Week 7 CSA Newsletter 2019

Week 7  |  August 4-10, 2019    |    “A” Week

IN YOUR VEGGIE BOX THIS WEEK:

SWEET CORN (not organic) ~ Standard boxes get 6 ears. Large boxes get 12. This sweet corn comes from our parents David and Cindy Bench. They farm this crop conventionally. That’s why we make it an optional item on the extras table. (Don’t worry… we bring enough for everyone). It is also known for being the best sweet corn in NW Ohio. Sweet corn turns starchy the longer you store it, so for best taste, eat this within a few days. Keep the cobs in their husk until ready to use in your fridge. Take off the outer leaves and silks inside when ready to eat. Then remove any worm-damaged tip with a knife. You can also eat this corn raw. Just cut the kernels off the cob with a knife, and add to salads.

SWEET ZOEY ONIONS ~ Cut the tops off if they come with it. The bulbs of the onions should be stored in the fridge, since they have not yet been cured/dried. They will last about 2-3 weeks. If onions are starting to take over your pantry, you can easily freeze them for later use. Simply chop to desired size and freeze them in a Ziploc.

CUT LETTUCE ~ Don’t wash this until you’re ready to use it. In the meantime, put your cut lettuce in a Debbie Meyer Green bag right away and leave it in the fridge. Use within a week. Lettuce falls into the category of “danger zone veggies” — ie they are in danger of rotting more quickly than other items. So use your lettuce early on in the week for maximum efficiency.

BABY BELL PEPPERS (2) ~ Our first bell peppers are near! We decided to thin out our high tunnel of plants, so you’re getting the smaller peppers from those plants this week. Store these in a plastic bag in your refrigerator. When you are ready to use them, cut the top off and pull out the seeds inside. Peppers easily freeze using the “flash freeze” method. Just chop and throw them in a Ziploc bag to freeze.

SUMMER SQUASH (2) ~ This could take the form of zucchini or yellow squash. Store in your fridge crisper drawer in a Green bag. When you’re ready to eat it, cut the ends off. Peel if desired. If the zucchini is large, cut long-ways, and scoop out the seeds inside. Then dice. Zucchini is also good for making “stuffed zucchini boats!”

CARROTS ~ Since our carrot crop is depleted, we are buying in our carrots from Wayward Seed Farm in Fremont until ours return! Cut the tops off the carrots right away and use them for pesto, hummus, or the famous frozen green cubes. Store the roots in a bag in your crisper for 3 weeks.

SCALLIONS ~ Store these like a flower in a Mason jar of water in your fridge. Cover the green tops with a baggie. They will store this way for WEEKS. The tops can be chopped off and frozen in 1-inch segments in a Freezer bag! Add them to chilis, chicken noodle soup, salad, Mexican dishes.

CUCUMBERS (extras table) ~ We don’t have a lot of these yet, so they are going on the extras table, first-come first-serve. These are a new yellowish skinned color. Tell us what you think! Store these in your fridge in a bag and use them within 7 days. You don’t need to peel them, but you will want to wash them to get the spines off.

Week 7 cheese combo share

 FRUIT SHARE

NECTARINES & PEACHES ~ One bag; If the nectarines are still hard, leave them out on the counter top until they ripen and soften up. Then refrigerate in a plastic bag. Once you refrigerate them, you stop the ripening process.

BLUEBERRIES ~ One pint; from Michigan. Refrigerate immediately.

We’re not sure what the fruit share will be just yet. So stay tuned…

MADDIE & BELLA COFFEE: Colombia Huila Supremo – vibrant, bright, syrupy

WEBER RANCH EGGS: It’s “A” week! Remember, because we doubled up on eggs a few weeks ago to catch up on our over-supply — we will be ending the egg share earlier than the rest of the CSA season.

CHEESE ~ Pineapple Chevre (goat cheese from TurkeyFoot Creek Creamery); mBossie Cheddar, Black Swamp Gouda (Canal Junction Farmstead)

 PRE-ORDER YOUR BULK SWEET CORN BAGS NOW

This is what a bag of corn looks like.

Imagine eating this sweet corn all winter. Do what many of our CSA members do, and FREEZE SOME CORN. The best time to do it is in August, when the ears are biggest (and you get your best value).

If this is your first year, I recommend getting ONE bag of corn. That should be enough.

To see our cheatsheet for how to blanch and freeze sweet corn, download it here.

We are now taking pre-orders for bags of bulk sweet corn. A bag of corn has 5 dozen ears, and it comes from David Bench Farms. The cost is $28. The best time to order bulk corn is in August, when the ears are biggest. (Since you pay by the ear, you’re getting the best bargain.)

NOTE: Since this is a pre-order, you may not get your bag of corn the very next week. We will try to fulfill the orders in the order we receive them. But with limited space on our delivery truck, you may have to wait a week. Please keep this in mind. I will send you a confirmation email when we have your order ready.

You can place your order in our online store link here.

You’ll be asked to choose your pick-up site first. Then the button will take you to that site’s online Square store where you will pay with a credit card.

Not sure how to freeze corn?… Watch my YouTube video of the Bench family freezing corn, click on this link.

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ATTENTION CANNERS: BULK PEACHES NOW FOR SALE

Bulk canning peaches can now be pre-ordered. See details for how to let Corinna know you want one.

WEEK 7 ANNOUNCEMENTS

1. NOW TAKING BULK CANNING PEACHES PRE-ORDERS~ We will be taking pre-orders for half-bushels of canning peaches. These will be sourced from Quarry Hill Orchard and/or Eshleman Orchards and will come in a box. These are Red Haven peaches. There is roughly 25 pounds — enough for about 10 quarts of peaches. Cost is $33. To place your order, go to our Online Store link here. It will first ask you to choose your pick up site. Then the site button will take you to the correct store for that site. We WILL take bulk peach orders for the Toledo site.
2. NOW TAKING BULK CORN ORDERS – See details above. Visit our online store link to order.
3. 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.Only CSA members or paying members of the Academy can access this group.
4. If you want to PRE-ORDER a Thanksgiving turkey from Weber Ranch, please place your order in their online store here. We will be partnering with them again this season for a special pick-up at their farm. See our brief article below that explains how we are doing the Thanksgiving share differently this year.
5. Buy your Taste of the Farm Dinner tickets now. We’ve scheduled this paid dinner event for Sunday, September 8, from 6-9 PM. 10 tickets still available. Price: $75 each. See details in our article below. Purchase your tickets online here.
6. The Herb Challenge is HOT! Keep tagging your photo entries #slfherbchallenge now through August 24 for a chance to win $100, $75, or $50 off next year’s CSA fee. For details on the challenge see the Week 5 newsletter here.

I hired two new crew members this week. With the daily regimen of sweet corn harvest, I really need to have these guys doing that so I can keep my head on straight and manage the two farms. (Picking corn for a couple hours takes a lot out of you). I’ve been running myself ragged the last week, not sleeping enough. Hopefully by hiring more crew members, I can solve this issue.

The new guys started “pulling onions” too. What do I mean by that? When the green tops start to fall over onto the bed, that’s a sign that the onions are ready. So I’ve got my guys pulling the bulbs out of the soil and laying them onto the plastic mulch top. Here they will lay for a few days in the sun to dry (aka “cure”). The curing process allows them to be stored for the long-term. They’ll eventually be placed into black crates and moved to the greenhouse to complete the curing process.

The staff transplanted more fall crops this week — kale, head lettuce, cauliflower, kohlrabi and some squash… Remember, it’s important for me to continue providing a constant stream of vegetable varieties. So part of my job as a farmer is to create “succession” crops. That means I need to time my plantings to make sure I continue to have certain crops again later. I managed to squeeze in a good planting of carrots near the house. I’ll be keeping my eye on them to flame-weed before they sprout.

Uncle Torsten, Corinna’s brother, came up for his annual visit from Houston. He always drives up with his little camper. If you’re an Elmore customer, you may have seen it parked near the garage this week. Corinna and the boys have been taking a lot of family time this week, going on mini adventures, building Legos, and playing Dungeons and Dragons with their uncle.

My S-10 pickup broke down in the back field on Monday. The starter went out on it. That happened right around when I was running around with my head cut off. (Seems like that’s when these kind of things always happen). I was forced to use Corinna’s bicycle to get around and check on my crops — a fact that she found incredibly amusing. I swear sometimes I feel like my day is full of fires to put out. On the flip side, I finally sold my Toyota Tacoma. That felt good.

Jason Nissen came over and did some custom tillage for us this past week. We are disking up the transitional rye fields so we can plant more cover crops in them next week. My cousin Steve Turnow owns the Quad Track tractor and speed disk and was kind enough to rent this machine to us this week. Boy, did my boys freak out when they saw it pull in. I think it’s their favorite kind of tractor — see the picture above. The Quad Track made quick work of this job. And my boys got to take a ride in their dream tractor.

Lots of old plants were pulled from beds this week. Beets, bolting lettuce and chard. Corinna, Uncle Nick (my buddy from Chicago) and I hoed about a half of an acre of peppers on Monday before laying down the drip. It’s a strong pepper and tomato crop this year (just late). You’ll be getting some small bells this week, but just wait…

Until next week! Farmer Kurt

This is “The Harvest Board” and it’s kind of like Grand Central Station at our farm.

Keeping Harvest Organized: How We Do It

So how does produce get from our field into your box, you might ask? With 410 CSA boxes to fill each week, 3-4 restaurant accounts, 1 farmer’s market, an online store, and my mom’s roadside stand, we’ve had to develop an efficient system for organizing and documenting what we actually pull out of the ground and where it should go.

We used to harvest by destination. We’d look at a chef order for example… go out and harvest the stuff one by one, come back and label it all, then move on to the next thing. We noticed that in many cases, we were duplicating our steps. For example 2 chef orders might want kale, plus we had kale in the CSA boxes. Why not just get ALL the kale at once and then sift and organize when we brought it in?

We needed a tool to help us see ALL the orders in one glance.

Enter the Harvest Board…

This is a huge dry-erase board out on our wash bay. Each week, Kurt updates the list. Veggies are listed in Spanish, along with how many portions to harvest, how to bundle them, and how many portions are going to each location. We include any special prep instructions, what wash settings to use on the machine, what kinds of harvest totes to use, and where to store.

Our paid crew (Lucero, Yuriana, Manuel, Catalina) harvests each item the morning of our Pack Day — Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday. These harvest periods can last from 7 am to 2 pm, depending on how many items are in the box.

If you look at the picture above, you’ll notice a green magnet next to each row. This magnet moves along the white board from left to right, showing the progress of harvest.

Have the netted bags been counted for the item? Move the magnet… Have we harvested the potatoes? Move the magnet…. Have we washed the potatoes? Move the magnet again. This system allows us to visually track the progress of our box contents on the board.

The board functions as documentation too.

We are required to show our exact harvest yields to keep our organic certification and now food safety. We have learned to put all the required documentation on these boards. Then we snap a picture using an app called CamScan — which turns the photo into a PDF.

We’ve also got colored duct tape. Each color stands for a different type of customer or destination. Bins that are labeled with pink tape are for the farmer’s market in Toledo. Bins with grey tape are for general inventory — usually earmarked for the CSA. Yellow tape is for restaurants. And green is for extra online store orders. As the product comes in all at once from the field, our crew sorts it to its various destinations using this color-coded tape labeling system.

Here’s the tape “key” we created for our crew.

Finally, it all gets assembled into your box. There are three packing days. Monday is the bigger pack night, with 193 boxes to fill versus 176 on Wednesday. Friday makes up the difference with just 27. We have 3 packing crew members who arrive at 4 PM. They have 3 jobs.

1. Pack the CSA bins 
2. Bag up any of the harvested produce (like lettuce or potatoes)
3. Pack the egg, coffee, and cheese share

By 6 pm, we are usually ready to “set up the line.” We pull all the veggie items out and put them in a certain order on tables — assembly-line style. (We have ANOTHER white board in our packing shed which lists exactly how many of each type of item to put into the box). Each veggie is placed in a certain place in the box, then fitted with a lid, and packed about 8 boxes high in the cooler. 

We have learned to pre-count the bins before we pack, so that when we run out of bins, we know we are done. 

Creating a system like this has been necessary in order to make our harvest and packing as efficient and fast as possible. Who knew packing your box was such an operation?

 TURKEYS & THANKSGIVING ORDERS

It’s time to place your orders for Thanksgiving turkeys with Weber Ranch. Tony & Michelle Weber from Weber Ranch are partnering with us to provide you with vittles for your Thanksgiving dinner. You can order the turkey directly from their website. See details below.

Thanksgiving turkeys roam Weber Ranch freely all summer and fall.

TURKEY ORDERING DETAILS:

Order from Weber Ranch here. You pay $38 downpayment to order. This deposit is for the first 8 lbs of your bird. $4.75/lb. The remaining balance is due upon pickup based on the finished weight. 

Our Thanksgiving turkeys are farm fresh and pasture raised! Each turkey is fresh and not frozen. They come with the neck. Sizes range 11-20 lbs. We DO NOT take size requests as we raise both Toms and hens.   **WE DO NOT KEEP GIBLETS**

Pick up date/time: 11/24/19  Time TBA

Location: Weber Ranch 4965 Defiance Pike, Wayne, OH 43466

**Sizes vary year to year as we let our birds free range and grow naturally**

VEGETABLE ORDERING DETAILS:

In years past, we have also offered a Vegetable share to go along with this Thanksgiving turkey. This year, we are changing things up a bit. Instead of a prepaid vegetable share, SLF will be offering a big “Thanksgiving Pop Up” market pre-order 2 weeks before Thanksgiving in our online store. At that time, you’ll be able to order WHATEVER you want in large quantities. That way, you get to pick and choose the veggies you really want and get the quantities you really need. (This also helps us, because we can just concentrate on growing the things that do well in the fall.)

We will offer two pick up locations for this Pop-Up market.

1. Either Weber Ranch (same date/time as listed below) so you can grab your turkey at the same time
2. OR we’ll have a pickup at our farm that weekend for “Veggie only” customers.

Either way, ORDER YOUR TURKEY NOW. And trust us… we’ll let you know about our Veggie Thanksgiving Pop Up Market when we hit November.

These white cucumbers will be on the extras table this week.

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WEEK 7 RECIPES

Members: You can download these recipes separately as a PDF inside the Membership Academy. Look under the RECIPES section, Week 7.

Grilled Summer Squash with Lemon Scallion Dressing 

Adapted from Country Living (www.countryliving.com)

Total time ~35 minutes

Serves 8

Grill those veggies and use those fresh herbs, this dressing is delicious!

Ingredients:

Oil for grill grates

3 small zucchini (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise

3 small yellow squash (about 1 pound), halved lengthwise

2 Tbs EVOO, divided

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp lemon zest, plus ½ a whole lemon

½ small jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

½ tsp pure honey

2 scallions, thinly sliced

½ cup fresh basil, torn

Directions: 

Set up grill for direct cooking and heat to medium-high. Once hot, clean and lightly oil grates with canola oil. Brush zucchini and squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Grill zucchini, squash, and lemon half, cut sides down, until charred and just tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board; cut zucchini and squash into 2-inch pieces.

Squeeze juice from grilled lemon into a bowl. Add lemon zest, jalapeño, honey, and remaining tablespoon olive oil and whisk to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Add zucchini, squash, scallions, and basil and toss to combine.

Shrimp Stir Fry with Peppers and Summer Squash 

Adapted from Delish (www.delish.com)

Total time ~30 minutes

Serves 4

This is a super simple and fast meal! Swap out chicken if you’re not a fan of shrimp!

Ingredients:

1 cup jasmine rice

1 Tbs oil

1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

2 orange bell peppers, sliced

1 red onion, sliced

1 head baby bok choy, sliced

1 summer squash, sliced into rounds

3 Tbs soy sauce (or coconut aminos)

kosher salt

Black pepper

1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions: 

Combine rice, 2 cups water, and a pinch of salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger, peppers, onion, bok choy, squash, and soy sauce and season with salt and pepper. Cook until almost-tender, 6 minutes, then add shrimp and cook until opaque, 4 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper

Serve rice topped with stir-fry.

Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers 

Adapted from Culinary Hill (www.culinaryhill.com)

Total time ~45 minutes

Serves 4    Freezer Friendly

Use any combination of veggies to stuff those peppers! They also freeze well!

Ingredients:

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 large bell peppers any color

1 Tbs EVOO

¼ cup onion finely chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

2 chipotle peppers in abodo sauce seeded and minced

1 cup corn

1 (15 ounce) can black beans rinsed

1 ½ cups Monterey Jack cheese shredded and divided

1 cup cooked rice

1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes drained

2 Tbs fresh cilantro or parsley, chopped

½ cup tortilla chips crushed

Directions: 

In a large stock pot, bring 4 quarts of water and 1 tablespoon salt to boil. Trim 1/2-inch from the top of each pepper and remove the stem and seeds.

Add peppers to the water and cook until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Remove from water and place cut-side up to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add garlic, chipotle peppers, corn, and black beans, and stir until heated through. Pour into a large bowl.

Add 1 cup cheese, rice, tomatoes, and cilantro to the large bowl with the black beans and stir to combine.

Place the peppers in a 9” x 9” baking dish.

Divide the filling evenly among the peppers. Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and crushed chips. Bake until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted, about 30 minutes.

Asian Cucumber and Carrot Salad 

Adapted from The Culinary Compass (www.theculinarycompass.com)

Serves 4-5

When the cucumbers are smaller you can just slice them up instead of spiralizing. Still a great flavor combination!

Ingredients:

2 large cucumbers

3 large carrots

2 Tbs rice vinegar

2 Tbs lime juice

2 Tbs honey

2 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbs cilantro, chopped

1 tsp sesame seeds, plus more for topping

Directions: 

Spiralize the cucumbers and carrots. If you don’t have a spiralizer, cut into thin slices. Place into a large bowl.

In a small bowl, combine rice vinegar, lime juice, honey, sesame oil, salt, red pepper flakes, cilantro, and sesame seeds. Pour mixture over the cucumbers and carrots. Mix together well.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to let flavors mix together.

Mix well before serving. Top with extra cilantro, sesame seeds, and dressing from the bowl, if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Marinated Slow Roasted Onions  

Adapted from Kevin Is Cooking (www.keviniscooking.com)

Serves 8

What a great way to enhance a simple meal! These are so flavorful!

Ingredients:

Marinade:

1 cup water

1 cup red wine vinegar

2 Tbs brown sugar

1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped

½ tsp kosher salt

¼ tsp black pepper

pinch red pepper flakes optional

4 large white or yellow onions (see note)

Roasting:

4 Tbs butter

1 tsp fresh rosemary chopped

Directions: 

Blend marinade ingredients in small bowl and pour into a baking dish that will hold all 8 onion halves. I use 8×8″ baking pan or round 12″ baking stone (pictured) depending on size of onion.

Trim the end of onions and cut horizontal (leaving skin on) and place wide side down in marinade. Marinate overnight covered in refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Flip the onions over in the marinade, and lay on the flat bottom of each side. Top each onion with 1/2 tablespoon of butter and remaining teaspoon of rosemary.

Roast uncovered in oven for 1 hour or until golden brown, basting once or twice during roasting. Remove from heat, spoon reduced sauce over and sprinkle with parsley or more fresh chopped rosemary. Remove outer skins before eating and serve

Notes: Trim ends off onions, slice in half horizontally, keeping the skin on to hold shape and protect the outside as it later roasts.

Carrot Scallion Pancakes  

Adapted from Occasional Faleo (www.occasionalfaleo.com)

These are super yummy, use any combination of root veggies! Add in those herbs for a different taste!

Ingredients:

3 cups shredded carrots

3 scallions, finely chopped

3 eggs, whisked

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp coconut flour

Olive or Coconut Oil, for frying

Directions: 

In a large bowl, combine essentially everything. Carrots, scallions and eggs… followed by the salt and coconut flour to thicken the mixture slightly.

Heat a few tablespoons worth of oil in a large skillet. When it’s ready, scoop your pancake-sized pile of “batter” into the skillet.

Pan fry each side over medium heat until browned and crispy. Flip and repeat. When they’re done, it’s a good idea to do what you do with bacon, and put them on a paper towel at first.

Grilled Corn with Herb Butter

Adapted from Epicurious (www.epicurious.com)

Total time ~15 minutes

Serves 8

Perfect way to use those herbs, on that amazing sweet corn! Make some extra herb butter and freeze for later!

Ingredients:

 ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

2 Tbs finely chopped fresh tender herbs (such as cilantro, chives, and/or flat-leaf parsley)

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Cayenne pepper

8 ears corn, shucked

1 Tbs oil

Directions: 

Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Mix butter, herbs, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne pepper in a small bowl. Set herb butter aside.

Brush corn with oil and grill, turning often, until it is tender and charred in spots, 5-8 minutes.

Transfer corn to a large platter or bowl and spread with reserved herb butter, dividing evenly.

Corn Salsa with Pepper

Adapted from The Spruce Eats (www.thespruceeats.com)

Makes 3 cups

Cold corn salads are the only way I use my corn, all summer long! Love making different variations of this!

Ingredients:

2 cups corn kernels (can be raw)

1/3 cup purple onion, chopped

¼ cup red bell pepper, chopped

3 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped

2 Tbs fresh lime juice

1 to 2 Tbs jalapeno pepper (finely chopped)

½ tsp salt

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Toss to blend.

For best flavor, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.

Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving.

Serve corn salsa with grilled meat, fish, or poultry.

Tips and Variations:

Corn and Tomato Salsa – Add two diced plum tomatoes to the salsa.

Corn and Black Bean Salsa – Add 1 cup of drained and rinsed canned black beans to the salsa.

Grilled Corn Salsa – Grill 6 ears of corn until the kernels are charred. Cut the corn from the ears with a corn cutting tool or sharp knife.

Corn Salsa With Roasted Red Peppers – Replace the ¼ cup of chopped red bell pepper with chopped roasted red pepper.

Replace the jalapeno pepper with fresh chopped mild green chile or green bell pepper.

Thai Carrot Soup 

Adapted from The Minimalist Baker (www.theminimalistbaker.com)

Total time ~ 30 minutes

Freezer Friendly

Save those carrots for winter! Prep this soup now and enjoy on a cold day!

Ingredients:

1 Tbs coconut or olive oil

½ large yellow onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, diced

1 pound carrots, chopped (about 4 cups)

1 healthy pinch each salt and pepper

2 cups veggie stock

2 cups water

1/3 cup creamy or crunchy salted natural peanut butter (use less for a less intense PB flavor)

2 tsp chili garlic sauce (use less for less spice)

For serving:

Fresh basil, cilantro, or mint

Full-fat coconut milk or coconut cream

Brown sugar or agave nectar (sub honey if not vegan)

Sriracha hot sauce

Directions: 

Heat a large pot over medium heat.

Dice onion and garlic. Add to pot with 1 Tbs coconut or olive oil (or nonstick spray). Add carrots and cook for 5 minutes.

Season with a healthy pinch each salt and pepper, then add veggie stock and water and stir.

Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, or until veggies are tender.

Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until smooth and creamy. (Cover with a towel in case your lid leaks any soup while blending.)

Add peanut butter and chili garlic sauce to the blender and blend to combine, using a ‘puree’ or ‘liquify’ setting if you have it.

Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. For a touch of added sweetness, add a Tbs or so of brown sugar, maple syrup or agave nectar (or honey if not vegan). Add more chili garlic sauce for more heat.

Serve immediately with fresh basil or herbs of choice. A drizzle of coconut milk will add a creamy, sweet touch. Serve with sriracha for extra heat.

Stone Fruit Sangria

Adapted from The Chic Site (www.thechicsite.com)

Play around with different fruit combinations! This group seems to love their cocktails!

Ingredients:

2 apricots, halved, pitted, and sliced into small wedges

1 nectarine, halved, pitted, and sliced into small wedges

1 peach, halved, pitted, and sliced into small wedges

1 plum, halved, pitted, and sliced into small wedges

1 750ml bottle of rose wine

¼ cup peach brandy, or peach liquor

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 cups club soda

Directions: 

In a large pitcher, combine sliced apricot, nectarine, peach and plum. Add wine, brandy and sugar. Stir to combine.

Cover pitcher with lid or plastic wrap. Let chill in fridge for at least 30 minutes, or up to 8 hours.

Before servings, add club soda.

If desired, sugar the rims of the glasses. Add ice and pour in sangria. Finish with mint leaves for garnish and added color.

Blueberry Nectarine Pie with Almond Crumble

Adapted from Bakerita (www.bakerita.com)

Total time ~1 hour 15 minutes

Makes 1 9” Pie

This recipe is gluten free, and lower in added sugar than most! This is such a great fruit combination!

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

2 cups blanched almond flour

¼ tsp sea salt

2 Tbs coconut oil melted

1 large egg room temperature

1 egg white to egg wash

For the fruit filling:

6 fresh nectarines cored and sliced

2 cups fresh blueberries

Zest & juice of 1 small lemon

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

2 Tbs honey or maple syrup

2 Tbs tapioca flour

For the crumb topping:

½ cup almond flour

¼ cup tapioca flour

¾ cup rolled oats

¼ cup coconut sugar

6 Tbs coconut oil solid

½ cup sliced almonds

Directions: 

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a mixing bowl, combine the almond flour and sea salt. Add the melted coconut oil and egg and mix until the mixture completely comes together. Press the crust into a 9” pie plate, up and around the edges.

In a small bowl, whisk the egg white slightly. Use a pastry brush to brush egg white on the bottom of the crust to prevent it from getting soggy. Place the crust in the freezer while preparing the filling and crumb topping.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the nectarines, blueberries, lemon zest, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, coconut sugar and tapioca flour. Stir to combine and coat all of the fruit evenly.

In a separate bowl, combine the almond flour, tapioca flour, rolled oats, and coconut sugar. Add the coconut oil and using a pastry cutter, two forks, or your hands, work the coconut oil into the flour until it comes together into a course meal with no dry flour remaining. Toss in the sliced almonds.

Remove the crust from the freezer and pour the fruit filling inside. Cover the fruit evenly with the oat topping and bake for 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and bubbling. Check the pie halfway through and tent the top with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

Let cool slightly before serving warm. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Plum Salad with Black Pepper and Parmesan 

Adapted from Bon Appetit (www.bonappetit.com)

Serves 4

What a great way to use those plums!

Ingredients:

2 Tbs sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 Tbs honey

½ tsp cracked black pepper, plus more

6 ripe red, black, and/or green plums, some thinly sliced, some cut into wedges

¼ cup shaved Parmesan or Pecorino, plus more for serving

2 Tbs EVOO

Flaky sea salt

Directions: 

Stir vinegar, honey, and ½ tsp pepper in a medium bowl until honey is dissolved. Add plums to dressing and toss until coated.

Add ¼ cup Parmesan and gently toss again just to evenly distribute throughout salad.

Transfer plum salad to a shallow bowl. Top with more Parmesan, drizzle with oil, and season with salt and more pepper.