It’s going to be a hot week, a physically demanding week, a Mega-Zucchini week, and thankfully, a perfectly ripe Blueberry week at Wild Hare. Blueberries are the ultimate refreshing treat, and that’s exactly what we need when the temps creep up. We’ll have the first cups available for our CSA this week and a few for sale at the farmstand too. Our crop is sizing up big and sweet, and now it is just a race against the heat and the birds. By July, I swear we’re always racing to keep ahead of something—if its not weeds, its bugs. If not bugs, then birds. And if not birds, its probably a mechanical bearing screaming in distress…which it actually was. Shortly after I snapped this photo of the corn irrigation moment above, Mark found himself performing an emergency walk-in-cooler compressor repair. I wish he didn’t have to be such a handy dude, but we’re sure lucky that he is. Mid-July is a less than ideal time to be short on refrigeration. In addition to those blues, we’ll have the tender Oakleaf and Butterleaf Lettuces that you all enjoy, and bunches of Mini Daikon for this week, which you can enjoy tops and all. The Zucchini and Summer Squash are loving this heat, so fire up the grill, or get to grating or spiralizing. We enjoyed a wonderful raw Zucchini Salad prepared by our friends John and Heather from Inch Acres over the weekend, and it delicious. Turn on the oven for zucchini bread if you must, but scroll through the recipes below if you’re like me and want nothing to do with that on a hot week!

Stay Cool,
Katie

PS: The first few pops of color are starting to show in the CSA Flower Garden. We hope to open it up for upick by next week (fingers crossed!).

We Greens love eating and growing Greens of all kinds, and I know that it can feel a bit overwhelming, if not intimidating, when fresh greens start to take over your fridge and table. Because of this, we experiment with many varieties, sizes and colors throughout the year, and this week, we’ve got some CUTE Little Gem Lettuces on the harvest list. Little Gems are smaller, squattier heads of lettuce that have a nice little heart to them. And since the Lettuces aren’t gargantuan, we’re dipping into our big beds of assorted bunching greens this week for the CSA too. We grow several delicious options for eaters to choose from, so to help you decipher and make the most of them in the season ahead, I’m reprising a little “Field Guide” of sorts to introduce you to our lineup, with a whole lot of helpful links scattered throughout.

Ok, now it REALLY feels like Summer. Just as I hope for every year, Zucchini and Summer Squash have come on just in time for holiday weekend grilling, and so have the Fava Beans! We love growing and eating fresh Fava Beans, and it seems like they only get more and more popular among our customer base with every year. Fresh beans are such a fleeting treat, and if you're new to the world of Fava Beans, be sure to check out the tips in the recipe section below for some ideas for putting yours to use. And if you're looking for a way to enjoy them without the fuss (or the stove), and impress your family grill-side this week, you can grill the pods whole, let them cool a bit, and then pop them out casually to enjoy them as a savory snack. Every year, Hazel and I spend an evening or two yapping on the porch, pulling big broad beans out of their pods and skins before cooking them into our dinner (usually pasta at that point). Yes, the shelling process takes a bit of extra work, but an opportunity to slow down and pass the time together is beyond worth it, especially since she’s old enough to work gainfully in the Farmstand and tell you how much she loves Fava Beans herself!