Week 8 CSA Newsletter 2020 (August 9-15)

The week 8 box.

CSA Newsletter Week 8

August 9-15, 2020    |    “B” Week

KALE (1 BUNCH) ~ Store these in a Debbie Meyer Green bag or Tupperware FridgeSmart container right away and leave it in the fridge. Use within a week. This crop technically falls into the category of “danger zone veggies” — ie they have a short shelf life. So use them or freeze them early in the week. you can use the stalks too!

CARROTS ~  Store the roots dry and unwashed in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Keep the tops if you like to make carrot top pesto, dry them, or add to a salad.

RED POTATOES (2 LB.) ~  Store these in a cool, dark place away from onions (which will make the sprout). Light will your potatoes green so avoid light exposure. These come from Mile Creek Farm — one of our partner farms.

RED ONIONS ~  These are cured, so they should be stored on the counter.

YELLOW SWEET CUBANELLE PEPPER ~ These are long-shaped peppers with a lime green color. They LOOK like a hot pepper, but they are NOT. Use like a sweet pepper. Store in the fridge in a Green bag. Use within 2 weeks.

EGGPLANT ~ Not sure all sites will get this. Store in the fridge in a Green bag. Use within 7 days. Cut the skin off and chop into rounds or cubes.

PARSLEY ~ Store in a Green Bag in your fridge and use within a week.

SWEET CORN (NOT ORGANIC) ~  These will be passed out as an “extra” in a special plastic bag along with your bin. Store sweet corn in its husk in the fridge. Corn will turn starchier the longer you store it, so try to enjoy it in the first 3-5 days.

SUMMER SQUASH (2 pieces) ~ You will get some variety of Yellow Zephyr and Green Zucchini. Try grilling these, zucchini fries, making zucchini boats, sauteing in olive oil, or roasting. To store, place in a Debbie Meyer Green bag and put in the fridge. Try to use it within 6-7 days, as sometimes they can start to mold fast. You’ll get better storage results in the Fridgesmart container. To use: rinse under water to remove the dirt or prickles, and slice off the stem and blossom ends. Then slice or chop.

Danielle Kuhl, the Cocktail Queen, made this cantaloupe cocktail with gin last week! Who wants her to share an idea every week?…

FRUIT SHARE – PS: It’s “B” Week!

BLACKBERRIES  – store these in their plastic containers in the fridge or in a Fridgesmart container.

PEACHES — from Quarry Hll Orchard

SPECIALTY MELONS — from Bench Farms, Cut these down the middle, scoop out the seeds, and slice into the creamy interior.

MADDIE & BELLA COFFEE SHARE

Bella’s Breakfast Blend

Howdy everyone! This week I switched my focus to fall planting. I’ve got seed trays filled again in the greenhouse for the final weeks of our season. I found a few hours after midnight to disc-rip the back fields. This is called “re-conditioning” the soil so they are ready for planting fall transplants, which should happen this week. We’ll be doing fall brassicas for the CSA and booster boxes — things like cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, kohlrabi.

My bonus room off the barn has a new set of swinging doors. Glen did a great job getting that project finally done. I can start moving bins into the area this week hopefully once I line the walls. That will clear some much-needed space for our wash bay.

The cherry tomatoes are officially “ON” now!

The crew has been sorting garlic whenever there is a spare minute. Friday and Saturday, they pulled more onions. I’ve got SO MANY ONIONS. Not sure I’ll be growing that many next year! I’ll be pulling more shallots and onions this week again. I had a fair number of shallots rot this season — same thing happened last year. So I need to decide if this crop is worth growing in the future.

I sent the onions to my farmer friend’s place in Fremont to cure. He has a huge pack shed area where I can lay things out to dry. My greenhouse just isn’t big enough and it’s too hot for the job. I’ll be picking up the red onions this week that have been curing there (to put in your share). And dropping off the onions we pulled this week to cure.

The garlic seed must be sorted by size. Biggest bulb are pulled out to become seed to pass on their ideal traits. Smaller bulbs are shared with customers.

The tomatoes are officially in season! Yeah! The cherry tomatoes always come in first. Picking these will become a regular “chore” of the day for our crew. The zucchini and cucumbers are on their way out. So the tomatoes will replace them in the routine. I’ve got a second planting of cucumbers and zucchini for the last part of the season. We’ll see if they materialize. It was a great year for summer squash!

Jed has been having success with his remote control airplane. This is his second kit he built. The first one crashed and burned in the back corn field pretty bad. He was discouraged for about 30 minutes, and then decided he would try again. I’m proud of him.

Jed has recently gotten into remote control airplane kits. Here he is after 20 flight attempts (that went pretty well).

I spent Friday afternoon with the boys at the ORDC Fremont Research Station. Here, researchers grow new trials of corn, tomatoes, melons — every variety you can think of! They test them against controls for yield, pest resistance, sprays, fertility, size and taste. They’ll even spray diseases on plants on purpose, just to see what will happen. I was able to go and taste different sweet corn trials and ask them about their research findings. This helps guide me on new crops to grow, as well as spray programs and fertility trials. My boys enjoyed tasting all the corn! LOL. They are so funny. It was hard taking time away from the farm to go do that. But it’s important for me to keep learning and growing as a farmer.

~Your Farmer, Kurt

Ariel Dodgsen found the first Golden Ticket this week!

WEEK 8 ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. The Willy Wonka Golden Ticket Contest Winnerst! Only 2 of the Golden Tickets were found and claimed. The winners are The Moyer family and Ariel Dodgson! Congratulations! Present your ticket this week at your pickup site and a wonderful prize awaits you….There is still one more unclaimed ticket out there! If you found a Wonka Chocolate bar in your box last week and were wondering, “What’s up???” YOU ARE THE LAST WINNER!  Please contact me and I’ll have a prize waiting for you at your pickup site.
2. Watch our weekly Live Unboxing video this Tuesday around 8 PM inside the private Facebook group. Cadie Jardin, our CSA coach and dietitian, will show you what’s in the box, share storage tips and ideas for how to use your product. You can find the Facebook group at this link.
3. You can order additional items from the Shared Legacy Farms online store. Our store link is super easy to remember: www.sharedlegacyfarms.com/store ==> grab some syrup or bonus veggie items (like an extra bunch of carrots). Just be sure to select the right pickup site that coincides with your pickup location. If the pickup option is greyed out or not available, it means you missed the window to order. You need to place your order 2 days before your site. I reload the store and set new pickup dates on Sunday afternoon.

The sweet corn tassels sway in the wind and blow their pollen down below where it can fertilize the ears.

The Sweet Corn Tassel

Before I married Kurt, I thought the only definition of a “tassel” was the swishy thing you flipped over to the other side of your graduation cap. Turns out in the farming world, it means something totally different. And if you came out to our fields this week, you’d see some corn “tassels” sprouting out of the third planting of corn right now.

The corn tassel is the male part of the plant’s flower, which produces pollen to fertilize the female flowers in the ears. Down below, on the top of the forming husk, there are little strings or “silks” forming. As the tassel is pollinated by insects (or as the wind blows it around), the pollen falls down below onto the silks of the corn husks. Each little silk leads to a single forming kernel on the cob. If a silk isn’t pollinated, then that kernel won’t develop! Your ear of corn has all its kernels because the tassel dropped enough pollen to pollinate all the silks of that plant. So if you see a few missing kernels in your ear of corn, now you know why!

See the missing kernels? Find out what causes it…

You may have tried growing sweet corn in your garden with mixed results. Usually the kernels won’t fully develop all around the ear in home gardens unless you manually shake the tassel onto the ears. It grows more easily in large fields because the wind blows from all directions to hit all sides of the ear.

Sweet corn is very hard to grow organically. So we buy our corn from our parents (who are known for having the best sweet corn in NW Ohio). They do spray pesticides to keep the worms at bay. But they don’t just spray willy-nilly. The Benches actually have a “trap” in the corn — a white net that catches white moths. Every few days, they count the number of moths in the net to gauge how many “worms” are probably out in the corn. This helps them determine how often and where to spray.

Even so, you may find an occasional caterpillar at the tips of your corn. If so, don’t throw the whole ear away! Just remove the damaged part, and eat the rest.  This corn is so sweet you can eat it raw. But eat it soon, because as soon as it’s picked its sugars start to turn into starch.

Sweet corn is different than field corn. Farmers usually grow both. Sweet corn is what you eat  — it’s grown for human consumption. The plant stalk is much shorter — about 5 feet tall. Field corn (on the other hand) is grown for animal feed, corn syrup, cereal, and other corn products. This kind of corn stalk grows about 9 feet high, and farmers don’t harvest it until the fall, when the corn ears look almost dry. Then, the combines come out and “shell” the corn all at once in a frenzy, to take to the grain elevators.

I still remember my “try-out” when I met the Benches for the first time. I was being introduced as “the girlfriend” to Kurt’s parents, and they took me the sweet corn path to help them pull corn. I innocently took the bushel basket in my hands and started walking backwards as Kurt picked ears of corn and threw them into the basket. “MMMmmm…” I thought. “What fine muscles he has.” The bushel basket began to get heavier and heavier, its metal handles digging into my palms. Finally, I was able to dump it onto the large bin on the trailer. “Okay that was fun!” I said. “Now what?” Kurt chuckled. “Oh, we’re not done, babe.” And so went back to the same row of corn and repeated that process again, and again, and AGAIN.

I never did that again. (But I passed the test).

WEEK 8 CSA RECIPES

Members: You can download these recipes as a PDF inside the Membership Academy.If you aren’t a member of this year, email Corinna at slfarms2@gmail.com — your entry is free as a CSA member. This week’s recipes are:

• Chimichurri Sauce
• Classic Gremolata Sauce
• Zupa Toscana (Kale, Sausage and Potato Soup)
• Stir Fried Kale with Tomatoes
• Turkey Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers
• Grilled Cubanelle Peppers with scallions and tomatoes
• Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad
• Garlic and Parsley Roasted Potatoes
• Oven Roasted Carrots and Kale
• Crustless Summer Zucchini Pie
• Kale, Potato and Carrot Curry
• Peach and Cinnamon Upside Down Cake
• Peach and Raspberry Galette
• Cantaloupe Margarita

Chimichurri Sauce

Adapted from Bon Appetit (www.bonappetit.com)

Makes 2 cups

I know you’ve got parsley around, here’s a few suggestions. Members request! Use as a marinade for meat, but also as a garnish when it’s done!

Ingredients:

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 Fresno chile or red jalapeño, finely chopped

3–4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or finely chopped

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp kosher salt, plus more

½ cup finely chopped cilantro

¼ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

2 Tbs finely chopped oregano

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Combine shallot, chile, garlic, vinegar, and 1 tsp. salt in a medium bowl. Let sit 10 minutes. Stir in cilantro, parsley, and oregano.

Using a fork, whisk in oil. Transfer ½ cup chimichurri to a small bowl; season with salt and reserve as sauce.

Place meat in a glass, stainless-steel, or ceramic dish. Toss with remaining chimichurri. Cover and chill at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

Remove meat from marinade, pat dry, and grill.

Spoon reserved chimichurri over grilled meat.

Classic Italian Gremolata

Adapted from The Kitchn (www.thekitchn.com)

Makes ~ ½ cup

Here’s another one! Hope you still have some garlic from last week.

Ingredients:

1 small bunch parsley, washed and dried, ~ 1 cup loosely packed

1 clove garlic, papery skin removed

2 lemons, washed and dried

Directions:

Remove the leaves from the parsley — enough to make 1 cup when very loosely packed.

Chop the parsley with a chef’s knife until it is nearly finely chopped. It should be less than 1/2 cup.

Using a microplane or fine-toothed grater, grate the garlic clove over the parsley.

Using the same grater (don’t bother to wash it), grate just the zest from the two lemons on top of the garlic.

Continue to chop the parsley, mixing in the garlic and lemon as you go, until the parsley is chopped very fine.

Use the gremolata right away or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one day.

Zuppa Toscana (Sausage, Bacon, Potato and Kale Soup)

Adapted from Salt and Lavender (www.saltandlavender.com)

Total time ~40 minutes

Serves 6

I made this for the first time 3 or 4 years ago and I don’t think I’ve ever seen my husband eat soup so fast. It will forever be a seasonal staple for us; I usually only make it when we get kale and potatoes this time of year. I’ve never added the bacon and it still turns out perfect!

Ingredients:

1 (17.6 ounce) pack Italian sausages

5 strips of bacon (thick cut works best)

2 cups chicken broth (beef works too)

4 cups water

1 medium onion chopped

4 large red potatoes roughly cubed (leave skins on)

5 cloves garlic minced

1 dash Italian seasoning

1 cup heavy/whipping cream

1 small bunch of kale torn into bite-size pieces (remove stems)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Using kitchen shears (or a knife), cut the bacon into small pieces and put them into the pot. Cook the bacon for a few minutes over medium-high heat. I like to give the bacon a bit of a head start so it gets nice and crispy.

Take the sausages out of their casings. I lightly slice the sausages length-wise with a sharp knife to make a slit in the casings, and then it’s really easy to get them out. I then use my fingers to break the meat into bite-size pieces and add them to the soup pot as I go.

While the sausages and bacon cook, I chop the onion and potatoes, making sure to stir the bacon and sausages occasionally.

When the sausages and bacon are nicely browned and crispy, add in your chicken stock and water.

Add onion, potatoes, garlic, and Italian seasoning.

Bring mixture to a boil and then reduce to medium-low heat to simmer.

Cook for 10-15 minutes or until potatoes and onions are tender.

Add kale, cream, and salt and pepper and cook for a further 5-10 minutes or until the kale is soft and wilted.

Stir Fried Kale with Tomatoes

Adapted from Food and Wine (www.foodandwine.com)

Total time ~ 15 minutes

Serves 4

A great fast side dish that can pair with most proteins!

Ingredients:

2 Tbs EVOO

½ medium onion, sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 bunch kale, de-stemmed and chopped

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half

2 tsp soy sauce

½ tsp sesame seed oil

½ tsp dried thyme

Kosher or sea salt, to taste

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the oil and then stir in the onions. Cook for about 2 minutes or until the onions are soft.

Add the garlic and kale and stir occasionally cook until the kale is softened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Stir in the tomatoes, soy sauce, sesame seed oil and thyme. Cook until heated through

Season with salt and pepper and serve hot.

Turkey Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers

Adapted from Chili Pepper Madness (www.chilipeppermadness.com)

Total time ~50 minutes

Serves 5

Stuff peppers! Stuff collard greens! We love it all.

Ingredients:

5-6 Cubanelle peppers

1 tsp EVOO

1 jalapeno pepper chopped

1 small yellow onion chopped

1 pound ground turkey

1 Tbs red chili powder

1 tsp corn starch

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp dried basil

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup water or chicken stock

1 cup shredded Manchego cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the olive oil.

Add the jalapeno and onion and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add the ground turkey and cook it through, stirring as you go, about 8 minutes.

Stir in the seasonings and water or chicken stock. Simmer for 10 minutes to let the flavors mingle and the moisture to evaporate. Remove from heat.

Slice the Cubanelle peppers in half lengthwise and scoop out the innards. Set them onto a large baking sheet.

Scoop the seasoned ground turkey into the pepper halves then top them with Manchego cheese.

Bake them for 20 minutes for slightly crunchier peppers, or 30 minutes for softer. Remove and sprinkle with spicy chili flakes, fresh chopped herbs, and pesto, zhug or chermoula, if desired.

Grilled Cubanelles, Tomatoes and Scallions

Adapted from Martha Stewart (www.marthastewart.com)

Total time ~15 minutes

Serves 8

Try grilling these peppers with almost any combination.

Ingredients:

Safflower oil or oil of choice for the grill

2 bunches scallions, trimmed

4 plum tomatoes, cut in half

8 cubanelle peppers

¼ cup EVOO

salt and pepper

2 tsp sugar

Directions:

Preheat a grill to medium-high, and brush grates with safflower oil. Soak 4 pieces of kitchen twine in water. Separate scallions into 4 smaller bunches; secure with twine. Brush scallions, tomatoes, and peppers with olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cut sides of tomatoes with sugar.

Grill vegetables, turning occasionally, until tender and well charred, 5 to 6 minutes for scallions and tomatoes and about 10 minutes for peppers.

Corn, Tomato, Avocado Salad

Adapted from Feel Good Foodie (www.feelgoodfoodie.com)

Total time ~ 20 minutes

Serves 4

I know, I know…another corn salad. But you’ve got cherry tomatoes this week! Make some extra dressing and add some more veggies- chopped up kale, peppers, zucchini or cucumbers!

Ingredients:

1 cup romaine lettuce chopped (optional)

2 ears corn or about 1 ½ cups (corn removed from the cob)

1 pint cherry tomatoes halved

1 avocado diced into 1/2-inch pieces

2 Tbs red onion finely diced

2 Tbs EVOO

1 Tbs fresh lime juice

2 Tbs fresh cilantro chopped

¼ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

Directions:

Combine the corn, avocado, tomatoes and onion. In a large glass bowl, mix together the dressing ingredients in a glass bowl.

Pour over the salad and toss gently to mix. Great for several days in the refrigerator!

Garlic and Parsley New Potatoes

Adapted from Genius Kitchen (www.geniuskitchen.com)

Serves 4

Use your green garlic for an amazing side dish this week!

Ingredients:

12 small red potatoes

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped

3 tsp EVOO, divided

salt and pepper

Directions:

 Scrub the potatoes well. Pare a 3/4″ strip around the middle of each potato (this is just to give you a little contrast in color).

Place potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Simmer covered for about 20 minutes or until tender.

Drain potatoes and place them in a bowl add two teaspoons of oil& toss.

In a non stick fry pan add the remaining oil over medium heat.

Add garlic, cook approximately 1 minute.

Add parsley, salt& pepper, mix well.

Add potatoes, reduce heat to low and cook stirring constantly for 1 or 2 minutes. Serve

Oven Roasted Carrots and Kale

Total time ~30 minutes

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

½ lb carrots, sliced lengthwise, then cut on diagonal

5 ounces kale, washed, thick stems removed

1 Tbs EVOO

½ yellow or white onion (this would be great with a vidalia or sweet onion)

4 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

Salt and (optional) parmesan cheese to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop kale finely. Chop the onion.

Combine kale, carrots, onion, garlic and olive oil in a large bowl and use your hands to mix it well. Make sure all the kale gets massaged with oil.

Spread in a 13 x 9 baking dish and cook 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through. (The carrots should be tender and the kale wilted and brown in spots.) Sprinkle lightly with salt and parmesan if using, and enjoy.

Crustless Summer Zucchini Pie

Adapted from Skinny Taste (www.skinnytaste.com)

Total time ~30 minutes

Serves 6

I made this last week and its super tasty! Could have at any meal!

Ingredients:

10 oz shredded zucchini, all liquid squeezed out

½ cup shallots, chopped

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

½ cup part skim mozzarella

2 Tbs grated parmesan cheese

½ cup white whole wheat flour

1 tsp baking powder

2/3 cup fat free milk

1 tsp EVOO

2 large eggs, beaten

½ tsp kosher salt

fresh cracked pepper to taste

cooking spray or more oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°. Lightly spray a pie dish with cooking spray.

Combine zucchini, shallots, chives, and mozzarella cheese in a bowl. Sift flour and baking powder in a medium bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and blend well.

Combine with zucchini mixture and pour it into the pie dish. Top with parmesan cheese and bake 30-35 minutes or until knife comes out clean from the center.

Let it stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Kale, Potato and Carrot Curry

Adapted from Meatless Monday (www.meatlessmonday.com)

Serves 2-4

Great way to use a lot of veggies in a filling dish! It also uses a large of variety of spices, great for your palate and your health!

Ingredients:

1 Tbs coconut oil or EVOO

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 medium green chili pepper, deseeded, finely chopped (use less if you prefer less hot curry)

2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

2 tsp finely chopped fresh ginger roots

4 carrots, peeled and diced (1 ½ cups of diced carrots)

2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

2 cups chopped kale (stems removed, leaves chopped)

1 cup coconut milk

2 cups water

salt and pepper

Directions:

In a wok or cooking pot over high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or olive oil. Stir in the ground coriander, cumin and turmeric, and cook for a few seconds, until fragrant.

Add the onion, chili pepper, garlic and ginger, and cook stirring often for 1-2 minutes.

Add the carrot, potato and kale, and cook for about 6-7 minutes stirring frequently, until the kale has wilted.

Cover with coconut milk and water, add salt and pepper, and stir well. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-high heat, and simmer covered for 30 minutes, until the potato is cooked through and tender.

Taste, and add more salt and pepper if needed. Remove from the heat, and let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serve with naan bread or rice.

Skillet Cinnamon Sugar Peach Upside Cake

Adapted from Half Baked Harvest (www.halfbakedharvest.com)

Total time ~50 minutes

Serves 10

Love this website for anything sweet! Enjoy these peaches while they last.

Ingredients:

1 ¾ sticks (14 Tbs) salted butter

½ cup plain greek yogurt or sour cream

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 ½ cups grabulated sugar

1 Tbs vanilla extract

1 cup whole milk, room temperature

1 ¾ cups all purpose flout

1 ½ tsp baking powder

1 Tbs plas, ½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

4-5 peaches, thinly sliced

Bourbon cream:

½ cup heave cream

1 Tbs bourbon (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Add the butter to a 10-12 inch oven-safe skillet set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir often. Remove from the heat and carefully pour the butter into a large mixing bowl. Grease the skillet with the butter left in the skillet, making sure every inch of skillet has been buttered. Set the skillet aside.

To the mixing bowl with the browned butter, add the yogurt, eggs, 3/4 cup sugar, the vanilla, and milk, beating until combined. Add the flour, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and the salt. Mix until just combined.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 3/4 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon. Sprinkle the bottom of the buttered skillet with 3 tablespoons of cinnamon sugar. Arrange the peach slices in a single layer over the sugar, then sprinkle the peaches with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar.

Pour the cake batter over the peaches. Sprinkle the top of the cake with 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar, then arrange the remaining peach slices on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar.

Place the skillet on a baking sheet. Bake 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean .Let the cake cool in the skillet for 5 minutes.

Run a knife around the edge to loosen. Carefully invert the cake onto a serving plate. Let cool slightly.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the cream and bourbon on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 3-4 minutes. Cut the cake into wedges. Serve warm, topped with whipped cream

Peach and Blackberry Galette

Adapted from Food and Wine (www.foodandwine.com)

Serves 8

Susan in the group made this last week and it made me SO jealous! Thank you Susan for sharing.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface

1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs granulated sugar, divided

¾ tsp kosher salt, divided

10 Tbs unsalted butter (5 ounces), chilled and cut into small cubes

4 to 5 Tbs ice water, divided

2 Tbs cornstarch

1 pound peaches, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges

8 ounces fresh blackberries

2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

1 tsp grated lemon zest plus 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice

4 thyme sprigs

1 large egg, beaten

2 Tbs light-colored jelly or jam (such as apple or apricot)

Directions:

Combine flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in bowl of a food processor. Pulse until well combined, about 5 times. Add cubed chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles small peas, about 12 times. Add 1/4 cup ice water; pulse until mixture is evenly moistened, about 8 times. Mixture should hold together when pinched. If it doesn’t, add remaining 1 tablespoon ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time, pulsing 3 times after each addition. Turn mixture out onto a clean work surface. Shape into a ball, and flatten into a disk. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Chill at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.

Unwrap dough, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out into a 14-inch circle (about 1/8 inch thick). Trim into a 12-inch circle; discard scraps. Place dough circle on a parchment paper–lined rimmed baking sheet, and chill, uncovered, until firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add peaches, blackberries, melted butter, lemon zest and juice, and thyme sprigs; toss to combine.

Arrange fruit mixture in center of chilled dough circle, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold dough edges up and over filling (dough will only partially cover filling), pleating every 3 inches. Lightly brush folded dough edges with beaten egg. Sprinkle dough edges and filling with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

Bake in preheated oven 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (without opening oven door), and bake until crust is golden brown and fruit mixture bubbles in middle, 40 to 45 minutes.

Transfer baking sheet with galette to a wire rack, and let cool 30 minutes. Microwave jelly in a small microwavable bowl until melted, 30 to 45 seconds, stirring every 15 seconds. Brush jelly over warm fruit filling. Serve galette warm, or let cool completely to room temperature, about 1 hour.

Cantaloupe Margaritas

Adapted from Urban Bliss Life (www.urbanblisslife.com)

Total time ~10 minutes  Serves 2

Our group always loves a good cocktail!

Ingredients:

2-1/2 cups chopped cantaloupe

2 oz añejo tequila

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 Tbs light agave nectar

mint leaves or lime slices for garnish

Directions:

Add cantaloupe, lime juice, tequila, and agave nectar in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into two margarita glasses.

Garnish with fresh mint leaves or lime slice. Cheers!