Life on the Farm (Week 31)

On this chilly day, the solitary bees, out foraging for their livelihood were slow, slow, slow. This beautiful, multicolored beastie was hiding amongst the coneflowers, and I was able to get close enough for a photo-op. These native pollinators do the lion’s share of work for all of us— and they are all around, often going unnoticed, mislabeled sometimes as “flies”. They live their lives individually, foraging for nectar and pollen to make “bee bread” that is packed in around individual eggs in small holes in dead trees and serves as early food for the next generation. Noble little beasties.

“Cold” was the word this weekend. Not sure what everyone else thought of it, but the peppers were voicing their complaints!

Peach People: All is on track for peaches to arrive the week of approximately Aug 10. We will keep you posted on delivery date to your dropsites.

The Market is open for all to see. **Sorry for the delay in opening the market; Razz awoke Sunday to a bizarre, profound headache that scared us both and went to spend some time in the CT machine. All’s fine.

Ordering will be open from Sunday morning until Monday 8pm. Get your orders in now so harvesting can begin specific to your requests.

Deliveries will be made Wednesday per usual to your chosen Dropsite Location .

Recipes for your consideration

Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Parsley

1 lb fresh or frozen gnocchi
2 Tbsp margarine
2 shallots, chopped
2-3 zucchini, sliced into lengthwise ribbons with vegetable peeler
15-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
½ tsp sea salt
Ground black pepper to taste
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup grated parmesan-flavor vegan topping (Galaxy Foods)
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped

Prepare gnocchi according to directions. (See add’l recipe to make it yourself! Pretty easy.)

Melt margarine in large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and zucchini, cook 2-3min until softened. Add tomatoes, salt, nutmeg, ground black pepper and continue cooking until tomatoes start to breakdown, 1-2min.

Stir in parmesan-flavored topping and parsley.

Add to cooked/drained gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

Nana’s Western Style Barbeque Wheatmeat
My favorite over rice or mashed potatoes, from my grandmother’s kitchen.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium/large onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp veggie Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp red pepper
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp paprika
3/4 cup catsup/ketchup
3/4 cup water
1 lb. seitan/ “wheat meat” chicken-style

Combine all ingredients and simmer 30-45 minutes. Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

Did You Know…

…we are now famous? Well, in a miniscule way. ? The online crop planning software we are using, Ag Squared, did us the honor of a little blurb in their newsletter this week. Kinda fun.

Ag Squared July Newsletter featuring Farm WLIG.

Produce Subscription Highlights

Anticipated this week for the CSA produce subscription boxes:

Tomatoes
Carrots
Cucumber
Broccoli
Green beans and wax fillet beans
Sweet pepper
Jalapeno peppers
Summer squash and zucchini
Cabbage (red and green varieties)
Onions, purplette
Parsley
Chives
Cilantro

Start your meal planning now!

We hope to feed you soon!

Roger and Lara

**If you’d like to stop receiving emails, just jump into your account on the website (farmwlig.locallygrown.net, My Account) and scroll to bottom; check appropriate box.