Wonderful Bounty of July

Been enjoying the delicious veggies the farm brings us - one of the things I do is make a mental note of what I have and what will stay fresh for the shortest amount of time - right now it is okra and eggplant. So, I plan to cook and use these within a few days of receiving them. Next is probably the scallions and cucumbers. Here are a few ways we enjoyed the harvest this week. Please share how you enjoyed your harvest by emailing me at lindadansbury@comcast.net and please put Anchor Run in subject line.

Zucchini - baked up a delicious loaf of Zucchini and Blueberry Bread - since it is peak blueberry season, this is a good time to make it. I make a lot of variations of zucchini breads during the peak season and freeze them for enjoyment during the rest of the year.

Zucchini, garlic - made a dish called Zucchini Pizza Casserole. It was more like a zucchini lasagna than a pizza, but it was quite good. Basically, grate zucchini and mix it with eggs and parmesan and mozzarella cheeses. Place in casserole and bake for 20 min. While that's baking, brown ground meat with onions - I added garlic and Italian seasoning as well. When meat is browned, add tomato sauce. Spread this on top of the zucchini that has been baked, top with more cheese and bake again for about another 20 min. Simple, tasty and lighter than either pizza or lasagna.

Eggplant, zucchini, okra, peppers - once again, grilled up a lot of veggies and then enjoyed them for a few days. I even had grilled veggie sandwiches for lunch - added feta cheese to the sandwich and then had celery and cucumber on the side.

Green beans, scallions, peppers, basil, parsley, cherry tomatoes - made a salad out of this delicious group of veggies. I like to add chick peas because I like to eat the leftovers for lunch and it adds protein. I typically toss with a red wine vinaigrette and add some garlic and oregano, but this could also be slanted in a Southeast Asian way by using a bit of sesame oil, rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce and topped with cilantro.

Tomatoes, peppers, scallion, cilantro and local corn - made a black bean salsa - a fresh, delicious and healthy appetizer!