Patience

As the Rolling Stones say, “You can’t always get what you want.”  That is how I am feeling about the heat and lack of rain that we have been experiencing in the last month.  Of course, without rain I do believe we are being spared from other crippling blights like fungus and disease, so this is not meant to be a complaint.  Rather, it is a recognition that some things we must wait for, and in the meantime must continue forward as though we may never get it.  But I believe patience will pay off in the end.  So, this week I am installing irrigation on the farm.  A simple system, it uses hoses with holes spaced throughout that let the water drip slowly out, hence its name, drip irrigation.  With such a wet spring I was hoping to avoid irrigation but there is no denying that without some drip lines we won’t have fall roots, and I must have fall roots.  Here is a funny anecdote from my time spent on Fulton Farm in Chambersburg, PA: our irrigation source was a pump in the Conococheague Creek that pumped water up to a storage tank that we could then access when we needed, letting gravity bring it down to the vegetables.  Now that pump was always breaking, and there were hours upon hours of effort spent by half the farm crew just attempting to get it functioning.  This happened periodically throughout the summer, and without fail, each time the pump was fixed, it would rain!


Featured Recipes:

Great Green Vegetable Pasta
Serves 4-5

1 cup cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
½ cup milk (optional if using cottage cheese)
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
½ teaspoon salt
Stir together in a bowl and set aside.  Or for a smooth texture, puree in blender.

12 ounces fusilli, linguini, or spaghetti
In large soup pot of boiling water, start cooking according to package directions.

2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups zucchini, sliced
2 cups green beans
¼ cup green onions
Stir in broccoli 6 minutes before pasta is done; boil 3 minutes.  Stir in zucchini and green beans slowly; boil 2 minutes.  Stir in peas and green onions slowly; boil 1 minute.  Remove from heat.  Drain well and return to soup pot.  

2 tablespoons butter
Toss with pasta and vegetables until melted.  Add cottage cheese mixture; toss gently to coat.  Serve immediately sprinkled with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.  Garnish with tomato slices.  

Summer Squash Bake
Serves 6

6-7 cups yellow squash, shredded or chopped
1 small onion, minced
Combine with enough water to cook or microwave until tender, 3-4 minutes (shredded zucchini may be used without cooking).  Drain.  Set aside.

1 can condensed cream soup
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1 cup carrot, shredded
Mix together in a separate bowl.

2 tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried)
2-3 cups herbed croutons or herb stuffing mix
Mix together in a separate bowl.  Put half into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking pan or a deep casserole dish.  Add the squash mixture and top with the reserved croutons.  Bake at 350F for 30 minutes.