Last week we had extreme heat. This weekend we’re looking at record lows, followed by a warm and rainy week. As I write this, my girls are sitting at the kitchen counter shelling peas to be blanched and frozen for winter. It’s an excellent rainy day activity.
While warm weather encourages us to use the grill or eat raw veggies, cool summer weather brings an opportunity to try some recipes that we might not otherwise. It gives us a chance to turn on the oven, eat some soup, do some slow cooking, and just enjoy being with one another in the kitchen.
Starting this week, I’ll be sharing less of the specifics of my own share and more about what’s in season. I realized this week that my share is going to be huge—and quite overwhelming—and I don’t want it to scare you away. I’ll continue sharing recipes, but instead of making a list of ingredients, I’ll include meal ideas to help you use several ingredients in one meal.
If you’re getting something in your share that you don’t see listed here, always feel free to send me a note and ask for ideas. I will read and respond to them all; I love helping people use their stuff!
Alright, let’s get started with week three.
Summer Week 3: What’s in Season
Broccoli, swiss chard, kale, lettuce, beets, peas, savoy cabbage, summer squash & zucchini, radishes, blueberries, cherries
Meal Ideas for the Week
Breakfasts
I am eating this kale and egg taco on repeat. I know I told you about it last week, but it’s the only breakfast I’m eating these days. It’s that good.
We discovered a new Smoothie place this weekend and now I’m thinking about turning all my CSA goods into drinks. I’m eyeing this Blueberry Kale smoothie for this week. I may make a double batch and freeze the leftovers in popsicle molds for when the hot weather returns.
This Kale Lentil Breakfast Bowl is another favorite go-to for breakfast. If you’ve used all of your kale, or want to try something different, it would be good with swiss chard subbed in for the kale. I like to top it with raw radishes, sliced very thin.
Lunches
Salad is what’s for lunch around here. Yesterday I made a lunch salad with lettuce, blueberries, chopped snap peas, sliced radishes, toasted pecans, feta cheese and a white balsamic vinaigrette (equal parts white balsamic and olive oil, salt & pepper). It was as delightful as something you might order at a restaurant. Perhaps even more so.
I adore this Zucchini Grilled Cheese and am so excited to make it this weekend. Every year I make it, David says, “That sounds so weird, but once I take the first bite I remember how delicious it is.” Let the zucchini drain as long as possible. You want it really dry. You can use yellow squash or zucchini—both work equally well.
With the cooler weather, the girls are excited for today’s lunch of Broccoli Cheese Soup. It’s one of their favorite meals. I am partial to this Broccoli Slaw.
Dinners
I love homemade pizza nights. Grab a bag or two of pre-made dough (Trader Joe’s has my favorite dough) or make your own the night before. Turn some kale or beet greens into pesto (I added some basil because I had some) and use it instead of tomato-based sauce. Top it with some mozzarella cheese, local sausage (make sure to cook it first), pepperoni or salami, or whatever fresh veggies you like.
The cooler temperatures this week are perfect for Cabbage Rolls. This is a great recipe to double and stick in the freezer. I like to chop my swiss chard stems really small, saute’ them in a little olive oil, and sneak them in the meatballs..
One night this week we’re going to have a vegetable smorgasbord. I’m going to make Squash & Potato Torte, Roasted Chard with Feta, Broccoli Fritters, and Zucchini Coins. All-vegetable meals feel like a lot of work, but they are some of my favorite meals. Plus, they remind me of my childhood days at Cracker Barrel, when I could order a veggie plate and get all of my favorite vegetables, instead of having to choose just one side.
Once the weather warms back up, I’m looking forward to this Grilled Chicken Salad with Radishes and Tarragon Pesto. I grabbed a cucumber at the farm stand, but you can substitute raw zucchini for the cucumber.
This Simple Zucchini Parmesan Pasta is an incredibly easy, fast weeknight meal. It’s one of my summer favorites when the kids have activities until dinnertime and I have an evening meeting.
I love the look of this Black Pepper Beef & Cabbage Stirfry. I’m thinking of serving it with some Quick Roasted Broccoli (we got a lot of broccoli this week) and these Squick Sesame Snow Peas.
We got the cutest Zucchini bombs in our share this week and I can’t wait to turn them into Stuffed Zucchini.
Snacks & Treats
I’m making this Flag Cake today in celebration of July 4. Since it’s just the four of us, I halved the recipe and put it in the smallest rectangle pan I have. I grabbed some raspberries at the farm, but I think you could totally make this with halved cherries instead.
This Zucchini Chocolate Cake is one of my favorite recipes of all time. One summer I tried three different recipes. This one was the clear winner. It also freezes well, so you can make chocolate cake, drop it in your freezer, and indulge when the weather is cold and snowy.
If you still have greens that you don’t know what to do with, I suggest this Kale-dusted Popcorn. It’s another one of those recipes that sounds so strange, but is so incredibly delicious. It’s perfect for your next movie night.
I also really love these beet chips (and so do my kids!) I’m a huge fan of any recipe that convinces my kids to eat beets.
Preserving Notes
I made Twice Baked Potatoes and beet greens pesto for the freezer this week. Pesto is a great thing to make when you have greens that you don’t know what to do with. I like tossing it in meatballs in the. winter or burgers to grill in the summer.
We’re freezing a half bushel of English peas this week. To freeze, shell them (or hire your children to do it), throw in boiling water for 90 seconds, put directly into ice water for 2 minutes, then lay on a towel to dry. I freeze them on a cookie sheet in a single layer before weighing and packaging them into 8-ounce portions. I use this FoodSaver for all of our frozen produce, but you can also use freezer bags.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday weekend, no matter what the weather is like wherever you are. I’m looking forward to spending some time reading, how about you?