Summer CSA Week 13 and Curried Pickled Zucchini

It was with a little tinge of sadness that I waited with Mollie at the end of our lane for the school bus this morning. Neither of us slept too well. She was excited and I was just worried that we wouldn't get up in time, so I tossed and turned till 6 am.
It is the unofficial end of summer as she heads back to school, and it was a whole lot quieter around here today without her.
It seemed the weather accepted this verdict too, and it was a cooler day today after a hot Labour Day weekend.

It makes me realize I have to get right on my fall and winter plantings in my hoop houses. Of course I have no doubt that when I do this, beginning tomorrow after I harvest the remainder of the week's CSA baskets, it'll heat right up again and I'll be watering very regularly.
One hoophouse has to be cleared of tomato plants, eggplants, zucchini and weeds before I plant, and the other, the largest, I will leave half full of those crops, and remove the other half. Hopefully though all the weeds will go.
Some of the late planted tomatoes are just going to turn colour and the varieties are exceptional. So they'll stay and produce for a while yet, I hope.

I'll add compost to both planting areas, till it in, level it and begin planting.
I do have some small kales, collards and chards I am going to carefully dig out of the garden and move in, but the rest will be direct seeded. There will be more chard, my favourite winter crop, many mustard greens, lettuces, spinach and I'm soaking some beets seeds tonight as well for planting tomorrow.
Hope I get it all done. Bet I won't.
Two weeks remain in my summer CSA, and the fall one begins right after.

Todays baskets were once again loaded. Heirloom tomatoes, sweet and hot (and super hot) peppers, tomatillos, eggplants, beans, garlic, cantaloupe, orange scented thyme, golden purslane, basil and zucchini or summer squash filled them up quite well.

Thanks to Trish for sharing these recipes with me to use up the zucchini and tomatillos. She gave me a jar of the zucchini pickles and they are really delicious, as is the bread she shared.

Curried Pickled Zucchini

Author: Marisa McClellan

-Makes 4 pints

Ingredients

• 2 ½ pounds of zucchini
• 2C apple cider vinegar
• 2C water
• 1C granulated sugar
• 2T pickling salt
• 1T madras curry powder
• 1T brown mustard seeds
• 1tsp tumeric 

Instructions

1. Wash zucchini and using a mandolin, cut into ½ inch thick slices
2. In a large pot combine apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, salt, curry powder, mustard seeds and turmeric and bring to a boil.  Add zucchini slices.  Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the liquid returns to a boil and zucchini starts to turn yellow
3. Pack zucchini into prepared pint jars and cover with liquid.  Ensure there aren’t any air bubbles trapped between zucchini slices.  Wipe rims, apply lids and rings and process in a boiling water bath caner for 10 min.  When time is up remove jars from canner and place on a towel to cool.
4. Sealed jars can be stored in a cool dark place for up to one year.  Let pickles remain in jars for at least 48hrs before opening.

Zucchini Bread (Whole Foods Market)

Serves 10-12 

Ingredients

• Natural cooking spray (I just used butter)
• 1 ½ C whole wheat pastry flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 egg
• 1/3 C expeller pressed canola oil
• 1/3 C unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 T plain yogurt
• ¾ C sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 C grated zucchini
• 1/3 C finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Method

• Preheat oven to 325 F.  Grease an 8 inch loaf pan and set aside
• In a large bowl sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  In a separate bowl whisk together egg, oil, applesauce, yogurt, sugar and vanilla.  Add flour mixture and stir until combined.  Fold in zucchini and walnuts then transfer batter to loaf pan.  Bake until risen, deep golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes clean (aprox 50-60 min)
• Cool in pan on a rack for 30 min then remove bread from pan and continue to cool on a cooling rack

Tomatillo Salsa (from Practical Paleo)

Yield: aprox 1 cup

Ingredients

• 2C tomatillos, outer skin peeled and fruit quartered
• 1 tsp jalapeno pepper minced
• ½ tsp garlic minced or grated
• 1-2 tsp fresh horseradish minced or grated (to taste- using more will yield a spicier sauce)
• 1 T apple cider vinegar or distilled vinegar
• 1 T extra virgin olive oil

Method

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.  Serve chilled.

For a less spicy version leave the jalapeno out and adjust the horse radish