Red Earth Farm CSA weeks 2, 3, 4

Friday, June 26, 2009

I’m not doing too well with the CSA updates! I tend to get repetitious with the vegetables I order so that I know that my 3 year old will eat at least some of them. Over the past 3 weeks we’ve gotten:

3 bunches Swiss Chard
3 small yellow squash
4 medium zucchini
2 bunches green onions
1 bunch green garlic
4 red tropea onions
3 pints snap peas
1 bunch red russian kale
1 bunch beets
1 bunch basil
2 bags garlic scapes
3 heads of baby Pak Choy

We were supposed to get cherries and a dozen eggs through our fruit and egg shares last week but didn’t. Hopefully they’ll make up for that later in the season. We also ordered two quarts of Pequea Valley Farms Yogurt- plain and strawberry through the buying club, and now that it’s summer we can pick up our meat order from Meadow Run at the same site as our Red Earth Farm pickup in Roxborough instead of driving to Mt. Airy to get it.

To make room for the new vegetables I made Zucchini Fritters with a side of snap peas for dinner the other night. The zucchini fritters are a summer favorite since they don’t heat up the kitchen too much. The snap pea recipe is one I modified from the recipe I submitted to the June/July issue of Grid Magazine. I substituted green garlic for the green onions.

Zucchini-Bacon Fritters

1 medium zucchini, grated (Red Earth Farm)
2 spring onions, chopped, including 1-inch of the green parts (Red Earth Farm)
Six slices thick cut bacon (Meadow Run Farm)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, slightly beaten (Meadow Run Farm)
1 and 1/2 tbs. maple syrup
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste

Use a kitchen towel to squeeze as much of the moisture out of the zucchini as you can.

Pan fry,  or cook the bacon in the microwave between paper towels to soak up grease, for about five minutes or until crisp.

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Crumble the bacon into the mixing bowl adding the other ingredients. Mix to combine. Mixture will not seem like it will hold together, but it will. I forgot to drain the zucchini and the mix was very wet, but it still worked.

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium heat, sprayed with cooking spray. (Or use the pan that you fried the bacon in.) Spoon batter into the skillet about a tablespoon at a time for small fritters. Flatten slightly to cook. Cook each batch about 2 minutes per side, til golden and cooked through. Makes about 10 small fritters or 6-8 medium. Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt.

Sugar Snap Peas with Bacon and Green Garlic

4 slices thick cut bacon (Meadow Run Farm)
2-3 spring garlic, chopped small (Red Earth Farm)
1 pint sugar snap peas (Red Earth Farm)
1/4 cup cold water
Salt and pepper

Brown bacon in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Crumble when cool. Remove all but a tablespoon of drippings from the pan, add garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Add sugar snap peas and water to the pan, lower heat to medium low, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover and cook off most of the remaining liquid. Stir in crumbled bacon and remove from heat. Salt and pepper to taste.