It’s August today and I’m not quite sure I how feel about that. On one hand, today marks the halfway point of our intense six-month season, so yay for that! But on the other hand, it’s August….so that means only one true month of summer left. Where has the time gone? I’m not really sure how we are at this point of summer, but here we are. As we head into the second half of the season, I feel just a tiny bit more refreshed after a quick 24-hour trip to Chicago this past weekend. After a week of basically unbearable temperatures, I was blessed with a beautiful 24 hours along Lake Michigan. I was visiting a friend and she asked what I wanted to do while there. My response was: good food, good drinks, a walk by the river and lake, and sleep. All was accomplished, giving me just what I needed to keep going.

 

As we head into the second half of our intense six-month season, I know that we have 2 big pushes left. The first is to make it through August. August brings us the Minnesota State Fair and the busiest part of our harvest season as more and more types of crops are ready to be harvested. Then we have September. September is the transition season from summer to fall. Transition means we have all of the summer crops plus the addition of fall crops like apples, pumpkins, and squash. September brings a bit of chaos as the fall harvest begins, but we take is all in stride. It’s not to say that October isn’t busy or hard, but things do get just a bit easier for the last month of the season. Until then, we take it one day at a time and keep on keeping on as I like to say.

 

Let’s dive into this week’s share:

 

Sweet Corn: Boiled or grilled, perfect for serving with BLTS or burgers one night this week. Have and ear or two leftover? Cut the corn off the cob and add to a cold pasta salad, a stir fry, or make a fresh corn salad out of it.

 

Red Slicing Tomatoes: A BLT for sure, but I also plan on making a tomato tart including the regular slicing tomatoes as well as the heirloom tomatoes. Doesn’t a tomato tart sound fancy? Don’t let it fool you, it’s relatively simple to put together and sure to please all the tomato lovers in your house. The last time I made this, I made two of them at once. I knew if I didn’t use both pastry sheets from the box at once, I wouldn’t make the second one in a timely manner. The leftovers were fantastic! Don’t skimp on the fresh herbs, they truly make a difference! If you are feeling adventurous, you can always add some prosciutto on top and finish with a nice balsamic glaze as well.

 

Heirloom Tomatoes: Most will be used to make the tomato tart, but I’ll probably also just enjoy a couple of slices sprinkled with salt and pepper. The taste and texture of the heirlooms is quite different than regular tomatoes, each variety offering something slightly different.

 

Medley Tomatoes: A few will be added to the tomato tart, but the rest will likely be roasted and served with zucchini noodles and some chicken or shrimp. A quick and easy dinner that is a staple throughout the summer months.

 

Broccoli: A few different ideas for the broccoli this week. If you are looking for something quick and easy, chop it up, toss it in olive oil, and roast it at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes. There you have it, a quick and easy side dish for any dinner. I’m a fan of different types of bowls for dinner, so I might steam some of the broccoli and set aside to mix in a bowl similar to this one. This exact recipe doesn’t call for broccoli, but it can easily be added for an extra dose of veggies.

 

Cucumbers: One of the cucumbers will be added to the bowl listed above, but the other will likely just be sliced and enjoyed as an afternoon snack. You can always soak in some apple cider vinegar, salt, and pepper if you want a quick pickled option. Another great way to enjoy the cucumber would be to dice it and serve with some chopped scallions and sliced tomatoes, either regular or the medleys.

 

Zucchini: Spiralized and turned into noodles, served with some roasted grape tomatoes and chicken or shrimp is one way to enjoy this batch of zucchini. A nice batch of zucchini bread or muffins is another fun option. Or, create a great summer stir fry using the zucchini, sweet corn, scallions, broccoli, and whatever other vegetables you may have hiding in your fridge!

 

Scallions: Chopped and sauteed with some butter, I’ll definitely add these to the top of some smashed baby red potatoes. These are also great for adding to stir fry or even your morning scrambled eggs.

 

Baby Red Potatoes: A good smashed potato served alongside a burger is a great weekend dinner option. Sometimes I will boil the potatoes when I get them on Tuesday and not turn them into smashed potatoes until later in the week. When I make my smash potatoes, I always use boiled potatoes that are just about fully cooked. I toss them in olive oil and then place them on a baking sheet and ‘smash’ them with a fork. I bake them at about 400 degrees for 30ish minutes until they are to my desired crispiness. They can be topped with crumbled bacon, a sprinkle of cheese, scallions, sour cream, fresh herbs, or basically anything you want! These are also great for making homemade potato salad if that is something you enjoy.

 

Green Pepper: Another great topping option for smashed potatoes! Otherwise, a great addition to stir fry. These can also grilled and added to sandwiches or burgers as well. If all else fails, slice and enjoy as an afternoon snack.

 

There you have it…some options to help you through box number 7. I hope you all have a wonderful week.

 

Cheers,
Jenna