This weeks’ share: 4 ears of sweet corn, 3 pounds of Desiree potatoes, 1 pound of cucumbers, 1 pound of tropical pepper mix, 1 pound of pimento peppers, 2 pounds of Roma tomatoes, 1 pound of yellow onions.

This is the first time we’ve put grown sweet corn in probably ten years and it did well! I hope you enjoy it as much as we do! The tropical mix peppers look like they’re hot but only have the heat of black pepper. They are very fruity in flavor and make a great addition to salads, roasted meat, and ferments. They also make a lovely hot sauce when combined with a few or lots of hot peppers like serrano or red jalapeno. If you’d like some hot peppers to do this, just ask at the market stand. Additionally, if anyone would like a bulk amount of pimentos to roast and freeze for winter eating, let me know this week. We have half bushels which are 14 pounds or so for $30 or you can use credit if you have it.

On the menu this week:

Elote: corn on the cob with tropical pepper mayo sauce

Potato wedges tossed in chili oil and salt, granulated garlic and onions

Cucumber and Roma tomato salad with tropical pepper vinaigrette

Pimento peppers and yellow onions slow cooked and served over good crusty bread or pasta

This week: 1 pound of okra, 2 pounds of carrots, 1 pound of yellow onions, 2 pounds of sweet Italian peppers, 1 large bunch of basil, 3 heads of garlic, 1 pound of cucumbers.

The basil is starting to slow it’s growth and so I thought you’d like to make a batch of pesto for now or later. I make a simple pesto of just basil, garlic, salt and olive oil. I pack in a jar trying to get all the air bubbles out and cover the top with a layer of olive oil, put a lid on tightly and store in my fridge for later use. Every time we get some out, we recover the top with oil. We add nuts, parmesan, lemon juice when we make things with it later.

Pepper and Onion Salad from Chez Panisse Vegetables

Seed and thinly slice peppers. Slice a small to mediuum onion very thin and toss with the pepper slices, some pitted nicoise (or any other) olives, and a spoonful of capers rinsed of brine.

Make a vinaigrette with red wine vinegar and good olive oil and season with chopped garlic and jalapeno or some other hot pepper and red pepper flakes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cut basil leaves into a chiffonade and sprinkle over the salad. This salad should be spicy and robust.

This weeks’ share: 3 pounds of yellow and red bell peppers, 1 pound Asian Delight eggplant, 1 pound Spanish sweet onions, 1 bunch of Thai basil, 2 heads of garlic, 1 pound of cucumbers, 1 pint of cherry tomatoes.

The onions this week are great raw and can be used for cooking as well. Thinly sliced and added to a cucumber and cherry tomato salad, they are divine. Other possibilities on this weeks’ menu are stir fries, curry, roasted peppers.

If you don’t use all the basil, you can dry it for later use or make a pesto and freeze.

The rain has slacked off for a few days and we are scurrying to get the rest of the potato crop out of the ground, fall seeds (carrots, beets, radishes) in the ground, and cauliflower and kale transplanted. It feels like a mad dash and it’ll be a relief if we can get it all done before another rain session.

I hope you have a good week!

Share contents: 3 pounds of sauce tomatoes, 1 pound of shishito peppers, 2 pounds of sweet peppers (Ausilio and pimento), 1 bunch of leeks, 1 pound of sweet onions, 1 bunch of basil, 2 small garlic bulbs, 1 head of cabbage.

Okay, we have had enough rain for a while for sure now. Good golly, from mid nineties and no rain to daily rain, often deluges. There are cool things about it like tadpoles living in puddles in the fields and hard things about it like powdery mildew and cracked tomatoes. We managed to get brussel sprouts and cauliflower transplanted yesterday. We hope to get enough of a rain break to finish the potato harvest and fall root vegetables seeded in the field.

Things I like to cook with the veggies in this weeks’ share:

-leeks and sweet peppers sauteed in olive oil or ghee served as a side or over pasta or mashed potatoes

-basil and garlic pesto

-simple slaw of sweet onion and cabbage

-tomato soup, tomato sauce, roasted tomatoes

-blistered shishitos sprinkled with salt and lime juice eaten as is and /or added to pimento cheese

Contents: 2 sweet Italian peppers, 1 pound of long red onions, 1 pound of carrots, 1 bunch of lemon verbena, 1 head of summer crisp lettuce, 1 pound of fairytale eggplant, 1 pound of Tanya’s Pink beans, 3 pounds of heirloom tomatoes.

The weather is usually a challenge in farming. This summer is no exception. From very hot and dry to very wet and quite warm. The specific challenges we currently face include keeping diseases at bay and getting things harvested between thunderstorms. We aren’t able to do any field work because it is too wet right now so we’re hoping for a dry spell soon so that we can get fall crops planted and finish getting the potatoes harvested.

The tomatoes look imperfect because the rain causes them to split but they taste amazing! You have a bunch of lemon verbena in the box this week. Someone taught me one way to use it last summer that I am passing along to you because it was so good. Get a neutral oil like grapeseed oil and add a pint of it and the stripped leaves of lemon verbena to a blender or food processor and let it rip for about 5 minutes. Pour it into a jar and let sit overnight, then strain the plant matter out and refrigerate the oil. It will stay good for a few months. I used it for salad dressings especially good on bean salads. Also and our most favorite way to use it is on oven roasted tomatoes. The combination of flavors is exciting!

The Tanya’s Pink beans are similar in flavor to Romano beans and are great braised with an onion and a little white wine, salt and pepper. The fairytale eggplant are great cut in half and roasted or added to tomato sauce for a creamier texture. The Carmen peppers are sweet and are delicious fresh or sauteed. I do not typically put hot peppers in the shares because so many people don’t like them. If you do like spicy peppers, help yourself to a few every week while we have them!