Today we feasted on a beautiful meadowlark lunch lovingly prepared by Cy. Cy is living here at the farm, in the granary and we are grateful for his good cooking skills, patient and hard working manner and we admire greatly his choice to move through the world on wheels; bicycle wheels! Cy biked here from Detroit this spring and we are so glad that he did..... His kind and gentle, thoughtful spirit is appreciated.

Boxes this week include: ailsa craig sweet onion, garlic, carrots, rainbow beans, rainbow new potatoes, cauliflower, zucchini and summer squash of various hues, green kale bunch, salad mix and tarragon and rosemary together in a bag as well as fresh chamomile flowers for a pot of yummy tea(1 TBL of flowers to one cup of hot water for a smaller amount). Premium shares receive the first eggplant, little tomatoes and one cuke. Fruit shares receive organic tart cherries, time for pie or cobbler!

We grow many varieties of zucchini/summer squash and the familiar straight green zucchini is but one. We grow a variety called "Meteor" which is straight and yellow and considered a zucchini as well. There are patty pans, or little yellow space ships plus a variety called "Zephyr" that is yellow with a green tip and slightly curved. "Zephyr" is considered a summer squash, which means it's skin is more tender. It seems that either you love them or revile them and we are definitely in the love camp. Ella and I could eat zucchini every night! One of my first and favorite food memories was a visit to my grandma mary in Muskegon. She not only let me into her kitchen, she welcomed me and encouraged me to play with her spices and to make a sautéed zucchini dish for dinner that was of my own design. I was probably 10. I chopped and sniffed and tasted and basically had more fun with food than I could ever remember. It made a big impression on me, and every time I sauté zucchini, I think of that evening. I loved my grandma's laid back and fun approach in the kitchen and it instilled an early ethic about food, cooking and fresh vegetables that I hope my kids will carry into another generation. Try this easy recipe:

PENNE WITH CREAMY GOLDEN ZUCCHINI

-3 medium zucchini/summer squash (cut into half moons)

-1 # penne pasta

-1 TBL unsalted butter

-1 TBL extra virgin olive oil

-2 medium garlic cloves, minced

-1/4 c. chiffonade cut basil

-1/4 c. heavy cream

-freshly grated parmesan cheese

Bring 4 qts. water to a boil in large pot. At this time, I encourage you to think about cooking greens, like kale. One of my favorite fast ways to include greens in a quick dinner, is to blanch greens in pasta cooking water, in a colander that you can easily lift out after greens are tender and done. Broccoli is great this way, so is kale. 4 minutes is usually all this takes. Then you can bring the water back up to a boil and cook your pasta. Meanwhile, the water has taken some of the good greenness on and your pasta can soak it up.....a great way to get your kids some green foods when they don't even know it! Ok, back to the zucchini. Heat butter and oil together in a large skillet over medium high heat. Too low and your zucchini will get mushy. When foaming subsides, add zucchini and salt. Stir often until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and basil until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add cream and 1/3 c. cooking water from pasta pot, using measuring cup to scoop out water. Cook until just heated through and taste for salt, then remove sauce from heat. Reserve ½ c. cooking water and drain pasta. Toss pasta with zucchini sauce and add water if necessary to moisten pasta. Serve immediately, passing grated cheese.

Have a great week, thanks for returning boxes and enjoy your vegetables. Love, the meadowlarks

This page last updated on 8/2/2009.

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