Welcome to Week #3 of our Summer CSA program! Gosh, things around the farm have just erupted! Plants are finally making the growth spurts which we normally expect around late June/early July. But we are just grateful to be seeing it at all! But it’s so exciting to walk out each day and see significant changes in the landscape of the farm. The corn is almost to our hips so it is dominating the space its in while the potatoes are sending out their flowers and filling out.

After a week off of Farm Camp, we are back it at. Yesterday morning we welcome 17 new campers to the farm. They are our Lil’ Sprouts camp (6-7 yr olds) and they are SO fun! They are loving farm life and getting to do all the farm chores. Of course, their favorite is feeding the goats and holding the kittens!

Meanwhile, our middle son owns and operates his own Hay business so while Ethan and Gus are running farm camp, Logan is out cutting, raking and baling hay around the Missoula Valley. He has been running this business for 5 years (since he was a sophomore in high school). It is hard work but he loves it…actually the hardest part is dealing with some of the people. He has a tender heart and some people aren’t very kind these days. But it’s all part of life and the earlier in life you learn how to handle that, the better! Right?

I'm including a recipe this week which we tested this past weekend! It was fabulous and we had zero leftovers which is always an indication of a successful dish! The recipe calls for shallots which you will probably be seeing in a few weeks but you can absolutely substitute this week’s onion for the shallot without any noticeable difference in taste. Using your zucchini (both green and yellow) , onion and basil, you will be able to enjoy this wonderful dish: Creamy Zucchini Pasta

What’s in the Bag this week……

• Broccoli-Fresh cut this morning. We recommend not storing it in the plastic bag. Take it out, run it under cold water, shake it dry and then store it in your refridge.

• Zucchini (Fulls only)This is the first harvest of the summer squash! So exciting. We grow both green and yellow zucchini because we love mixing them together for an eye-appealing dish! We love zucchini not only for it’s health benefits but because it is so versatile. You can saute it, grill it, eat it fresh, shred it for baked goods, make zucchini boats, substitute it for pizza doughs and breads for sandwiches. Endless opportunities to enjoy the abundance!

• Lettuce- This is the year of lettuce! It is thriving and looks beautiful. After these hot days, things may go down hill so enjoy these fresh greens while you can!

• Onions-Yay! It’s the first harvest of fresh onions! These are walla walla sweet onions! We always love the first onions of the season because they are full of sweet flavor and a freshness you just can’t get any other time!

• Dill-a bit of dill for you this week! Excellent in lettuce salads, potato salads, dried, chopped and tossed into zucchini sautes. I love it minced up and added to a bowl of cottage cheese. Childhood comfort food for me! lol!

• Basil-Can you ever have enough basil? I think not! It is the epitome of summer and worth savoring every bit of it until the end of the season!

• Olive Oil- These are samples of the Olive Oils we sell in the store. While we would love to make our own, we just don’t have the bandwidth for that right now. So, we researched and found a company who makes incredible flavors and uses exquisite imported olive oil from small family farms. They also have phenomenal balsamic vinegars which we have in the store also. But we thought you might enjoy a little taste of our most popular oil! Enjoy!

• Cauliflower for all of Thursday’s members: This is the first harvest of cauliflower! We recommend soaking it in a sink of cold water first. That helps get any “hitchhikers” out! Our favorite way to enjoy cauliflower is to drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper on it and roast it! So tender and flavorful!

• Enjoy the week, stay cool and make some great memories!