mild vegetable is a summer staple, often associated with sweet bread, but capable of so much more!
Salad! We enjoyed this version last night with a Father’s Day BBQ (photo below).
Pasta! Lots of celebrity chefs offer zucchini pasta recipes – this one we’ll be trying as it does not need 4 hours to cook or a quart of cooking oil for frying.
Stuffed! Good for larger zukes, and this recipe offers variations.
Summer means fresh basil, and an amazing deconstructed pesto that’s a family favorite: finely chop 4-5 cloves of garlic and simmer gently in a good glug of olive oil (several tablespoons) on very low heat in a pan big enough to hold the pasta. Don’t brown the garlic, just infuse the oil with garlicky goodness. Add some pepper flakes if you’re feeling spicey! When the pasta is done, drain and toss in with the olive oil, parmesan and a generous handful or two of chopped basil. Salt, pepper, nuts if you like, and a side salad. Dinner is done!
A lesser know veggie to Western palates, Tatsoi is an Asian variety of Brassica rapa grown for greens. Also called tat choy, it is closely related to the more familiar bok choy.
Tatsoi is often used in stir fries or salads. This keeper salad we tried the other night blanches the Tatsoi, then plunges it in an ice bath before saucing with a sesame-ginger dressing and chilling for an hour. We didn’t have an hour to wait, but even the time we had offered a crisp take on wilted greens. I substituted chili crisp for sriracha and would do it again!
And bonus! Because it’s purple, your Tatsoi this week boasts anthocyanins that guard against oxidative stress, reduces inflamation and protects against chronic diseases.
Months of planning, planting, watering and weeding go into this moment – first CSA boxes go out this week!
As seasonal eaters, we lean into soups and stews, braising and roasting to get us through the winter. Come spring, we are craving something fresh.
So a seasonal milestone for us is The Salad, which returning CSA customers are familiar with, but since over 1/2 of you are new, bears repeating.
First boxes have a great assortment of greens, perfect for diving in! We make this at least once a week; it changes based on what’s in season, and never gets old.
The Salad
Dressing (serves 2-3):
1/4 cup peanut oil 2 tsp dark sesame oil 2 Tbsp soy sauce 1 Tbsp mirin 2 Tbsp lime juice
Gather a bunch of salad greens: lettuces, spinach, mustard, Tatsoi, Pac Choi, turnip and radish greens (when in season), etc.
Tear a healthy amount and toss with a few Tbsps of the dressing.
Make a base of dressed greens on your plate.
Top with a handful of cooked soba noodles.
Layer chopped radish, turnip, snap peas, asparagus, or crunchy goodness of your choice.
Garnish with cooked chicken, pork, steak, fish, egg or vegan protein (leftovers from weekend grilling!).
Dust with a healthy amount of chopped herbs: green onions, chives, basil, mint, cilantro, etc. Chopped nuts or seeds are welcome. Chive or borage flowers a decorative plus.
Our plant sale continues this week, with tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers and Italian and Thai basil. Stop by before they’re gone!
Come check out our plants, and get recommendations and planting tips from the farmer who grew ’em Saturday and Sunday, 9am-2pm. Cash or checks accepted.
Wow! Based on last week’s plant sales it seems like rising food prices and the uncertain state of the world have a lot of people thinking about starting or expanding their home gardens.
Our plant sale continues this week, as we roll out over a dozen varieties of tomatoes, hot and sweet peppers and Italian and Thai basil.
Wait you say, isn’t it too early plants these things?
Yes, its too early to plant for most people (unless you have a greenhouse, tunnel, or other covered growing area) However, it’s not to early to buy them.
Purchasing these starts now has several advantages. The widest seelction, The best prices. And best of all the likelihood of harvesting earlier and longer.
Come see for yourself, and talk with the farmer who grew the plants. Saturday and Sunday, 9am-2pm. Cash or checks accepted.
Our annual vegetable and herb plant sale starts tomorrow!
This week we will have lettuce (3 types) and a variety of brassicas (kales, cauliflower, broccoli, collard greens, arrugula, pac choi, cabbage and Napa cabbage)
$5 /4pck.
Over the coming weeks expects to see basil, cilantro, tomatoes (cherry, slicers and romas), peppers (hots and sweets), Asian eggplant, cucumbers, zuchini, summer squash, winter squash and pie pumkins.
Saturdays and Sundays, 9am-2pm. Cash or checks accepted.
urbanfuturesfarm.com 