It’s fall/winter squash time… and the buttercup squash is one of my new favorite squashes. I has lots of “meat” , a smaller seed cavity and very tasty. It can be used either savory like this recipe or sweet like for making pies.
By now most of you know how much I live Balsamic vinegar so this recipe should not surprise you; and this summer at our market I discovered Agave nectar. Simple Traditions Bulk Foods, one of our local vendors at the farmer’s market, they carry this product. I was using it in salad dressings and in a tea recipe I received from them and thought I might try it on some squash…pretty good if I do say so myself.
1 buttercup squash, or other winter squash (about 1.5 lbs.)
2 T Agave Nectar (preferably amber variety)
2 T good quality balsamic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste
Cut top and bottom end from squash, then sit flat on cutting board and cut in half top to bottom. Use a sharp spoon to scrape out seeds, washing out the inside of the squash if needed. Cut squash into half-moon slices about 1 inch wide. (Any shape of slice will work, but they need to be close to the same thickness.
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 400F. Spray roasting pan with non-stick spray or olive oil. I was using a toaster oven, so I used a 13″ X 9″ roasting pan.) Lay squash in single layer on roasting pan. Mix together agave nectar and balsamic vinegar and brush on top layer of squash. (Some will run down, which will coat the bottom as the squash roasts.)
Roast squash 15 minutes, then turn each piece. Brush second side lightly with the agave-balsamic mixture. (It will look glazed already and you may be tempted not to brush it, but do it so the glaze can run down and coat the other side.) Roast 15 minutes more, or until squash pierces easily with a fork and is lightly browned.
Grind black pepper and sea salt over squash and serve hot. (You could make this easier to eat by cutting off the peeling before eating, but I thought it was simple enough to cut the rind off as you ate it, and I kind of liked the look of the squash with the rind left on.)
- This is one type of our buttercup squash.
Kenny's beautiful eggplants
Green beans are back! Kenny’s eggplants are beautiful right now and there are going to be several different varieties this week. We will have potatoes, okra, zucchini – both green and golden, summer squash, as well as “candy” onions, Swiss chard, cucumbers, green peppers, jalapenos, mixed hot peppers, sweet potatoes, cherry tomatoes, etc…
Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes…. what a bounty we have right now. We still many varieties too choose from; Cherokee Purple, German Pink, Mr. Stripie,Carolina Gold, Park’s Whoppers, Super Beefsteak… just to name a few. We will have canning tomatoes available on a pre-order basis only… be sure to place your order if you are wanting to make homemade salsa, pasta sauce or your favorite recipes.
Our melon and peach season is over, but we have begun to pick apples… Gala are the first ones available, then we move onto Golden Delicious, Johnagold and Mutzu in the next couple of weeks or so. We will have Gala apples available on Saturday, and it looks like a good harvest is ahead again this fall. In fact the fall squashes are ready and we will begin bringing them to the market as well.
If anyone wants to pre-order to have their fruit and veggies ready for pick up, just e-mail me and let me know early Friday. I will have your order ready when you arrive Saturday morning (that way you can sleep in, work out or just plain work and still get what you want before we run out).
Don’t forget we have farm-fresh, free-range eggs available; pick some up at the market Saturday.
Thanks for your patronage,
Val & Kenny
- Gala apples ripe for the picking, we will have at the market this weekend.
Green beans are back!
We will be at the market from 4-7 on Wednesday under the pavilion on the corner of Bank and Market streets in beautiful New Albany, Indiana. There will be several other vendors set up as well…Rookies Cookies, Patticakes & Pies Catering, local Starlight honey, homemade soaps, Chef Walker’s Famous Barbecue and other produce vendors.
Green beans are back and we still have new potatoes, okra, zucchini – both green and golden, eggplant, summer squash, as well as “candy” onions, cucumbers, green peppers, jalapenos, mixed hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc…
We have plenty of tomatoes right now, several varieties to choose from; Cherokee Purple, German Pink, Mr. Stripie,Super Beefsteak, Carolina Gold… just to name a few. We will have canning tomatoes available on a pre-order basis only… be sure to place your order if you are wanting to make homemade salsa, pasta sauce or your favorite recipes.
Our melon and peach season is over, but we have begun to pick apples… Gala are the first ones available, then we move onto Johnagold and Mutzu in the next couple of weeks or so. We will have Gala apples available on Wednesday, and it looks like a good harvest is ahead again this fall. In fact the fall squashes are ready and we will begin bringing them to the market as well.
If anyone needs produce and would like me to have ready, just e-mail me and let me know early in the day Wednesday. I will have your order ready when you arrive Wednesday evening. Eggs will be available on Wednesday’s by request only, if you need them let me know and I will be sure to bring some for you.
Thanks and have a great day, and see you at the market!
Val & Kenny
some of our walkers last year... we had some 70+ on our team...
**Notice to my Harrison County “Homemakers”…
NO Harrison County deliveries this week, Thursday is our annual “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” kick off breakfast. Russell Veggies is an annual sponsor so we don’t want to miss this event.
Deliveries will resume on next Thursday.
They're back...
Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes…. what a bounty we have right now. We will have many varieties too choose from; Cherokee Purple, German Pink, Mr. Stripie,Super Beefsteak, Carolina Gold… just to name a few. Stop by and see Kenny’s unique collection, a fine selection to suit most any tomato connoisseur.
Green beans are back! The plans are to have corn again this weekend as well, Kenny’s eggplants are beautiful right now and there are going to be several different varieties this week. We will have new potatoes, okra, zucchini – both green and golden, summer squash, as well as “candy” onions, Swiss chard, cucumbers, green peppers, jalapenos, mixed hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc…
Peaches are still available but are beginning to slow down in abundance. We hope to have some through August depending on the weather. We are having a great melons harvest… watermelons and cantaloupes and they are both delicious!
If anyone wants to pre-order to have their fruit and veggies ready for pick up, just e-mail me and let me know early Friday. I will have your order ready when you arrive Saturday morning (that way you can sleep in, work out or just plain work and still get what you want before we run out).
Don’t forget we have farm-fresh, free-range eggs available; pick some up at the market Saturday.
Thanks for your patronage,
Val & Kenny
They're back...
We will be at the market from 4-7 on Wednesday under the pavilion on the corner of Bank and Market streets in beautiful New Albany, Indiana. There will be several other vendors set up as well…Rookies Cookies, Patticakes Pies & Cafe, local honey from Starlight, homemade soaps, Chef Walker’s Famous Barbecue and other produce vendors.
Green beans are back! The plans are to have corn again on Wednesday as well. We will have new potatoes, okra, zucchini – both green and golden, eggplant, summer squash, as well as “candy” onions, cucumbers, green peppers, jalapenos, mixed hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc… Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes…. what a bounty we have right now. We will have many varieties too choose from; Cherokee Purple, German Pink, Mr. Stripie,Super Beefsteak, Carolina Gold… just to name a few.
Peaches are still available but are beginning to slow down in abundance. We hope to have some through August depending on the weather. We have had a great melon harvest; watermelons, cantaloupes, canary melons and honeydews have been awesome. We will still have a few watermelons and honeydew available on Wednesday, but our supply is dwindling down.
If anyone needs produce and would like me to have ready, just e-mail me and let me know early in the day Wednesday. I will have your order ready when you arrive Wednesday evening. Eggs will be available on Wednesday’s by request only, if you need them let me know and I will be sure to bring some for you.
Thanks and have a great day, and see you at the market!
Val & Kenny
**Notice to my Harrison County “Homemakers”…
Deliveries will be made on Thursdays at 11 am
New Salisbury ~ Family Dollar ~ Parking Lot
Please be sure and order from this post and have your orders e-mailed by noon on Wednesdays. That way we know what must be harvested just for you.
Please tag subject line of e-mail… Harrison County Delivery
Some of you may have seen these zucchini on Saturday at the market; others of you got them in your “Basket of the Week”. I thought I might share a recipe or two with you so you might use them this week. The first one is a stuffed zucchini recipe I found on soupbelly.com and tried a few days ago; the other one is just a simple grilled zucchini pizza we have fixed for a quick summer meal… we usually have with a tomato salad and some good garlic bread.
Stuffed Eight ball Zucchini
2-3 “8 Ball” Zucchini
3 slices bacon
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 to 1 cup chicken stock
Salt
Pepper
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Slice the tops off each zucchini. Set aside and reserve for later. Hollow out each zucchini, chop and reserve the pulp. Chop the tomato and onion and set aside.
Cut the bacon crosswise into 1/4” pieces. Add to skillet over medium-high heat and cook until bacon has browned and rendered most of its fat. Add the reserved zucchini pulp, tomato and onion and cook for 4-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add bread crumbs and 2/3 of the cheese reserving some for topping. Stir well to combine all ingredients. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.
Stuff each hollowed zucchini with mixture. Place in a shallow baking dish or pan and add chicken stock to a depth of about 1/4 inch.
Place the pan in the oven and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and add remaining cheese to top of each zucchini. Place the reserved zucchini tops in the stock. Return to oven and cook for 20 more minutes or until the zucchini is tender.
– Original recipe from http://www.soupbelly.com
Grilled Zucchini Pizza
Zucchini Pizza is a healthy alternative to traditional pizza made with zucchini, pizza sauce, fresh basil, mozzarella cheese and cherry tomatoes.
1 “8 Ball” Zucchini
2 Tbsp. pizza sauce (your favorite, we use our homemade pasta sauce)
2 basil leaves, sliced
1/4 tsp. oregano, dried
1 1/2 oz, mozzarella cheese, lite
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced into quarters
Preheat Grill to medium heat
Cut the ends off of the zucchini and discard. Slice the zucchini into 1/4″ thick pieces.
Evenly divide the pizza sauce over the zucchini, then top with basil, oregano, cheese and cherry tomatoes.
Place zucchini on a non-stick aluminum foil or aluminium foil sprayed with cooking spray. Place foil
with zucchini on grill over low to medium heat. Cook until cheese has melted, about 5 minutes.
Tags: 8 ball zucchini, bacon, Basil, bread crumbs, cheddar cheese, Cherry tomatoes, chicken stock, mozzarella cheese, onions, oregano, Tomatoes
Green beans are back!
Let’s all remember to celebrate “National Farmer’s Market Week” by coming out and continuing to support your local farmer! We will be at the market from 8-1 on Saturday under the pavilion on the corner of Bank and Market streets in beautiful downtown New Albany, Indiana.
Tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes…. what a bounty we have right now. We will have many varieties too choose from; Cherokee Purple, German Pink, Mr. Stripie,Super Beefsteak, Carolina Gold… just to name a few. Stop by and see Kenny’s unique collection, a fine selection to suit most any tomato connoisseur.
Green beans are back! The plans are to have corn again this weekend as well, Kenny’s eggplants are beautiful right now and there are going to be several different varieties this week. We will have new potatoes, okra, zucchini – both green and golden, summer squash, as well as “candy” onions, Swiss chard, cucumbers, green peppers, jalapenos, mixed hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc…
Peaches are still available but are beginning to slow down in abundance. We hope to have some through August depending on the weather. We are having a great melons harvest… watermelons and cantaloupes and they are both delicious! One of his most beautiful melons is imagination. This near black watermelon shines like a bowling ball and has a deep red flesh. It’s absolutely gorgeous to display, and it sells itself with its delicious taste.
If anyone wants to pre-order to have their fruit and veggies ready for pick up, just e-mail me and let me know early Friday. I will have your order ready when you arrive Saturday morning (that way you can sleep in, work out or just plain work and still get what you want before we run out).
Don’t forget we have farm-fresh, free-range eggs available; pick some up at the market Saturday.
Thanks for your patronage,
Val & Kenny
From the farm this morning…
"Frankfort Red" struttin' for the ladies this morning!
Have you ever walked around the produce section of your local store and located the display of recipe cards? The purpose of this is to make their customers purchase more, and it works well if customers pick them up and buy the ingredients used to complete the recipes.
Well, last fall I was at Meijers and noticed a few recipes and I thought this recipe might be pretty tasty. I bought the Gruyere cheese, Gruyère, Switzerland is where it originated. It’s a nutty, pale yellow, firm cheese made from cow’s milk.
Kenny grows tons of Swiss chard and I am always looking for something new to experiment with, this recipe turned out to be a winner. Kenny loved it and it makes a great light summer evening meal, served with a lettuce and fresh sliced tomato salad and crusty garlic bread. YUM!
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1 medium sweet onion (I use our “candy”)
1 pound Swiss chard, trimmed and coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 large eggs
2 cups Half & Half
1 deep dish pie crust
1/2 cup grated Gruyere (2 ozs.)
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan (1 oz.)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Saute onions 5 minutes or until soft and translucent, add Swiss chard; cook and stir until wilted. Add garlic; cook and stir 2 minutes. Cool slightly. In a large bowl whisk eggs and half and half, season with salt and pepper. Spoon Swiss chard mixture into pie crust. sprinkle with Gruyere, pour egg mixture over top and sprinkle with Parmesan. Place on basking sheet, and place into pre-heated oven.
Bake 45 minutes or until set in the middle, remove from oven and let set 10 minutes before serving.
Tags: candy onion, Eggs, Garlic, Gruyere cheese, half and half, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, Swiss Chard
In thousands of communities across the country this summer, farmers markets are more than simply a place to buy locally grown fruits and vegetables. They are hubs for information and home to thousands of innovative partnerships that teach skills and expand knowledge about food, health and agriculture.
United States Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack proclaimed August 5-11, 2012 as National Farmers Market Week, The Farmers Market Coalition (FMC), a national nonprofit dedicated to strengthening farmers markets, is honoring the first day of Farmers Market Week by highlighting innovate community education efforts taking place at many of the nation’s more than 7,500 farmers markets.
Let’s all remember to celebrate “National Farmer’s Market Week” by coming out and continuing to support your local farmer! We will be at the market from 4-7 on Wednesday under the pavilion on the corner of Bank and Market streets in beautiful New Albany, Indiana. There will be several other vendors set up as well…Rookies Cookies, local honey from Starlight, homemade soaps, Chef Walker’s Famous Barbecue and other produce vendors.
Zucchini will be the star this week…green and golden as well as “Eight balls”; all our squash is looking great! Fresh yellow summer squash will be available too. Be sure and ask about our Zucchini Cookbooks,“Now that I have it, what do I do with it?” they are loaded will lots of tasty recipes.
We will have plenty of other veggies but… sad to say probably only a few green beans on Wednesday, this dry hot weather has been hard on beans this year, but they are beginning to come back now. We will have plenty of tomatoes, corn, eggplants, new potatoes, okra, “candy” onions, Swiss chard, cucumbers, green peppers, jalapenos, mixed hot peppers, cherry tomatoes, etc…
Peaches are still available but are beginning to slow down. We hope to have some through August depending on the weather. We are having a great melons harvest… watermelons and cantaloupes and they are both delicious! Apples will be ready soon, up first will be Gala.
If anyone needs produce and would like me to have ready, just e-mail me and let me know early in the day Wednesday. I will have your order ready when you arrive Wednesday evening. Eggs will be available on Wednesday’s by request only, if you need them let me know and I will be sure to bring some for you.
Thanks and have a great day, and see you at the market!
Val & Kenny
Several years ago when we first started at the New Albany Farmer’s Market we had some one come and ask for the biggest zucchini we had. The ones we had were actually not BIG enough for him, he asked us to bring the over-grown ones we would be throwing out. So for the entire season he came every week and bought them. One day I finally asked what he was using them for and was I surprised! He was a local chef who used them to make a delicious dessert, this is it. This is so unbelievably good, no one will ever believe it is made with zucchini. In fact don’t tell them until they have gobbled it up. I serve it warm with vanilla ice cream, but it is great either that way or by it’s self.
8 cups zucchini
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1 dash salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 (10 ounce) cans crushed pineapple
1 box yellow cake mix (Jiffy) if you use regular size box of cake mix only use half
1/2-1 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup nuts, chopped (optional)
PEEL AND CUT ZUCCHINI LENGTHWISE, STRIP OUT SEEDS, CUT IN 1/2″ SLICES, COOK IN BOILING WATER UNTIL TENDER. DRAIN COOL IN COLD WATER FOR 5 MINUTES, DRAIN AGAIN.
ADD SUGAR, FLOUR, SALT, CINNAMON, CREAM OF TARTER AND LEMON JUICE. STIR WELL ADD PINEAPPLE AND JUICE.
MIX WELL, DO NOT BEAT.
POUR INTO A GREASED BAKING DISH (13X9″ pan), SPREAD DRY CAKE MIX OVER TOP AND DRIZZLE BUTTER OVER CAKE MIX, SPRINKLE NUTS ON TOP.
BAKE AT 350F degrees FOR 60 MINUTES.
