Look at Them Melons!

The news on the street is that we've got the best melons of the season. You better come out and try for yourself, just to make sure. We have about 300 pounds of them, so get prepared for some major cantaloupe eating this week.

We'll also be bringing an enormous amount of patty pan squash. Our second planting is going gangbusters right now. Patty pan is a very versatile crop that can be used like a winter squash OR a summer squash. You can grill it, saute, bake (whole or diced), make soup, or my very favorite PIE! Here is my very own recipe for it. It is a great summery take on pumpkin pie.

Patty Pan Pie

2 lbs patty pan squash (about 2 medium squash)
3 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh grated ginger
grated rind of one lemon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
1 9-in pie crust

Cut the patty pan squash in half and place flesh down in a Pyrex pan and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes (depends on size, until you can easily stick it with a fork). Then puree the squash in a food processor. Cream eggs with sugar in a separate bowl, then blend in all the other ingredients including the squash. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. You can use the fork test to see when it is done (if the fork comes out clean, it's definitely ready). Let the pie cool, and serve it cold with whipped cream. I always make my own whipped cream and add some lemon juice.


In other news, we are ridiculously thankful for this mild July. You probably will never hear a farmer say that the weather is perfect, but here it is... July has been perfect. We didn't have to irrigate all month, but we didn't get too much rain either. And it has been such a relief to work in 86 degrees instead of 101! The cool nights have helped our peppers and tomatoes set fruit, as well as our mid-summer green beans that were a gamble. We'll have plenty of those next Saturday.

See you at the market!
Chelsea