Zucchini

Baked Summer Squash

/ christineouteraisle / Leave a comment

Serves 6

2 pounds summer squash (such as zucchini, pattypan squash, yellow crookneck squash)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon flaked salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the stem ends and slice the squash cross-wise in 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Toss with the olive oil.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, salt and pepper. Arrange the squash rounds in a 9-x12-inch rectangular baking dish, or 10-inch pie plate. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over.

Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another five minutes until the top is bubbling and crispy

Enter: April

/ christineouteraisle / 1 Comment

Surprise! Zucchini season has begun…never before have we had them so early. The tunnel houses are amazing and a great investment that is paying off with early crops. So far, the basil and tomatoes are surviving the frigid early April temperatures and we feel pretty confident that they’ll make it through. The forecast is calling for 80 degree weather next week and we are gearing up our garden crew with this preparation: “Monday the checkered flag comes down so make sure yer oil’s changed and yer gas tanks’r full”  It has been observed that the swapping out of the Winter birds (sparrows) for the new arrival Summer birds (Tanager) is a sure sign that we are about to experience some warm weather.

Surprisingly, the fava beans are 5 feet tall – amazing with the little rainfall we’ve had and no supplemental water. The fava is an ancient cultivated plant thought to have been present in the Mediterranean diet around 6000 BC or earlier. The whole plant is edible and fava greens make a delicious complement to any dish as an edible garnish. The flowers are extremely fragrant and can also be eaten. But the pods are what we are waiting for; Italians are so passionate about fava beans that they celebrate the arrival of the first protein of the season with a national holiday! Other benefits of legumes are discussed in an interesting article from one of our dedicated perveyors: Terra Firma Farm.