The Rise of the Zucchini!

Hi Everyone! A big "THANK YOU" to all who participated last week. I hope you enjoyed all of the fresh food! This week we have even more to choose from for delivery on WEDNESDAY (my father is having surgery on Thursday):

The zucchini have arrived!! I think zucchini is my favorite garden vegetable. Don't get me wrong, I love them all, but if I have to pick just one...it's the zucchini! Saute it, roast it, grill it, mix it in bread, cookies, I've even heard of someone making zucchini jelly! My nephew is waiting for a "Goliath" one so he can make many loaves of zucchini bread. As soon as I get one of that size, I'm sending it to Iowa. I wonder how many zucchini have gone through the postal service?



The beets are coming on now, small to medium sized and oh, so tender! I have both red and yellow beets. A yellow beet? Yup, they are a little sweeter and milder tasting than the red beets. We had buttered beets last night and they were delicious. My favorite are pickled beets, yummy!

CROP - QUANTITY - PRICE
Beets - $2.00 per bunch (6 beets in a bunch)
Zucchini - 2 for $1.00
New Potatoes - $2.00 per pound
Peas (unshelled) - $2.00 per bag
Lettuce - 1 gal bag - $3.00
Garlic - 2 plants - $1.00
Onion - 2 plants - $1.00
Shallot - 1 plant - $1.00

This week delivery is on Wednesday due to me being out of town on Thursday. Please email your orders by Tuesday at 6pm. Thank you for interest in eating home-grown produce!

We've had a great response at the Gackle Farmer's Market which is held on Saturdays from 3-5pm. Here's my booth:

Introducing Potatoes and Peas!

Thank you for the wonderful response to our first week of delivery! It was a great feeling to provide families with fresh-from-the-garden produce!! I will be including a recipe sheet sharing some of my favorite ways to prepare the vegetables. This week (delivery on Thursday, July 24th) we have even more to choose from:


The new potatoes are the Red Pontiac variety and they are delicious! We ate some last night and licked the bowl clean. I have a couple of favorite ways to prepare them: boiled or roasted (I'll share the recipes, too.) Just a note that the potatoes will not be washed as the skins are so delicate. But it's that delicate flavor that just explodes in your mouth! Please wash off that clean garden dirt before you prepare them.




The peas are two varieties: Spring and Lincoln and they are "oh-so-good"! My chief pea-picker (aka my husband) wants to eat them all while in the garden. But I've managed to keep a lot of them for you. The peas will be packaged in 2 quart quantities and will be unshelled. Shelling peas is easy and a great way to get kids involved in food preparation. Simply snap the "hat" end of the pea pod, pull apart, and run your thumb along the inside and drop the peas in a bowl (if they don't jump into your mouth, first!). If I were to ever commit a capital offense that required the death penalty, for my last meal I would request creamed peas (along with BBQ lamb ribs, wild rice and chocolate cake). The creamed peas recipe will be in this weeks delivery.

CROP - QUANTITY - PRICE
New Potatoes - $2.00 per pound
Peas (unshelled) - $2.00 per bag
Spinach - 1 gal bag - $3.00
Lettuce - 1 gal bag - $3.00
Garlic - 2 plants - $1.00
Onion - 2 plants - $1.00
Shallot - 1 plant - $1.00

Please place your order via email for delivery on Thursday, July 24th. If you have any questions or comments please let me know. I look forward to hearing from all of you!! Thanks---Annie

Doesn't it look delicious?

Beet Greens will be included in the lettuce and spinach bags this week. They are young, tender beet plants and you can eat the entire plant just like spinach or lettuce. If you want to cook your spinach, the beet greens can also be cooked. Give them a try, they are delicious!


There are two varieties of green lettuce this week: Salad Bowl and Black Seeded Simpson. Each bag will contain both varieties. To me, they both taste wonderful. They have that delicate flavor that just says "SUMMER"!!


The radishes have a bit of a bite to them, (not like grocery store or salad bar radishes)...but that's why we eat radishes!!!


Ahhhh, spinach! I think it is my favorite early garden vegetable. So versatile and packed full of vitamins and minerals. I had my nieces, nephews and sister here for spinach salads last week and the KIDS commented on how good the spinach tasted!!

***Just a note, the leafy greens (beet greens, lettuce and spinach) are NOT pre-washed! Please wash those items just before eating or preparing. Why aren't they washed? Because as soon as the leaves get wet (and don't have roots in the ground) they begin to break down. Before washing, your greens will stay fresh in the fridge for about a week. After washing, about two days. Why does the grocery store sell pre-washed produce? The varieties that the grocery stores sell are bred to have a long shelf life, not to taste fresh and delicious. What we give up in convienence, we more than make up for in TASTE!!!! So, please, wash your produce just before you eat or prepare it.

The Harvest Begins!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! No, it's not Christmas, it's the start of the garden harvest. And even though it's been a long time coming, the garden has certainly caught up with the warm weather and periodic rains. This week (delivery on Thursday, July 17th) we have some wonderful early garden offerings:

CROP - QUANTITY - PRICE
Spinach - 1 gal bag - $3.00
Lettuce - 1 gal bag - $3.00
Salad Bowl or Black Seeded Simpson
Radish - sandwich bag - $1.50
Garlic - 2 plants - $1.00
Onion - 4 plants - $1.00
Walla Walla, Alisha Craig, Red Burgermaster or Yellow Sweet Spanish
Shallots - 1 plant - $1.00

Here are some of my favorite ways to eat these great vegetables:
SPINACH - I love to add it to pastas, just wilt it over some heat such as when the meat or sauce is almost done. Incidentally, this is a great way to get kids to eat cooked spinach. Of course, I also love a fresh spinach salad!
LETTUCE - There isn't anything better than a salad or sandwich made with fresh garden lettuce...what taste!!
RADISH - My family traditionally eats radishes raw and dipped in some salt. But I recently had a sandwich with thin sliced radishes in it. What a spicy addition! It was delicious.
GARLIC, ONIONS, SHALLOTS - I personally think every dish tastes better with these vegetables included. With all three you can use all of the plant. The green tops make delicate additions to omelets, salads, etc.

Doesn't it just make your mouth water? Please email your order by 6:00pm on Wednesday and I will deliver your order on Thursday. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! Thank you!
---Annie