While I always used to think of August as the height of summer, I have come to notice that after August 1st, the fields truly begin to change. Watching the crops in the field, June and July are actually the months of extreme growth. Even though we have just started harvesting summer crops, many of the plants in the field have started to turn yellow and begin to die back. We have only been milking Stella for a month, but now I need to turn on the light in the barn, rather than milking in the dim light.
This week's pick list:
- Tomatoes
- Corn
- Zucchini and summer squash
- Cucumbers
- Scallions
- Onions
- Garlic
- Hot peppers
- Fennel
- Cabbage
- Lettuce
- Chard
- Kohlrabi
- Carrots
- Celery
- Basil. dill, cilantro, and parsley
- Pesto basil
- Pick your own cherry tomatoes and tomatilloes (located in the flower field)
- Strawberries
Zucchini & Hazelnut Salad, Adapted from Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi
(Serves 4)
1/3 cup shelled hazelnuts
7 small zucchini (about 1 3/4 lbs in total)
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and black pepper to taste
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/4 cups mixed green basil leaves
3 oz top-quality Parmesan, broken up, very thinly-sliced or shaved
2 tsp hazelnut oil
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Scatter the hazelnuts over a baking sheet and roast 12-15 minutes or until nicely browned and toasted. Let them cool down (remove skins if needed) before chopping roughly or just crushing lightly with the side of a large knife.
Turn on the grill to high and let heat.
Meanwhile, trim the ends off of zucchini and cut on an angle into about 3/8-inch-thick slices. Place zucchini slices in a bowl and toss with half the olive oil, salt and black pepper. Place the slices on the hot grill pan and cook about 2 minutes on each side, turning them over using tongs. You want to get distinct char marks without cooking the zucchini through. Transfer to a mixing bowl, drizzle balsamic vinegar over and toss to combine. Set aside to cool slightly.
Once zucchini has cooled down, add the remaining olive oil, basil and hazelnuts. Mix lightly and taste for seasoning. Place salad on plates, incorporating the Parmesan, and drizzle over the hazelnut oil.
