Veg of the Week 8/10/20: Summer Squash
Summer squash provide an abundance of food and can be cooked in many ways. This year we're growing Dark Star Zucchini (Uprising Seeds) and Patisson (pattypan) Golden Marbre Scallop (Adaptive Seed).
These squash can be prepared in mostly all the same ways but do have some distinctions. Zucchini can reach gigantic proportions very quickly, resulting in a more pithy core. When you find yourself with one of these extra large zucchini its best to cut it into manageable lengths, quarter, and remove the pithy core. This will leave you with plenty of delicious squash.
Patty Pan Squash don't grow as quickly nor do they get as large as Zucchini does and they don't contain as many seeds or suffer from pithiness. They're a great size for a single meal and tend to be a little bit firmer in texture which is great for cooking as they maintain some of their bite. Can you tell we love this summer squash?
What else is growing:
These are new additions to our garden and they'll be available in both full share and half share Farmer's Choice Produce Bags as available! The first of the season is limited but soon there will be plenty!
Kale
Notes from the Farm:
We found this butterfly flying from Queen Anne's Lace to Queen Anne's Lace behind our barn in the just grazed pasture. We think it is the Johnson's Hairstreak butterfly, which is a rare butterfly. It could also be the Cedar Hairstreak Butterfly but we weren't able to find very much information on it.
We were very excited to find this Praying Mantis in our garden! We think it is the California Mantis. Mantises eat a variety of garden pests, including aphids, mosquitos, grasshoppers and caterpillars. We brought this one over to our brassicas, where caterpillars and aphids like to be and hope that it will eat its fill!
We will continue to donate 10% of coffee and tea sales to Equitable Giving Circle, which from their website, "aims to build immediate and increased equity throughout Portland’s BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) communities through a combination of fund development and network building opportunities that center economic equity." We feel strongly about supporting our local community, farmers and access to fresh produce for all.