July 13 or 16

This weeks' share includes: 1 Paul Robeson heirloom tomato, 1 bunch of leeks, 1 green celery, 1 bunch of purple basil, 2# Satina potatoes, 1# lemon cucumbers, 1 bulb of garlic, 2 yellow onions, 1 pint of baby squash.
Storage:  garlic can be kept un-refrigerated now. We keep ours in a basket on the counter. The basil will keep best in a paper bag or go ahead and make it into pesto now and keep that in your refrigerator.  The tomato will keep best on your counter for another day or two until it is a deep orange-red color.

The baby squashes are a bit dirty from getting splashed in some heavy rains we've been having.  We don't wash them at the farm because they won't keep well.  Just wash them before preparing.

The lemon cucumbers are so named for their looks.  They do not have any lemon flavor but just a nice fresh cucumber flavor.  The ones that are darker yellow have a tougher skin and you may want to peel those. 

We have been talking about cold soups at the wash shed lately and the leeks are looking so nice that we thought we'd give you the ingredients for vichyssoise.

To make your own vegetable broth:
Into a large soup pot, combine: the green parts of the leeks chopped into 1 inch pieces, the head of celery chopped into 1 inch pieces and washed well, 1 T salt, some black pepper, a bay leaf, and cover with 2 gallons of water.  Bring to a boil and turn down to a simmer.  Let simmer uncovered for an hour or so until it is smelling good and somewhat reduced in liquid.  Strain all of the solids out and save the broth for your soup.  Taste for flavor and add salt if need be.  Any extra broth can be used for making flavorful rice or frozen for another soup.
To make Vichyssoise:
Mince:
3 to 4 medium size leeks: white and light green part only
2 yellow onions
Stir and saute them 3 minutes in:
2 tablespoons butter
Slice very fine or dice into small cubes:
4 to 6 medium yellow potatoes
(some recipes say to peel the potatoes.  for a finer texture soup, you'd want to but more greater nutrition, keep the peels on!)
Add:
4 cups of your celery and leek broth
Simmer the vegetables, uncovered, until tender. Put them through a food mill or blender to make a puree.
Add:
1 to 2 cups of cream or unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 teaspoon of mace or nutmeg
salt and white pepper to taste
chopped parsley or chive for a garnish
This soup can be served hot or cold.