August 12, 2018
Using the Bounty
By Linda Dansbury

We are currently at the peak of the season in terms of both variety and volume of what we are receiving. This is a great time to share with fellow members how you are keeping up with the bounty! Email me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in the subject line. Here is a few things I do/have been doing to keep up with it all.

Breaking it down into what needs to be used in what order helps keep it from becoming overwhelming. Think about what doesn't keep very long and plan out how to use those crops first: lettuce, tomatoes, okra, eggplant are the crops I find do not store more than a week, so I use them as we receive them. I make salads using the lettuce a couple nights per week, often adding other veggies from the farm including leftover grilled veggies. Okra normally gets stewed so we can eat it immediately or keep it/freeze it for later. Okra can be frozen too. Blanch it for 2 minutes, plunge into ice water, drain and dry on towels and then place in plastic container for freezer. Once cooked, the veggies will keep for several more days and some of them may be frozen to enjoy later. Please search for recipes on this site to help you.

Tomatoes we eat nearly every night this time of year, and never tire of them! Bruschetta, pan con tomate, caprese salad, fresh salsa, and added to lettuces in salads are all so delicious. I also love making (and eating) the Uncooked Tomato Sauce. There are a couple recipes on this site. I love all of these ways and more to enjoy the tomatoes - nothing is better this time of the year!

The summer squash and cucumbers are waning at this time of year so can be managed fairly easily - if you are tired of grilling squash, make Zucchini Bread. It is really delicious and can be frozen. I did buy an inexpensive spiralizer this year, so making veggie dishes are fun, pretty, healthy and delicious! Now that we are only receiving a couple of cucumbers a week, I eat them with lunches and added to salads.

Below are the next groupings of veggies, which I will talk about next week.

Next up is green beans and tomatillos.

Then comes peppers and edamame.

Carrots, ground cherries both keep for a long time, so I use them as I want, but don't concern myself with using them before they go bad.