Yellow Squash

yellow squash has almost a buttery flavor. I remember as a kid having them just sauteed in rounds with a little butter. These versatile vegetables are splendid on the grill, fried up with onions and other veggies for an omelet. thinly sliced raw with cheddar cheese and scallions for  a quick quesadilla. I’e had an excellent soup. they are wonderful in a red sauce for pasta or a curry or any quick stir fry. I’m looking for a good soup recipe and welcome you to comment back with more ideas.

Eggplant

We grow lots of Asian eggplants, the long skinny purple ones. We also grow fat Italian eggplants – Nadia is a little more purple and Black Beauty is really a shiny black. We also grow striped eggplants – some are Italian style, “Calliope,” and the others are tiny little skinny ones, “Fairy Tale.” I think they can all be easily stir fried, grilled, or roasted. I tend to use the skinny ones, sliced once lengthwise for grilling and the fat ones for round slices for fried eggplant parmesan. When the abundance is on, baba ganouj is a great  dip for fresh cut veggies (especially carrots and cucumbers) and pita bread.

Butterhead Lettuce

excellent sandwich or burger lettuce
perfect for lettuce wraps. so far i have heard thai peanut and i tried ceviche (raw white fish, diced small, in lime juice w/ diced red onion, cilantro, dash hot sauce wrapped w/ avocado,lime,red onion, cilantro mash and thinly sliced salted and citrused napa cabbage.
gorgeous salads, of course

Radishes

if you’re not the eating them like an apple type.
very thinly sliced is nice. salt always softens their bite. on a slice of good buttered bread is even softer. and finally, husbands have been telling wives that that was the best potato they have ever had when they are sauteed in butter til just softened. finished w/ S&P

Beets

can be eaten raw if thinly sliced or grated.
i prefer roasted. make a foil packet – best done w/ a significant amount of beets in order to make it worth running the oven for so long – or do in the toaster oven while you go about other business in the kitchen.
anyway: wash the beets, scrub but don’t peel. put on foil, fold sides up. drizzle w/ oil. couple pinches salt. wrap tightly. throw on cookie sheet to prevent any ovenbottom disasters. 400 degrees? check after an hour. when forktender in the center, done. remove from oven, leave in packet – i think the steam helps the skins slip off. after a while go back and pop off the skins. may need a knife to get the top off and get it started. slice or dice and serve anyway. super to have in the fridge and add to a salad w/ bleu cheese, toasted walnuts and balsamic vinaigrette. Al Forno does a great beet and avocado salad w/ arugula, olive oil and a squeeze of lemon, pinch of salt.

Arugula

best if washed and spun soon after you get it, stored in a plastic bag in the fridge, perhaps w/ a slice of paper towel to absorb rogue moisture)
wilted onto a pizza as it is finished cooking. a simple margherita, finished with thinly sliced prosciutto (should melt in a bit) and a handful of arugula tossed w/ oil or not. should wilt right on.
great on sandwiches, in mayo. w/ BLT’s (that was a trick: it is not tomato season yet. try BAM=bacon arugula mayo. fry your beet greens in the bacon grease and throw those in, too.

Hakurei Turnips=Japanese Salad Turnips

the big white ones. tender enough to eat raw. great roasted like potatoes (sliced or diced on a cookie sheet. tossed w/ olive oil, salt, pepper).
superb sauteed in butter until just softened. finished w/ S&P
the greens are great sauteed w/ olive oil and garlic

Napa Cabbage

thinly sliced for a simple slaw.
lemon & tamari=soy sauce dressing
in fish tacos. tossed w/ lime, cilantro, red onion

Bok Choy

stir fries, steamed in the oven with white fish.
featured side dish sauteed w/ ginger, soy, garlic, oil, stock. not necessarily in that order

Garlic Scapes

Look what has already appeared! from our darling Tuesday work-for-share, Tarah Simeone. She has an Italian grandmother and a young daughter that loves vegetables. Nearly unheard of in this day and age. Tarah attributes her daughter’s love of good food to the fact that she handmade all of her baby food.

here is the email and link I got today:

Hey Christy and Chris,
 
I came home yesterday and Raegan wanted to try the Garlic Scapes for dinner.  I went online and found this recipe.  It was delicious!  
 
http://www.spicelines.com/2006/05/garden_journal_curly_garlic_sc.htm
 
 
Tarah

Here is the recipe if the link doesn’t work:

Beef and Garlic Shoots in Oyster Sauce
(adapted from Ken Hom, Fragrant Harbor Taste)

Ingredients:

1 pound sirloin steak, beef fillet or New York strip

For the marinade:

1 teaspoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon rice wine
1 teaspoon sugar
1 egg white
2 teaspoons ginger juice (see note)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 cup peanut oil

4 cloves thinly sliced young garlic
6 to 12 garlic shoots (scapes) or whole scallions, cut into 3-inch pieces
6 slices young ginger, or peeled mature ginger, 1/4-inch thick
4 fresh or canned water chestnuts, peeled and sliced

For the sauce:

1/2 cup rich chicken stock, preferably homemade
1-1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon light soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Method:

1. Put the steak in the freezer for 20 minutes or until it is firm to the touch. Cut it, against the grain, into thin slices. Whisk together the marinade ingredients, add the meat and refrigerate for 20 minutes. Mix the sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Heat a wok or large skillet until it is hot. Add the oil and when it is quite hot (when a sliver of meat dropped in the oil sizzles madly), quickly stir fry the beef for 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the contents of the wok into a strainer set over a large bowl. Allow to drain, reserving some of the oil.
3. Reheat the wok and add 1 tablespoon of the reserved oil. Add the garlic, garlic shoots and ginger, and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the water chestnuts and continue to stir fry for 30 seconds more. Add the sauce ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil. When the sauce has thickened, return the drained beef and mix well. Serve at once with steamed white rice.

Note: To make ginger juice, grate a 1 to 1-1/2 inch piece of peeled ginger into a bowl. You should have about 1 tablespoon. Wrap the ginger in a small piece of cheesecloth, or in the corner of a clean dishtowel, and squeeze it over a bowl. This will yield 2 teaspoons or more of ginger juice.