Tuesday July 6, 2010 

Greetings CSA Members, 

First, let me apologize for the poor resolution of the 
photograph this week. My intention was good – show a 
visual of the following wonderful excerpt from Jen Mace. If you visit us on Facebook, you will be able to see a version with more clarity and focus. Jen stepped into her boots here this season and works as if she has been here for years. We are very lucky farmers! Here is what she wrote about the trellising of tomatoes. 
Last Monday I had my first experience trellising tomatoes. I already knew that tomato plants need extra support to thrive, but I never realized just how much care is taken to ensure they are protected! Tomato plants have a vine-like stalk that can bend and break if not supported properly. The plants we were working with were flowering and just barely starting to have tiny tomatoes, but they were already sagging from the weight of their limbs. I was given a roll of twine and shown how to tie a knot around the stalk of the plant where it seemed to be the strongest and to make sure the knot was loose enough that it wouldn’t choke the plant. Then, I wound the twine around the main stem of the plant, making sure it would be evenly supported and all the branches had room to grow. Once I got to the top of the plant, I reached up overhead to the wire that had been placed there in the days before. One wire ran over each row of tomatoes, 5 ½ to 6 feet above the ground and was pulled taut over large posts that had been driven into the ground at the ends and at regular intervals in the rows. I would take the twine that had been wound around the tomato and tie it to the wire above making sure that the plant was held firmly, but loosely enough that it had room to move and grow. The hardest part for me was winding the twine around the stem. The plants are so fragile and I didn’t want to break off any branches, so I had to go slowly until I got the hang of it. At the end of the day, my hands were nearly black from the tomato stems and my legs were hurting from so much bending down and stretching up overhead, but I looked back at all the rows we finished and was proud. Apparently, it’s the first year this type of trellising is being used at Denison Farm; hopefully, all our hard work will pay off! 

The trellised tomatoes are absolutely beautiful and healthy 

– all credit due to this amazing, hard-working crew. 
Enjoy your share this week! Take care – Justine 

This week in your share, you will most likely find: 
Lettuce, Parsley, Sugar Snap Peas, Cucumbers, Scallions, Fennel or Broccoli, and Zucchini/Summer Squash 

Creamy Broccoli and Carrot Slaw 

3 tablespoons mayonnaise 
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 
1 1/2 teaspoons grated onion 
1 1/4 teaspoons coarse-grained Dijon mustard 
1 1/4 cups shredded peeled broccoli stems 
3/4 cup shredded peeled carrots 

Combine mayonnaise, fresh lemon juice, onion and mustard in medium bowl; whisk to blend. 
Add broccoli and carrots; toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper. 
Refrigerate to blend flavors, about 20 minutes.

Zucchini and Summer Squash 

Storage 

Refrigerate unwashed zucchini and summer squash for up to a week and a half in a perforated plastic bag or in a sealed plastic container lined with a kitchen towel. 

Handling 

Rinse zucchini and summer squash under cool running 
water to remove any dirt or prickles; then slice off the stem and blossom ends. Slice the vegetable into rounds, quarters, or chunks according to the specifications of your recipe. 

Baked Zucchini Halves Stuffed with Wild Rice and Quinoa 

Serves 4 to 6 

1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise 
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa 
1/2 cup cooked wild rice 
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3/4 ounce) 
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil 
1 medium onion or ½ 
cup chopped scallions 
1 rib celery, chopped 
3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs 

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Cut out the center from each half of the zucchini with a paring knife, being careful not to puncture the bottom or the sides; reserve the centers. Transfer the hollow halves, cut-side up, to a baking dish. 

Coarsely chop the zucchini centers and put them in a 
large bowl. Add the quinoa, wild rice, and Parmesan. Stir until well combined. 

Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. 
Add the onion and celery; cook for 5 minutes, stirring 
frequently. Stir in the bread crumbs and salt. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the bread crumbs are well mixed in and heated through, about 1 minute. 

Add the bread crumb mixture to the quinoa/rice mixture and combine well. Stuff hollow zucchini halves with the quinoa/rice mixture. Cover with aluminum foil; bake for 40 minutes. 

Remove the foil. If you wish, dot each half with a pat of butter. Continue baking until zucchini is very tender and the filling is golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Serve warm. 

Sweet Zucchini Crumble 

Serves 6 to 8 

4 1/2 cups flour 
3 cups sugar, divided 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
1 1/2 cups shortening, softened, or butter, cold 
6–8 cups thinly sliced zucchini (about 4 large zucchini) 
2/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons) 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/4 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg 

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Stir the flour, 2 cups of the 
sugar, and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Add the shortening or butter and cut it into the flour with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture looks like coarse oatmeal. 

Pour half of the mixture into a 9x13-inch cake pan. Using your fingers or a rubber spatula, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and set it aside. 

Combine the zucchini and lemon juice in a large pot over high heat and cook until zucchini is tender, 8 to 10 minutes. 
Stir in the remaining 1cup of sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 
Simmer for 1 minute more. Stir in 1/2 cup of the reserved 
flour mixture and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove the pot from the heat to cool for 10 minutes. 

Pour the zucchini mixture over the baked crust and 
sprinkle with the remaining flour mixture. Return the pan to the oven and bake until it is lightly browned and bubbly, 40 to 45 minutes. 

Zucchini Recipes from the Farmer John Cookbook