Tomatoes are the jewels of the garden. Sometimes a trick in the Pacific NW, and such a treasure when there is success! We preserve a lot for the winter and also stuff ourselves silly while they are prime. There is not a hothouse tomato that can compete with the real – juicy – thing! Other than straight from the garden with a pinch of salt, one of our favorite summer treats is Caprese, or tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, oil, salt and pepper on slices of baguette.  The recipe calls for putting them in the oven, but we can never wait that long 🙂

We are bursting with tasty summer produce at the Farm Stand! Tomatoes, greens, cucumbers, squash and one of the stars of summer, fresh beans! We have both green and purple! Purple? So what! In a word: Anthocyanins! Turns out, purple foods like berries and eggplant – and purple beans – are super healthy for you! Enjoy them as you would green beans, or try this yummy-looking fritter recipe! And if purple beans seem too odd, you should know that once cooked, they do mostly turn green!

Folks have asked, and now it’s time! Green beans for everyone! What’s your favorite way to eat ’em? And since y’all know what beans look like, today’s pic is of the most beautiful sunflower we have to date: Greenburst! $3 a bunch! Food for the soul!

So proud that our extra cukes went to feed kids through the summer lunch program at the Thurston County Food Bank! Such a bumper crop this year!

The word of the day is tomatillo! These little green gems grow like lanterns in their own husks and are a staple in Mexican dishes. Like Chile Verde? Chances are you like tomatillos! We usually make ours into salsa, but here’s a range of recipes to try! The egg dish looks especially good to me! Tomatillos and more, Saturday at your neighborhood Farm Stand, 9am-noon.

Got to get to Lakefair to cheer on our son at the Battle of the Bands! So stop by early on Wednesday, 4-6pm, for farm fresh veggies including – NEW – cabbage! Make sure to check out our beaaaauuuutiful new sign frame, designed and built by our good friend Curtis! We feel very official now 🙂

Wow, what a change! From AZ temps to more recognizable PNW! It’s summer still though, and we’ll have our first sunflowers at the Farm Stand to prove it! Also, peppers, cucs, zucs, carrots, basil and other fixings for the perfect pasta salad. I have a dog-eared paper copy of this recipe – so versatile for whatever you have on hand!

There is nothing like the crunch of cool crisp veggies on a hot summer day! Here’s a refreshing way to eat cucumbers, with chili and lime. We’ve got your cucumbers along with crunchy snap peas, sweet raspberries and spicy peppers! Happy 4th!

Tomorrow, Wednesday is the next Farm Stand, 5-7pm! We’ve got greens, snap peas, cucumbers, sweet and hot peppers, basil, raspberries ($12 a half flat) and more! So what are we going to have for dinner afterwards? Chilled curried squash soup (made ahead tonight), salad, bread and cheese – a perfect summer meal! We came across the recipe years ago, and it’s become a summer staple, seriously delicious!