It's Greek To Me

I've never been to Greece, but Greek food is one of my favorite cuisines. This meal was inspired by this Mediterranean country...and the excessive amount of pattypan squash and cucumbers that came from the farmer's market!  Pattypan squash are a type of summer squash, which means they have soft skin that is edible (think zucchini). They taste similar to other summer squashes - I sautéed it with onion and some salt and pepper. Very simple, very tasty. The sautéed squash was served with lamb meatballs (one of my husband's specialties!) and homemade tzatziki sauce, using one of the two giant cucumbers that came from our share.

Lamb meatballs are always a hit with us, and they are very easy to make. We usually serve them with orzo or rice, but the squash and tzatziki sauce was a nice compliment. Pattypan squash is not something that is stocked at our local grocery store, but if I ever see if in the future, I would definitely get it again!

I Made Pickles, hey hey hey hey!

Cucumbers are one of my favorite vegetables. I love to eat them plain, with a little salt, in salads, or with ranch dressing. When I saw these guys at the farmer's market, I knew it was going to take a lot of strength, on my part, not to eat them immediately. As hard as it was, the cucumbers lasted long enough to be turned into pickles!

A little lesson in pickles: there are two primary ways to make pickles. The first way, which is the method by which the pickles found in groceries stores are made, is much more complicated and is best for making large batches of pickles. This involves pre-soaking cucumbers in brine, and makes pickles with a stronger taste and a longer shelf-life. However, it is worth the time and effort if you find yourself with a large quantity of cucumbers. 

The second method, which I used, is often called "quick pickling" or "refrigerator pickling". Pickles are made by pouring heated pickling liquid (vinegar/water/salt) over cucumbers in a jar, along with various spices. The jar of pickles are then placed in the refrigerator, and in a few hours, you have crunchy and delicious pickles! Unfortunately, refrigerator pickles won't last more than 2 or 3 months, but once you try these, there shouldn't be any problem finishing them before they expire.

Pickling Ingredients

The recipe that was used to make these pickles came from Ted Allen - it was really simple and did not take very long at all to make. It was a little hard waiting for the pickles to cool so that we could eat them, but it was well worth the wait. Pickles, in my opinion, are a great addition to a summer barbecue - so bring on the burgers and dig in!

CSA Week #5

Wow - I was shocked at how much produce was available this week at the Farmer's Market!  What a difference a week makes! I have not seen this many options since our CSA began. It's definitely prime picking time at the farm...3 types of squash, eggplants, kohlrabi, beets, spinach, broccoli, collard greens, 2 types of cucumbers, lettuce...and much more. Here's what I picked on my first week back:

I already have LOTS of idea for what to make with these veggies! Recipes to be posted soon :)

For those of you keeping track, last week I was not able to pick up the produce because we were on vacation. A dear friend picked up our share as to not let any food go to waste....and she picked cauliflower, yellow squash, turnips, and garlic scapes. Her updates will also be posted at a later date!

Happy 4th of July to all my readers from the United States! Hope you have a great celebration full of BBQs & fireworks!