We’ve reached the midpoint of our Summer Season, and about this time each year, the Zucchini and Summer Squash go bonkers. They’re the original “pick me” girls of the agricultural world, I swear. They’re relentless, and I know you feel it on your tables too! For much of the year, I wake up, and make a list of exactly how much we need to harvest in a given day (ie: 200 heads of lettuce, 12 bunches of Chard, etc). But many of the crops we enjoy most at this time of year—the Cucumbers, Zucchini, and any day now Tomatoes and Beans, dictate how much or how little is ready for harvest and insist that we go through and pick them several times a week. We do what we can to keep up; however, we’re calling it what it is and giving ourselves over to our late-Summer overlords.

Hot days are on their way, and I’m sweating just thinking about it. But, there will be fresh Red Haven Peaches from Okanogan on hand too, and that sort of syrupy sweetness goes a long way. I’m the sort of person who will go to great lengths to avoid cooking when it is hot, but shredding up a quick slaw, splitting a head of lettuce down the middle for a nice wedge salad, or if I am feeling ambitious, popping those halves onto the grill for a hot bit—those are the kinds of summer meals that I can muster up the energy to make when the temps creep up. While I may not be thrilled about the heat, I am overjoyed that our Napa Cabbage and Little Gem Lettuces are ready for harvest this week. Little Gems are SO CUTE. They’re smaller, squattier heads of lettuce that still form nice little hearts. Napa is frilly, elongated and can be used to make anything from Kimchi to a creamy slaw. Such a treat!

The crew harvested hundreds of pounds of Zucchini and Summer Squash this morning, and the week has only begun. I know. I know. I know. Zucchini has a reputation that is larger than life, and if overlooked at harvest time, that’s exactly how big it will get. Ironically, what gets under people’s skin about Zucchini is exactly what makes it so great. Indeed, it has a tragic flaw—serious fortitude! And like many great heroes of lore, Zucchini is one that we can all count on. Somehow, it is ALWAYS there, regenerating right before our eyes. (Speaking of which…we just picked the field you see pictured 10 hours ago, and the little baby ones are already sizing up on our heels). Zucchini can overwhelm, but it is beyond versatile. It can be the basis of a crowd-pleasing pan of Lasagna, a noodle, a boat, or as was the case when I made lunch a few minutes ago, something that barely counts as a recipe. I quickly sliced up two medium sized zucchini into raw thin rounds on my mandolin slicer, right overtop of a bowl that held a chopped up piece of leftover grilled chicken. Topped the whole shebang with some leftover dressing from last week (this Creamy Ginger-Sesame one) and called it a quick and tasty salad lunch. No matter how you slice it, spiralize it, grill, it grate it or even air fry it, Zucchini gives us lots of options and opportunities to enjoy our Summer meals. I’ve included a few of my favorite recipes below, and I look forward to sharing a whole lot more from members of the CSA as the season moves along!

Enjoy!
Katie