Veggies: Heralds of Love
As All Good Plants Come to Fruit, Shareholders Enjoy A Gorgeous Mid-Season Share
Embarking on Week 10, we're now halfway through our vegetable journey! This is the time of year when so many of the plants are bearing fruit and this recent bout of thunderstorms should presumably jump-start what was suffering under an oppressive heat and drought. Thank goodness for the tempest! Our clever farmers were able to coax their crops to yield regardless of the delay of rain however, and our middle point is therefor scrumptious as usual.
The mid-season shar e baskets always have crowd-pleasing favorites like tomatoes, sweet corn, and peaches - just the things people imagine when they think of fresh local veggies. But a fresh local vegetable is just a beautiful lump of colorful flesh without you, Dear Reader. Love is the ingredient required to transpose the skin and meat of tomatoes, green beans, and corn to something of form and dignity, to some delicious meal. You need the gentle touch of your knife-wielding and spoon-stirring skills, as you season to taste, transforming raw ingredients with the artistry of a poet! So set to work with a calm mind and full heart as you chop and sauté this week!
If you're lacking inspiration, utilize these recipes as muses:
Spaghetti with Cilantro, Corn, and Tomatoes
Courtesy Bounty from the Box: The CSA Farm Cookbook by Mi Ae Lipe
2 very ripe medium tomatoes, stem ends removed
1 medium ear fresh corn, husked
1/2 pound spaghettini
1 egg
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tbsp full-flavored oil
1/4 c cilantro, finely minced
1/8 c chopped red onion
Drop the tomatoes and corn into a large pot of salted, boiling water; return to a boil on the highest heat. Boil 15 seconds. Remove the tomatoes; let the corn boil 1 minute, then remove. Cover the pot and lower the heat.
Peel the tomatoes, halve them, and squeeze out the seeds. Cut one of the tomatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Cut off the corn kernels from the cob.
Whirl the egg in a food processor until it turns pale and fluffy; cut up the remaining tomato and add with vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste. Whirl to blend well.
Boil the spaghettini until it becomes just barely tender. Toss the drained pasta in a warm serving dish with the oil, to taste. Add the egg-tomato sauce and toss to coat. Add the cilantro, onion, corn, and remaining tomato; toss gently and serve at once.
Summer Squash with Corn and Cilantro
Courtesy Health.com
 1 teaspoon olive oil
3 1/2 cups cubed summer squash (about 1 pound)
1 cup frozen whole-kernel corn
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add squash and corn; cook, stirring occasionally, 7 to 8 minutes or until squash is crisp-tender.
Remove from heat, and stir in cilantro and remaining ingredients.
Kale and Goat Cheese Fritatta Cups
2 cups chopped kale 
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoons red pepper flakes
8 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled
Preheat the oven to 350°F. To get 2 cups kale, remove the leaves from the kale ribs. Wash and dry the leaves and cut them into 1/2-inch-wide strips.
In a 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook the garlic in 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat for 30 seconds. Add the kale and red pepper flakes and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with the salt and pepper. Add the kale and thyme to the egg mixture.
Using a 12-cup muffin tin, use the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to grease 8 of the cups (you may also use butter or non-stick spray if you'd prefer). Sprinkle the tops with goat cheese. Bake until they are set in the center, about 25 to 30 minutes.
Frittata is best eaten warm from the oven or within the next day, but leftovers can be kept refrigerated and reheated for up to a week.
Still feeling intimidated by summer squash? There are a million-and-one recipes out there. Check these out. Or these. Or these!
 Thanks to William Shakespeare for all his thoughtful aid in writing this week's newsletter. We needed you to feel all the veggie love and go forth into the veggie-fueled week with the strong, romantic heart of a poet to embolden you in the kitchen!
Did you slip away and haven't yet returned to us? Order online now! There's still time today to order for this week's Thursday and Saturday stops! If you call, we may even be able to work something out sooner. Coventry and Oberlin almost always have extra shares - send your friends or new lovers over to join in the fun!
Peace and veggies,
Anna Kiss Mauser-Martinez
Director
City Fresh
annakiss@cityfresh.org
216.469.0904
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