This week is one of the few that we harvest (and eat) both summer squash and winter squash! By name alone one would imagine that the two would not overlap. However, there are many different varieties of winter squash and so while they were all planted in the same week in June, they mature at different times. The first of the winter squash to ripen is spaghetti squash which is ready to eat when picked but like other winter squashes has a hard shell that allows it to store longer than most summer vegetables. The summer squash in the farm store and CSA is the from the last of our four successions of summer squash and zucchini we planted over the past couple of months.
The height of summer meets the preparation for winter in other parts of the farm as well. While we are still planting lettuce and greens for later this season just a few feet away we are starting to seed cover crops for the winter. Oats and peas are already growing in our back fields and should soon be seen popping up in our front field where the flowers are still in full bloom. The cover crops will provide nutrients and organic matter to the soil as well as protection from erosion over the winter.
Oats and Peas beginning to grow.
In the CSA this Week
Spaghetti Squash
Collard greens
- Spaghetti Squash- The first to mature of our winter squash. We grow a variety called pinnacle, we like its small size (making it manageable for cutting and cooking) and tasty pasta-like inside. See below for information about cooking and ideas for toppings!
- Cantaloupe- This will be the one week of these sweet melons for the season!
- Collards- These greens are looking beautiful and can be used just like any green but require slightly longer cooking. Cutting and sauteeing ribbon-like strips is my favorite way to make them.
- Golden and Red Ace Beets
- Kale
- Swiss Chard
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Slicing tomatoes
- Paste tomatoes
- Eggplant
- Peppers - green and purple bells.
- Watermelon
- Cucumbers
- Summer Squash
- Zucchini
- Leeks
- Carrots
- Baby Bok Choy
CSA PYO:
- Husk cherries - Ready to pick when they fall to the ground and the husks are brown and dry
- Tomatillos - great for making salsa verde
- Cherry tomatoes - members will have the option to buy an extra quart for picking in addition to the quart that is part of the CSA share.
- Hot peppers - jalapenos, serrano, capperino, ancho
- Herbs - Genovese basil and Thai basil (new planting of basil is ready- plenty for pesto this week!) parsley, thyme, and sage
- Sunflowers
In the store:
In addition to the crops listed above, we should have some red, yellow and orange sweet Italian and bell peppers. We will also have Verrill Farm sweet corn, mustard greens and some lettuce.
Spagetti Squash
This squash is one of our favorite late summer meals! We don't use a recipe but the preparation is simple and can be adjusted to anyone's tastes.
1. To cook the squash, heat the oven to 375. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down on in a baking pan with about an inch of amount of water in it (you can use oil on the pan if you'd prefer).
2. The squash cooks for about 30-40 minutes but time varies greatly with size. We test the squash with a fork, when it is soft it is done!
3. Then we sautee leeks, chopped tomatoes, and sage in olive oil. We often add a green such as chard or kale and chickpeas.
4. Take the squash out of the oven and let it cool a little. Then use a fork to scrape out the spaghetti-like flesh of the squash.
5. Top the spaghetti with olive oil and salt, the sauteed veggies, parmesan cheese, and bacon if you'd like!