In the Box

• Haricot Vert
• Fennel
• Sweet Dumpling Squash
• Heirloom Tomatoes
• Sweet Peppers
• Roma Tomatoes
• Zucchini & Patty Pans
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Hot Peppers
• Cucumbers
• Melon

The green beans are finally here. It’s the end of summer, but better late than never. They are called Haricot Vert because they are a French style of beans. They are long and slender and have great flavor.

A couple of new things are in your boxes this week. Fennel is the white bulb with the ferny leaves. It has a subtle licorice flavor. You can use the bulb raw in salads. Try it in place of celery. It can also be cooked. It is a great addition to vegetarian spaghetti sauce. Try the leaves in salads or in place of dill in potato dishes. You can dry the leaves to use at a latter date. To dry the leaves, place them in a brown paper bag and place on the dash of your car on a sunny day.

Sweet dumpling squash is also new this week. These are the round, cream colored striped squash. This is a type of winter squash. I like to cut them in half, scoop out the seeds and place on a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until a fork goes through the skin easily. Some folks like to bake squash with a little sugar. Try the sweet dumplings without any sugar. They are naturally very sweet. While it is baking, rinse off the seeds, place on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt, garlic salt, or tamari (soy sauce). Roast until they just start to turn dark. They make a delicious snack.

The red peppers have started to come in. Some of them need to ripen a little. Just place them on your kitchen counter for a day or two. The peppers will turn a deep, cherry red. They are delicious to eat raw, cooked or roasted.

You also got a couple of specialty peppers. One is a brown pepper called Chocolate. Or you got a small red pepper called Lipstick. Or perhaps you got a round red pepper called Alma Paprika. Or you got a long skinny red pepper that looks like it should be a hot pepper. It is a wonderful sweet pepper called Jimmy Nardello. All of these peppers are sweet and very tasty.

For hot peppers this week you got a Serrano (small, green and hot), a Hungarian Hot Wax (yellow and medium hot) and 2 green chiles (large, green and mildly hot).

Melons are coming to an end, so enjoy these while you can. If you got a watermelon, the striped ones have yellow flesh. The dark ones are red fleshed.

This Week’s Recipes

• Zucchini, Fennel & Andouille Pie
• Fennel, Bean and Pasta Salad

News From the Farm

We went from drought to flood in a couple of weeks. We received over 10 inches of rain in the last week. Even though we have sandy soil, there are limits to the amount of water the soil will absorb. Fortunately, all of our standing water is in the low spots on the farm. We had some puddles out in the field, but no real problems.

Our tomatoes, cucumbers and melons are very unhappy with all the rain, however. The tomatoes have split open and their skins are peeling back. So I think that our tomato harvest will not be very large in the next few weeks. Plus, we have had to harvest a lot of crops while the plants are wet. This makes some of them unhappy as we spread the plant diseases while we move through the plants.

But despite all the issues on our farm, I really can’t complain. There is not a river running through our farm or produce floating on a new lake. Many farms were seriously hurt by all the rain and lost thousands of dollars of income. Most farmers learn to live with the obstacles that the weather puts in our paths, but this was overwhelming for many. I wish them well as they clean up and try to recover.

Fall Farm Party

Our annual fall picnic is coming up soon. Come to the farm on Saturday, September 8th. We will start at 4 and go as long as folks want to stay. We will have a farm tour, potluck dinner, and a fire with marshmallows to toast.