This week’s box included: Corn, tomatoes, summer squash, onion, cherry tomatoes, okra, casaba melon, spaghetti squash, cucumbers & peppers.
NOTE: Both the casaba melon and the spaghetti squash are yellow orbs. The casaba is a deeper shade of yellow and a bit varigated. The spaghetti squash is a lighter shade of yellow, smoother. The casaba was the much larger of the two in my box, but I don’t know if that applies to every box.
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Does this happen every year – the season’s first okra and first spaghetti squash in the same box? I need to go back and look. Welcome high summer and welcome first signs of fall – all at once.
And a gorgeous Casaba melon. Can’t wait to cut into it. But I have to stop a minute and recognize how wonderful last week’s watermelon was. I am certain that was the sweetest melon I have ever eaten. Amazing. There is no question we get absolutely the very best melons from Riverview no matter what the variety. There are about a dozen melon recipes under “cantaloupe” at grassfedcow.com. If you’re ready to do something besides just enjoy the melons straight from the rind, maybe you’ll find something you like there.
This week’s box has me primed to cut those slender little crookneck squash (what happened to the zephyr squash of years past?) into long strips and dip them into the aioli made from the recipe below. Also all those cherry tomatoes, rounds of cucumber, strips of red pepper …. and maybe boiled eggs with those popular “jammy” yolks? Sometimes I’m tempted to use olive oil in aioli, but olive oil can be bitter (there’s lots of good info on the internet about that) so the suggestion for grapeseed oil or canola oil that came with this recipe when it was published in the Washington Post is good, but I’ll be using Oliver Farms sunflower seed oil instead.
I think it was last week I shared a quick tomato gazpacho recipe. Here’s one from Aluma Farm that’s a cucumber version. I’m going to use yogurt and I’m sure it will remind me of tzatziki sauce. I love the combination of yogurt and cucumbers, but had never considered making it into a soup. Farmers do the smartest things with their produce.
Le Grand Aioli
This recipe calls for steady whisking, but I’m going to make mine in a food processor.
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1/2 cup grapeseed or canola oil
1/4 cup olive oil
4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, mustard and garlic. Whisking constantly, add the grapeseed oil, one drop at a time, until the mixture thickens. Unfortunately, you cannot speed this up or your aioli will break so take your time, whisking all the while. It will take about 4 minutes. Once the mixture becomes thick, start adding more oil, including the olive oil, in a steady stream, whisking constantly to incorporate. Add the lemon juice in 1-teaspoon increments, whisking constantly. The aioli will be pale yellow and thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a small serving bowl. (If you’re making the aioli more than 1 hour in advance, cover and refrigerate it until ready to serve.
Cucumber Basil Gazpacho
1 cup sour cream or plain sour cream
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup sliced scallion
1 cup water
1 cucumber, peeled, seeds removed, and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco
Salt
Puree sour cream, basil, mint, scallion, and water in a blender. Add cucumber. Pulse until just combined but still slightly chunky.
Stir in lemon juice and hot sauce, and season with salt. Chill soup at least 3 hours (soup is best served the same day). Top each serving with thin cucumber slices if desired.