It’s been a rough growing season. We’ve struggled to get to where we felt like we were providing our CSA members with the value and fulfilling the trust they placed in us. The Spring weather was extreme and unpredictable, and then the sudden unrelenting heat set us back without much recourse. Still these past weeks have been on the bountiful side and the season stands to end on a high (weather permitting).
One of the noted differences for us (last week) is that I finally got to give our green beans a try. So, I found myself with a pound of green beans and no idea what to make. When I found this, I was instantly intrigued by the simplicity and the new approach to gnocchi. We love gnocchi and use it often in place of pastas. However, baked and crispy was something I hadn’t seen before. It looked almost too simple and I’m always a bit suspect of prep times, because we’re not all as practiced or as skilled as a lot of those developing recipes and posting them out to the internet. I’m happy to share that this took me less than 10 minutes to prep and the bake time really is only 20 minutes.

Here’s a link to the original: https://www.theleangreenbean.com/sheet-pan-gnocchi-with-sausage/ I didn’t bother trying to come up with a balsamic sauce, but fully agree that you could use about any sauce you choose. Also, I just used the herb & garlic mix I had on hand for oregano/italian seasoning step. I’d say follow the base and you could season it to about any taste.

Ingredients

• 1 pound gnocchi (shelf stable or frozen)
• 3–4 fully cooked chicken sausages, sliced (I used Andouille)
• 1/2 pound (about 2 cups) green beans, cut to bite-sized pieces
• 3 Tbsp oil (I use avocado oil)
• salt and pepper to taste
• optional- sprinkle of oregano or italian seasoning
• Balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese, to taste

Directions

1. Put gnocchi and chicken sausage on a large sheet pan. Drizzle with oil and stir until well coated. Sprinke with seasonings.
2. Bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes.
3. Remove sheet pan and add green beans to the pan. Stir everything and add a little extra oil if desired.
4. Return to oven for another 10 minutes.
5. Plate, drizzle with balsamic vinegar and top with parmesan (or desired sauce) and serve.

Zucchini is a veg that always seems to arrive in mass quantities that overload our kitchen counters and pantries quickly and seemingly without end. Still it’s a veg that I love and am always happy to have growing exponentially in the garden. We’ve used it in traditional ways such as grilled, as noodles and in breads. But my best experience was when I made these muffins and our eldest asked for more. Little bonus back story, she’s the kid that at one point (about 2-3years old) at green beans like they were McDonald’s fries and overnight stopped eating anything green. Then we come to the day 7-8 years later that she decides to try these muffins. Now she always mentions making a batch, as our zucchinis begin to ripen.

I found them originally on Pinterest, while looking for ways to use our abundance of zucchini, but it’s a Taste of Home recipe. You can find it and more on their site: https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/zucchini-chocolate-chip-muffins/

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat the egg, oil, milk, lemon juice and vanilla; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in zucchini, chocolate chips and walnuts. Fill 12 greased or paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
2. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Freeze option: Freeze cooled muffins in an airtight container. To use, thaw at room temperature or, if desired, microwave each muffin on high for 20-30 seconds or until heated through.

Garlic Scapes are something we discovered when learning about growing garlic. The scape is the bud of flower and basically holds the seeds or starts of future garlic plants. As growers, we harvest them to encourage the plants energy into larger bulbs opposed to the production of fresh garlic plants. Still that doesn’t mean they don’t have other uses. They tend to be less fiery than matured garlic and can be used in making pesto or added to stir fry, for a unique flavor option.

Here’s a link to the original posting, along with some other ideas: https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2010/06/the-crisper-whisperer-what-to-do-with-garlic-scapes-recipe.html

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pine nuts
• 3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes*
• Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• A few generous grinds of black pepper
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
• *Or use half scapes and half herbs such as basil, dill and chervil

Directions

1. 1.In a small, dry pan set over very low heat, lightly toast the pine nuts, stirring or tossing occasionally until just beginning to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool for a few minutes.
2. 2.Combine the scapes, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt, and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse about 20 times, until fairly well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running. When the oil is incorporated, transfer the pesto to a bowl and stir in the grated cheese. If you plan to freeze the pesto, wait to add the cheese until after you’ve defrosted it.

So many of us believe we don’t like spinach (or a lot of other greens for that matter), but after having it fresh from the garden … well it’s a game changer. Canned or trucked-in spinach doesn’t hold a candle to the flavor one finds in fresh spinach. Add fresh picked strawberries and we found ourselves an unbelievably tasty combo.

Here a link to the original: https://www.wellplated.com/spinach-strawberry-salad/

Ingredients

For the Spinach & Strawberry Salad

•  3/4 cup raw pecans
•  1/2 small red onion — very thinly sliced
•  10 ounces fresh baby spinach — I also love a 50/50 arugula and spinach blend
•  1 quart strawberries — hulled and quartered (about 1 pound)
•  3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

For the Poppy Seed Dressing

•  1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
•  3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
•  1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
•  1 1/2 tablespoons honey
•  1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
•  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
•  1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Toast the pecans: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the pecans in a single layer on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the pecans smell fragrant and the center of a pecan is tan when the pecan is broken in half. (Do not walk away from the oven in the last few minutes of cooking. This is when nuts love to burn.) Transfer to a cutting board and roughly chop.
2. Place the sliced onions in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit while you prepare the rest of the salad (this keeps their flavor but removes the harsh onion bite).
3. Prepare the dressing: In small mixing bowl or large liquid measuring cup, whisk together all of the dressing ingredients—vinegar, oil, poppy seeds, honey, mustard, salt, and pepper—until well combined. (Alternatively, you can shake the ingredients together in a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid).
4. Assemble the salad: Place the spinach in a great big serving bowl. Add the strawberries. Drain the red onion and add it as well. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat the leaves. Assess the amount of dressing. You want the spinach leaves to be nicely moistened but not swimming in dressing. Add a little more if needed to suit your preferences. Add the feta and pecans. Toss lightly to combine. Serve immediately, with extra dressing on the side as desired.

We stumbled across this recipe while looking for something new to do with our butternut squash. Since we had the gnocchi and spinach on hand as well, it just made sense. Plus I’m a huge fan of anything that makes fewer dishes to be washed.It went over like gangbusters and I was a little upset we didn’t have leftovers. Still can’t complain when even our pickiest eaters are not only willing to give it a try, but are willing to go back for more.

Here’s the link to the original: https://www.wellplated.com/italian-sausage-butternut-squash-gnocchi/

Ingredients

•  5 tablespoons butter — divided
•  1 pound ground sweet Italian turkey sausage — removed from casings if needed
•  1 small butternut squash — about 1 1/4 pounds, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 3 1/2 cups cubes total; if you have a little extra, use a very large skillet and add it all if you really love squash, or reserve the extra for another time)
•  1 small yellow onion — diced, about 1 cup
•  3 cloves garlic — minced
•  1/2 teaspoon kosher salt — plus additional to taste
•  1/4 teaspoon black pepper
•  1 teaspoon rubbed sage — or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
•  1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•  1 1/2 to 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
•  1 pound potato gnocchi*
•  5 cups loosely packed baby spinach — about 5 ounces or 5 generous handfuls
•  1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan — optional—we loved it both with and without
•  Pinch red pepper flakes — optional

Instructions

1. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a very large skillet with a tight-fitting lid over medium high. Once the butter is melted, add the sausage. Cook, breaking apart the meat, until it is browned and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a plate.
2. Reduce the skillet heat to medium. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Once melted, add the squash and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and golden, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, rubbed sage (if using fresh sage, wait to add it until the end), and nutmeg. Continue cooking until the garlic is softened and fragrant, about 1 additional minute.
3. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and gnocchi to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium high. Stir to coat the gnocchi, then cover the pan. Cook, covered, until the gnocchi is just tender, about 5 minutes. Uncover and stir in the sausage. Stir in the spinach a few handfuls at a time, allowing it to wilt. If you’d like a looser sauce, add a bit more chicken broth. Sprinkle with Parmesan and season to taste with additional salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Enjoy hot.

Recipe Notes

• Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Rewarm gently in the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of extra chicken broth or water to keep it from drying out.
• You can find packaged gnocchi near the pasta in your grocery store.

What happens when a thunderstorm closes down the Market? We make fresh salsa! The great thing about Tomato Salsa (Pico de Gallo) is not only is it super simple, but you can use just about any variety and spice to your preference.

Ingredients

• Roma tomato – we used about 10-12
• Sunsugar tomato – we used about 25-30
• Mortgage Lifter tomato – we used 3-4
• Jalapenos – we used 3-4
• Bell pepper – we used 4-5
• Onion – we used one
• Cilantro – to taste
• Garlic – we used 3-4 cloves (we really like garlic)
• Fresh ground black pepper – to taste

Instructions

1. We chopped our collection of tomatoes and bell peppers into half inch sized pieces, and diced an onion into quarter inch pieces.
2. The jalapeno, cilantro and garlic we minced
3. Once everything was cut down to reasonable size, we placed everything into a food processor to mix and finish chopping down the tomatoes and bell peppers.

Recipe Notes

• If you don’t care for cilantro, you can substitute parsley.
• Control the amount of spice with the number and type of pepper you use. We used jalapeno, but you can use Habanero if you’d like more kick.
• The salsa can be stored for 7 days, but keeps longer if you can it.

Please understand that this isn’t an exact recipe, because I really didn’t measure anything. It’s really that easy – just chop and blend. I recommend tasting as you go and stopping a bit before it’s where you like spice-wise because it will gain flavor as it sets.