CSA July 15 - P&P

What's in the box
Yellow plums, tomatoes - Early Girls & Sungold, Carrots, Beets, Green Beans, Garlic, Potatoes, Tomatillos, Flowers, Corn, Zukes, Cukes & this week's gift - Zucchini Relish or B&B Pickles.

I picked the corn at 6:30 a.m. so please, have it for dinner.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake Recipe

• 2 1/2 cups regular all-purpose flour, unsifted
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 cup soft butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
• Glaze (directions follow)

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

1 Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside.

2 With a mixer, beat together the butter and the sugar until they are smoothly blended. Add the eggs to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon, stir in the vanilla, orange peel, and zucchini.

3 Alternately stir the dry ingredients and the milk into the zucchini mixture, including the nuts with the last addition.

4 Pour the batter into a greased and flour-dusted 10-inch tube pan or bundt pan. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes (test at 45 minutes!) or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes; turn out on wire rac

k to cool thoroughly.

5 Drizzle glaze over cake.

Glaze: Mix together 2 cups powdered sugar, 3 Tablespoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Cut in thin slices to serve. Makes 10-12 servings. This is from "Simply Recipes" and when I remember who I lent my bundt pan to, we'll all get some!

My Favorite Salad

Wash and Peel cucumbers. Wash and stem tomatoes. Chop up some relish or B&B pickles, mix them with a little honey, mild vinegar, olive oil and dry mustard. Slather over tomatoes and cukes.

Mexican Green Bean Salad Recipe

10 oz fresh green beans, ends snapped off, cut in half into about 1 1/2 inch length pieces

• 

  1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp lime juice or white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
  
• 3/4 cup packed, chopped cilantro
• 1/3 cup canned, pickled jalapeño chili peppers, sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped red onion
• 1/2 cup crumbled cotija cheese or Feta
  
• 1/2 avocado, sliced or cut into inch long pieces
• 1 medium tomato, cut into 8 wedges, or a cup of halved cherry tomatoes

1 Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the beans and simmer until just crisp tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and run cold water over them to cool them quickly. Drain completely.

2 Place beans in a large bowl. Gently mix in the the lime juice or vinegar, olive oil, 1/4 cup onion, sliced pickled jalapeños, sea salt, oregano and cilantro. Let sit for half an hour.

3 When ready to serve, gently mix in the chopped red onion and cotija cheese. Serve the avocado slices and tomato wedges on the side or mixed into the salad.

Serves 4.

Casey's Favorite Corn

Pull back the husks on the corn but don't remove, de-silk the cobs. Pull the husks back up, wrap in foil and put on the BBQ. The foil isn't really necessary, but sometimes we get over zealous removing the husks. You can never have too much butter on corn, but go easy on the salt.

Fun Facts About Corn
• Farmers grow corn on every continent except Antarctica.
• One bushel of corn will sweeten more than 400 cans of Coca-Cola.
• There are about 800 kernels in 16 rows on each ear of corn.
• The corncob (ear) is actually part of the corn plant’s flower.
• The main ingredient in most dry pet food is corn.
• Corn is America's number one field crop. Corn leads all other crops in value and volume of production.
• A pound of corn consists of approximately 1,300 kernels.
I have never waited this long for an early season corn. We planted in March. This is the longest 65 day corn variety I have ever seen. Let me know what you think. Of course then again, I have never had to wait till July for tomatoes.

And what about peppers? They are coming along, I think we'll have sweets and hots in a few weeks, Bells-sometime in August. Melons soon! Basil and cilantro soon.

Don't forget boxes every week! Have a nice weekend.