The Weekly Share

2 pick-ups have passed since the last post, with a vacation in between!  Here’s what we got and what we’ve done with it:

Share 10

1 box cherry tomatoes

1 oz. cilantro

1 1/2 lbs. potatoes

1 head garlic

2 hot peppers

2 sweet peppers

2 cucumbers

1 box raspberries

4 oz. green beans

10 sprigs basil

2 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1 tomatillo

1 bunch green onions

4 lbs. tomatoes

1-2 eggplant (NOT taken)

I picked this up on Tuesday, then we left for vacation on Friday.  We ate the raspberries.  I cut up the peppers and we ate some of those.  I dried the basil.  I pureed and froze the tomatoes (along with 4 lbs from week 9), and I made cilantro ice cubes, but otherwise, the rest waited until we got back from vacation on Tuesday…just in time to pick up…

Share 11

5 lbs. tomatoes

up to 20 sprigs of basil (I took 6)

1 melon

1 oz. cilantro

6 oz. green beans

2 tomatillos

2 sweet peppers

2 cucumbers

2 jalepeno peppers

2 hot peppers

1 head lettuce

1 head garlic

1 summer squash

1 box cherry tomatoes

I will blanch and freeze most of the green beans, along with a huge haul from our garden.  I plan to make some fresh salsa, too, since I have so many tomatoes and hot peppers.  I made pickles with 5 lbs. of cucumbers from our garden, plus a few from the share.  I have made 9 quarts of pickles so far.  We opened a jar already, even though they are supposed to sit for 8 weeks (1st batch until September 22nd!).  They were very good!

Last night I cooked up a triple batch of tomato sauce, using the frozen, pureed tomatoes from last week and a few fresh tomatoes from this week.  As per something I had seen on the internet, I shredded a zucchini and a yellow squash and added that to the onion, garlic and carrot mixture.  I have to say that my end product does taste a little “squashy,” so maybe I added too much.  What I have is a base sauce that I can add to/adapt for whatever the recipe calls for.  I am making a sausage rigatoni bake tonight.  I will use my sauce and let you know how it turns out.  Look for a post on the tomato sauce recipe tomorrow.

We had a large share today!  Here’s what we got:

• 12 sprigs of basil (that’s right – 12!)
• 2 lbs. of potatoes
• 1 zucchini
• 10 oz. carrots
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cabbage
• 1 tomatillo
• 2 green peppers
• 1 garlic
• 1 hot pepper
• 2 quarts of cherry tomatoes
• 4 lbs. of tomatoes
• okra (I helped myself to 2)

I’ve already hung up 6 sprigs of basil to dry.  The other 6 sprigs will go to a friend who uses fresh basil all the time.  We have been harvesting basil from our garden, too, so I have plenty!  I still have potatoes left over from the last 2 weeks, so I’m gonna have to get creative.  Maybe potato pancakes?  Twice baked potatoes?  Yum!  I’ll let you know…  Tomatoes are definitely in season now, no doubt about it!  I think it’s time I learned to make homemade spaghetti sauce.  We use so much at our house that it will definitely benefit the grocery budget!  I’ll make some fresh salsa, too.  As for the cabbage, I will make this recipe.  It’s got bacon in it so my kids are sure to love it!