Week 9! The Halfway Point!!
Hello Followers!!
Welcome to Week 9 on the farm! It’s hard to believe we’re already this far into the CSA season. The weeks seem to fly by once everything gets growing, and there’s always something new happening around here. We thought we’d give you another little peek behind the scenes and share what’s been keeping us busy this week — the good, the challenging, and everything in between.
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Possible CSA Items:
Salad Mix
Kale or Swiss Chard
Cherry Tomatoes
Big Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Sweet peppers
Hot Peppers
Zucchini or Summer Squash
Sweet Yellow Onion
Upcoming Crops:
Garlic
Peaches from Kyndall's Peaches (Caldwell, Idaho)
Coffee of the Week (for Coffee Subscribers only):
Adella Coffee (Anaconda)
Additional Items Available at the Stand:
Hot Peppers
🌿 Featured Item: Kale
We're beyond excited that Lisa Stravakas from Renew Wellness has decided to contribute her wealth of knowledge on the health benefits of eating and utilizing fresh produce and herbs. Thank you Lisa!!
Kale is a great source of fiber. The bitter taste stimulates peristalsis, encouraging regular elimination of the bowels and improves the flow of bile reducing gallbladder and liver congestion. Eaten raw, this brassicas contain chemicals that can block thyroid function called goitrogens. These chemicals are easily inactivated by steaming or cooking. High vitamin K in Kale can induce clotting for at risk individuals and could interact with blood thinning medications.
Kale comes in many varieties. Lacinto is a sweet kale void of Kale's healing bitter taste. Red kale may be higher in iron and beta carotene. Avoid leaves that appear too dry or wilted. Strip kale of the central vein by sliding your fingers from the base to the tip. Where the tip breaks off, the vein is soft enough to be cooked.
MEDICINAL BENEFITS:
Appetite Suppressant
Stimulates Peristalsis
Stimulates Energy
Anti Inflammatory
Cholagogue
Hypolipidemic
Lowers Blood Sugar
Lowers Thyroid
Anti Estrogenic
Constituents: Nitric Oxide, Aromatase Inhibitor, Calcium, Flavonoids, Polyphenols, Potassium, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K
🍽️ Recipe of the Week:
Easy Grilled Zucchini With Goat Cheese
Perfectly charred zucchini topped with tangy goat cheese, fresh basil, and a drizzle of honey—this easy grilled zucchini recipe is a summer side dish you’ll want to make on repeat.
There’s no marinade required, and the zucchini cooks in just 10–15 minutes on the BBQ or a grill pan. With just a handful of simple ingredients, this is an easy, flavorful way to make the most of summer zucchini.
Why You’ll Love This Grilled Zucchini
- Quick and easy: Ready in about 40 minutes, including the salting time.
- No marinade required: A little oil and seasoning are all you need.
- Big summer flavor: Smoky, charred zucchini pairs beautifully with creamy goat cheese, fresh basil, and sweet honey.
- Perfect for entertaining: It’s an easy side dish to serve alongside grilled meats, fish, or your favorite vegetarian mains.
Recipe at a Glance
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4–6 as a side dish
Ingredients
- 5 medium zucchini
- Salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or avocado oil
- ⅓ cup crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1½ tablespoons honey
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How to Make Grilled Zucchini With Goat Cheese
1. Prep the zucchini
Trim the ends from the zucchini, then slice each one lengthwise into ½-inch-thick pieces.
Arrange the zucchini slices on a plate or cutting board and sprinkle generously with salt. Let them sit for about 20 minutes. This helps draw out excess moisture so the zucchini grills up nicely instead of becoming watery.
Pat the zucchini dry with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel.
Depending on the size of your zucchini, you should get about 3–4 long slices from each squash.
2. Oil the zucchini
Preheat your grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.
Brush both sides of each zucchini slice with olive oil or avocado oil.
3. Grill
Place the zucchini slices directly on the hot grill.
Grill for 10–15 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the zucchini is tender and has beautiful grill marks.
Be careful not to overcook the zucchini—it should be tender but still have some structure.
4. Add the toppings
Transfer the grilled zucchini to a large serving platter.
Sprinkle generously with crumbled goat cheese and fresh basil. Drizzle the honey over the top, then season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
Serve immediately and enjoy!
Tips for the Best Grilled Zucchini
Don’t skip the salting step. Zucchini contains a lot of water. Salting it before grilling helps remove some of that excess moisture and gives you better texture.
Keep the slices fairly thick. About ½ inch is ideal. Thin slices can become soft and overcooked before they develop good grill marks.
Don’t overcook the zucchini. You want it tender and lightly charred, not mushy.
Use a hot grill. Medium-high heat helps the zucchini develop those delicious caramelized grill marks while keeping the inside tender.
Add the toppings after grilling. Goat cheese, basil, and honey are best added once the zucchini comes off the grill so their fresh flavors really stand out.
What to Serve With Grilled Zucchini
This zucchini makes an easy side dish for almost any summer meal. Serve it alongside your favorite grilled protein and a simple starch for a complete dinner.
It’s also delicious served as part of a summer spread with salads, crusty bread, or other grilled vegetables.
Leftovers
Grilled zucchini is best enjoyed immediately, but leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Enjoy leftovers cold or add them to salads, pasta, sandwiches, or grain bowls for an easy next-day meal
Recipe courtesy of:
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This Week on the Farm 🌱
It’s been another busy week on the farm, and there’s a little bit of everything going on right now — lots of planting, lots of growing, and a few problems we’re trying to sort out along the way.
We’ve been getting baby greens planted, along with new rounds of carrots, radishes, and fresh onions. The microgreens are growing away, too. It’s always nice to have new crops going in while we’re harvesting others. It keeps us looking ahead and thinking about what will be ready for your CSA shares a few weeks down the road.
We’ve also been dealing with a bit of a mystery. Somehow, deer have been getting into one of the greenhouses. We’re still not sure how they’re doing it! We’ve looked things over but haven’t figured out their secret entrance yet. We’ll get it figured out, though. As much as we like seeing deer around the farm, we’d really prefer they stay outside the greenhouse and leave the vegetables alone.
The cucumbers have given us another headache this week. We’re seeing leaf spot on the plants, so we’re keeping a close eye on them and doing what we can to keep things under control. On top of that, the motor on the greenhouse fan is starting to go out, so we’ll have to replace that, too. There’s always something to fix around here!
Thankfully, there’s plenty of good news to balance it out. The tomatoes are looking incredible! 🍅 In fact, we’re starting to wonder if this might be our best tomato year yet. The plants are looking great, and seeing all that healthy growth and fruit on the vines has us pretty excited. We’re not going to get too far ahead of ourselves, because farming has a way of humbling you when you least expect it, but so far, so good!
That’s pretty much the farm this week — planting, harvesting, fixing things, chasing deer, watching the weather, and trying to stay one step ahead of whatever comes next.
Thanks for being along for the ride and for supporting our farm. We really appreciate getting to grow good food for you and your families, and we love sharing a little bit of what’s happening behind the scenes.
Hopefully next week brings us lots of healthy plants, plenty of tomatoes, and no more greenhouse deer!
See you at the farm! 🌱
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COME VISIT US!!
Whether you're a CSA member or not, you can always come by our pop-up market stands!
Please Note: No more market stands in Drummond on Wednesdays.
