Happy Summer (crops)

The weather has suddenly changed to summer, and with it summer veggies are starting to arrive. Here are some tips on the new veggies we are receiving now:

Cucumbers - everyone knows how they like cucumbers, but check out this site for interesting ideas for salsa, quick pickling, salads you hadn't thought of before, and even sauteing. As with so many other things, cucumbers do not like to sit sealed up in a bag all wet so dry them off and place in a plastic bag, or place a towel in the bag with the cucs. They will keep well like this for at least a week.

Cabbage - check out the cabbages in the pick up room this week - the really interesting variety that I have only seen at Anchor Run is called Caraflex - it is smallish and has a pointy shape. The tight shape helps keep pests away, plus it tastes good! As with above, check out this site for prep ideas on how to enjoy it - you may be surprised by what you find. There are a couple of recipes that call for roasting the cabbage - when roasted so that it gets brown edges, it sweetens the cabbage to reveal an almost nutty flavor - this is probably how I like it best. Store in fridge in plastic and it will keep for awhile.

Beets - the beets won't have the leaves on them, for the same reason Swiss chard is currently on a pause - leaf miners badly damaged the leaves - but the roots are still delicious. They're more elongated this spring due to the extremely dry weather in May; their roots stretched down in search of water. Store in the fridge - they do keep for a long time, but the sooner you consume them, the tastier they will be. I like roasting them and making them into or adding them into salads.