• Tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Basil
• Sweet peppers
• Hot peppers
• Eggplant or green beans
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini
• Onions
• Apples
• Grapes
• Pears

It is the height of summer. We are brimming with fruit and the nightshade family. We race to harvest peppers before the field mice and gophers and ground squirrels devour them for their seeds. Much of the upper north garden has been replanted and even appears to be growing despite the heinous heat wave of last week. Juvencio kept them alive by hand watering and I snuck out in the early hours to transplant on Friday when it was cool again.

We have most of the indoor space planted as well for fall and winter. Some of htat space holds our summer crops so I plant seedlings to get in the ground after first frost takes out the beloved tomatoes. One of our tunnels will house our chickens this winter. Juvencio and Luna lucked out and happened upon Wilco when they were in need of offloading colorful egg layers. We now have 44 chicks we are trying to protect until they can be put out with the remainder of the flock in the hoop house this fall.

Mark your calendars for the fall harvest festival. We have set the date now the rough planning begins. Invite your family to the farm party October 15th from 2-6 pm.

The Winter Share begins this year November 5th and runs twice a month  (except for January and February they are just once a month) until March 24th. There are 8 harvests for only $280 and should be packed full of delicious produce to grace your winter tables. I know it feels like you have veggies coming out of your ears but trust me in the depths of winter that radicchio salad is a life saver. Send us a text or email if you want to participate. Payment in full is always appreciated and payment plans and snap are available.

My thoughts are filled with the haunting stories of the people and land of Maui. There are many ways to contribute. I hope you have found some ways. California and Baja as well as the southwest brace for Hurricane Hilary. The climate crisis is the largest threat to our world. Thank you for doing what you can, us consuming less is part of that,

Here are some recipes to enjoy:

Zucchini Sauté

·      SERVINGS: 2

·  TIME: 5 MINUTES

Inspired by the version at The Red Cat.

·        1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil

·        2 tablespoons thinly sliced almonds

·        1 medium or 2 small zucchinis, cut into 1/8-inch matchsticks

·        Salt and freshly ground pepper

·        Peelings of pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, to taste (optional)

Heat a large skillet over medium-high and add enough oil to coat the pan well. Heat the oil until hot but not smoking, then add the almonds to the pan. Cook them, stirring, until the almonds are golden-brown, approximately a minute or two. Don’t skimp on this step; they provide a depth of flavor that carries the whole dish. Add the zucchini to the pan, tossing it with the oil and almonds until it just begins to glisten, about one minute. The idea is not to cook the zucchini so much as warm it so it begins to soften. Season well with salt and pepper, slide onto a plate, top with cheese (if using) and immediately dig in.

Burst Tomato Galette with Corn and Zucchini

Serves 4 to 6 as a main or 8 as an appetizer or side dish

For the pastry:
1 1/4 cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons (4 ounces or 113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again
1/4 cup (60 grams) plain yogurt or sour cream
2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup (60 ml) ice water

For the filling:
1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher or sea salt
3 cups (about 450 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes
1 ear corn, cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
1 small (8 ounces or 225 grams) zucchini or summer squash, diced
1 bundle (3 to 4 ounces or 85 to 115 grams) scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (2 ounces or 55 grams) grated parmesan

Glaze:
1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water

Make dough: Whisk stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

Make filling: Get down the saute pan with the lid. If you don’t have one, any large lid will do. Add olive oil, tomatoes, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if that’s your thing) to your saute pan then cover and heat over high heat. Roll the tomatoes around from time to time so that they’ll cook evenly. In a few minutes, you’ll hear some putts and pops as the tomatoes burst a little. When most have, remove the lid, turn heat down to medium and add zucchini chunks. Saute for two minutes, until they soften. Add corn and cook for one minute. Add scallions, just stirring them in, then turn off heat. Adjust seasonings if needed. Transfer mixture to a large plate and spread it out, so that it will cool faster. You want it cooled to at least lukewarm before assembling the galette.

Assemble galette: Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round and it really doesn’t need to be perfectly shaped. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; I like to fold my dough gently, without creasing, in quarters then unfold it onto the baking pan. Sprinkle tomato-zucchini-corn mixture with half of parmesan and spoon the mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. If any liquid has puddles on the plate, try to leave it there as you spoon. Sprinkle almost all of the remaining parmesan, leaving a pinch or two behind for the crust. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze. Sprinkle glaze with the last pinches of parmesan.

Bake the galette: For 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Juicy Tomatoes with Crispy Olive and Parmesan Crumbs

Yield:4 servings

• 2 pounds ripe tomatoes (such as a mix of cherry, campari and heirloom varieties)
• Salt and black pepper
• 5 ounces day-old country-style bread without crust
• 1½ounces thinly shaved or coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 3 ounces pitted green olives (such as Castelvetrano, picholine or Cerignola), roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons finely grated orange or lemon zest (or a combination)
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds or red-pepper flakes (or a combination)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar
•  

Step 1Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Slice larger tomatoes into ½-inch rounds or wedges, and cut smaller tomatoes in half and spread out on a serving platter or individual plates. Season them generously with salt and also black pepper, if you’d like.Step 2Tear the bread into small, 1-inch pieces, then pulse in a food processor until you have coarse crumbs. Step 3 In a large bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese, olives, zest, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes, if using. Finely grate the garlic into the bowl then add 2 tablespoons olive oil and toss everything together very well. Step 4 Transfer the bread-crumb mixture to a sheet pan and place on a middle rack in the oven. Toast, stirring two or three times, until the crumbs are golden brown, the olives have shriveled slightly and your kitchen starts to smell a little like a pizzeria, 17 to 23 minutes. Let cool completely.  Step 5 To serve, drizzle the tomatoes with the vinegar followed by the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Just before you’re ready to serve, sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the top.

Zucchini Salad with feta & mint

Yield:4 servings

·        1 pound zucchini (about 3 medium), cut into ½-inch pieces

·        1½tablespoons red wine or sherry vinegar

·        1 teaspoon honey

·        Salt

·        ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil

·        3 tablespoons sesame seeds (any color)

·        2 teaspoons dried mint or oregano

·        Big pinch of red-pepper flakes

·        3 ounces feta, crumbled into big pieces

·        Step 1 In a large bowl, stir together the zucchini, vinegar, honey and a big pinch of salt.

·        Step 2 In a small skillet or saucepan, cook the olive oil and sesame seeds over medium heat, stirring often, until the seeds are fragrant and golden, 3 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the mint, red-pepper flakes and a pinch of salt. Immediately scrape the oil over the zucchini and stir to combine.

·        Step 3 Tsp the mixture with feta, then season to taste with salt. The salad can stay out at room temperature for up to 2 hours, or be refrigerated for up to 2 days. (The sesame seeds will lose their crunch, but not their flavor.)

Ratatouille’s Ratatouille

As envisioned by Smitten Kitchen

1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly)
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.

Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.

On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.

Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.

Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.

Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)

Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.

Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain