Todays is a sweet and lovely temperature and the farm family is gathering to feast on a middle eastern extravaganza prepared by Nancy Allen(with her lovely sous chefs ella, elena and eli) .  This week's box includes:  salad mix, garlic, sweet onions, shallots for every other week shares(looks like little yellow onions),  carrots, zucchini, thin skinned diva cukes, dino kale, green beans, broccoli, eggplant of various shape and hue for all,  green pepper and cauliflower plus heirloom tomatoes and rainbow chard for premiums.  Dill is the herb of the week  Look for tomatoes for all next week.   Fruit this week is delectable goldburst plums from Richard Allen and blueberries from Bernie and Sandee Ware.

Phew!  The veggies are abundant and we hope that you will enjoy some raw veggies through the week and take the opportunity to create some new dishes too.  With this hot weather, our family eats a ton of cucumbers and we hope that you will too!  They are cooling,  full of water and really hit the spot.  Slice some thin, add salt a splash of vinegar, garlic, fresh dill or basil and refrigerate.  Also, here's our families favorite way to eat zucchini.  As Ella says, she and I could eat zucchini every night this way.  Just mince some fresh meadowlark red garlic, slice zucchini into thin rounds, in a large saute pan add olive oil and butter together and then sautee over high heat until zucchini starts to crisp around the edges.  You don't need lots of oil and the trick is high heat and careful tending.  Great with pasta as a side dish with meat or with rice too. 

          We are happy to have the A-Z cookbooks back again, so if you'd like some suggestions for how to handle your box of veggies, consider the investment of $15 for a great resource.  Just email jenny at meadowlarks4@yahoo.com to reserve a copy and we'll include one in your box.  Here's a recipe to try for all of those cukes:

                                                EASY CUCUMBER SALAD

-3 c, thinly sliced cukes             -1/2 c. sweet onion, thinly sliced          -1/3 c. sugar

-1/4 c. vinegar                          -1/2 tsp. celery seed

Place cukes and onion in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt.  Let stand 1 hour.  Drain.  Mix dressing ingredients in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil, cook and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Pour over cukes and let sit in the fridge for several hours or overnight.      

          Here's a flower reminder.  If you want to keep fresh cut flowers looking their best, make sure to change the water every other day(in the vase) and remember to keep your vases clean, clean clean.   Bacteria is the bane of flowers. We use ecover non-chlorine bleach to clean our buckets and vases.  Try this at home and use a bottle brush.  You can get a bottle of ecover  at oryana. Have a great week, don't forget to return those boxes and for future reference, all Higher Grounds coffee must be picked up at the roastery.  You'll still receive the generous CSA discount!  Love, the meadowlarks