Fennel, Peas and other Delights!

The diversity of crops is increasing exponentially week-to-week. Here is a snapshot of how I enjoyed my harvest. Please share how you enjoyed your harvest at lindadansbury@comcast.net. and please put Anchor Run in the subject line.

Summer squash, scapes, scallions - grilling is often my cooking method of choice. There are so many ways to prepare summer squash but my go to and favorite way to enjoy it is to grill it. I normally slice it into what looks like pickle spears. Drizzle with olive oil and then place on a grill allowing it to turn brown, but cooking slowly enough that it can soften a bit. Once done, it can be used in so many ways - plain and eaten with another drizzle of olive oil (or not), salt and pepper and/or chopped fresh herbs; added to a pasta dish, either in a hot pasta dish or cold one. This time, I chopped up the list from above and made a room temperature salad, adding a vinaigrette made of a bit of balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, olive oil and salt and pepper. One mixed, I added a generous amount of chopped basil and a small grating of Parm cheese. So yummy my mouth is watering just thinking about it!

Beets, greens, scapes, scallions -no, you didn't miss the beets in the pick up room. I had not used mine up yet (although the greens were long eaten in a dish). I roasted my 2 weeks worth at one time, peeled them and placed in fridge. Once roasted, there is so much you can do with them. I made the Roasted Beet and Beet Green Risotto, but instead of beet greens, I used dandelion and Radicchio. For the rest of my beets, I made a vinaigrette and added scallion, scapes and sliced roasted beets. This preparation keeps for a couple weeks and I will either use with the beets as the focus or add a couple slices to green salads.

Fennel, parsley - made the Shaved Fennel and Parmesan Salad. Year-to-year, I forget about recipes on this site. So, as we receive crops I search again and am always happy to find great ways to use our veggies. This salad is so simple and delicious - I am not always a fan of eating fennel raw, but the combination of parsley, thyme and lemon juice and the addition of Parm cheese is such a delicious combination - try it!

Peas - I have to say that this week, I didn't cook any of the peas. Instead, I snacked on them raw. So sweet, these peas need nothing added. I ate some along with lunches and when I came home from work really hungry I grabbed a handful and dipped them in hummus (if I had thought ahead, I would have defrosted one of the few containers of baba ganoush I still have in my freezer from last year's eggplant crop - but more about that at a later date)!