This week’s box includes: celery, lettuce, zucchini + yellow squash, white half runner beans, eggplant, cucumbers (slicers aka salad cucumbers and Kirbys), one huge(r) white onion, potatoes, sweet corn. You can see a photo that can help with identification on our Facebook page or check out our weekly video on Instagram.
Need storage instructions? Visit our fruit & veggie home pages. Click on the pic and a new page opens with storage instructions and a list of recipes curated by Conne Ward Cameron over the years.
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Week #10, and Charlotte says “summer is officially here …. but there are some spring things still hiding in this week’s box.” That would be the lettuce, celery and onion. Can the onions get any larger? This one’s a monster.
Locally grown celery rocks my world. If your burn rate on this precious veg isn’t fast enough, freeze it in sticks and you’ll have it available for soups or broths all winter long.
One of the stars of the summer CSA has arrived – sweet corn! We plan on successive harvests so that we can include it in at least a couple more boxes. Why hedge? In recent years, a black bear has helped itself to a lot of the crop. I’m sincerely hoping that the bear found greener pastures to forage this year.
The other pest is the corn ear worm. We do not spray pesticides on your food to kill this freeloader which means that you’re going to encounter the bug, worm or its damage at some point this summer particularly in the later harvests. Most of the time the damage and/or pest is found only in the silk-end of the ears. Lop off the top off the ear to remove the pest and/or any damage. Perform this operation before husking and your corn will stay fresh longer in the refrigerator.
Why wait to enjoy it, though? My first go-to is always corn on the cob. Both boiling and grilling are simple and easy, slathered with butter and salt on the plate. If you have a bit more time, try this recipe for Bartaco Steet Corn – so delicious. Leftover kernels are terrific in Squash and Corn Fritters, which conveniently calls for two large summer squash and a banana pepper that you may still have leftover from last week. Obviously, ½ of this week’s onion would be far too much. Adjust as needed.
Eggplant is also making its first appearance of the summer. I didn’t grow up eating a lot of eggplant but enjoy mightily now for its versatility and ease. Roasted, grilled or stir-fried eggplant is a building block for many dishes such as this Grilled Eggplant Sandwich recipe from Conne Ward Cameron. Eggplant rounds can be roasted in the oven at 400 topped with a sprinkle of panko, then layer with tomato sauce, mozzarella and fresh basil for a lighter version of eggplant parmesan. Stir-fry eggplant chunks and toss with green onions and garlic sauce. You’ll find lots more ideas in our recipe page for eggplant.
The tomato crop is transitioning from the early tomatoes grown in the hothouse to the field tomatoes, thus the momentary lull in tomatoes we’re experiencing in the harvests. Once the field plants start producing, we’re in the sweet spot for eggplant’s best pal, tomatoes.
White half-runner beans are an heirloom variety from the Appalachians. The “white” refers to the color of the interior seeds. Half-runner describes their growing habit which combines bush bean and runner bean habits. Try them in the recipe below. The original recipe from NYTimes Cooking included shrimp marinated in the sauce but I skipped that and used jarred chili crisp instead of homemade. Delicious.
Chili Crisp Green Beans
1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
½ teaspoon granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon (or more) chili crisp
Kosher salt and black pepper
6 tablespoons canola oil
1 large shallot or equivalent amount of onion, thinly sliced
1 cinnamon stick
10 ounces green beans trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
¼ cup roasted, salted peanuts, coarsely chopped (optional)
Stir together soy sauce, sugar, cumin and chili crisp in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil, shallot/onion and cinnamon stick over medium heat until onion/shallots are golden brown. Remove from heat and drain oil into a bowl. Discard the cinnamon stick and season the fried onions with salt and pepper. Set aside.
Return oil to skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add green beans, season with salt and pepper and cook until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Add sauce mixture and chopped peanuts, toss to coat beans. Stir in fried onions. Serve over rice or noodles, or in lettuce cups.
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Lettuce cups, you say? Add sauteed Riverview Farms pork sausage to give it a little more meaty substance and you’ve got your dinner Salad of the Week!
What’s next? Dreaming of watermelons.
~Suzanne