Happy, Thursday, Misfit Members! Here's what's ripe this week:
-Tomatoes: Slicer, Roma, Cherry
-Peppers: Bell, Banana, Chili, Jalapeno
-Cabbage
-Kale
-Green Beans
-Squash: Patty Pan, Yellow Crookneck, Zucchini, Zucchino
-Okra
-Watermelon-Sugar Baby
-Cucumbers
-Potatoes
Boy did these green bean plants take off like crazy!! I ended up with an extra laundry basket-full, so I'm going to be doing some canning this weekend.
The melon are coming on, but the vines sure didn't like the several inches of rain we've had all at once in the last week or two. I hope they have on long enough to give us at least a few melons!
The first crop of sweet corn is very, very close to being ready. Like it needs 2 more days and it will be ready!
Green Bean & Tomato Pasta
Ingradients:
-1 shallot, chopped finely
-1 cup green beans, ends removed and snapped into 1-inch pieces
-1 cup tomatoes, chopped
-2 tbsp tomato paste
-1/2 bulb garlic
-1/2 tbsp Italian seasoning
-Sea salt & black pepper to taste
-1 tbsp olive oil
-1/4 cup vegetable stock
-2 cups penne pasta (or other pasta of choice)
-1/2 cup grated Parm
Directions:
-Preheat oven to 425.
-Add shallots, tomatoes, and green beans to a large baking tray, baking dish, or ovenproof skillet.
-Whisk the tomato paste into the stock and pour over the veggies on the tray.
-Place the half bulb of garlic in the middle, cut side facing down.
-Sprinkle with herbs, salt & pepper, & drizzle with olive oil.
-Bake for about 30minutes, or until the veggies are nicely softened.
-While those are in the oven, boil the pasta in salted water until al dente. Save about 1/3 cup of the pasta water.
-Remove the veggies, squeeze the garlic from the bulb and discard the skin. Smash the garlic and stir to combine with the rest of the tray.
-Combine pasta, pasta water, grated Parm, and contents of baking tray and toss to combine. Season as needed with salt & pepper.
I was visited by this super cool looking Automeris io moth, or it's more common name, Bullseye moth. I am a bit of a bug nerd, so I'm always on the lookout for neat looking insects. My Entomology class I took during my senior year at UK was probably my favorite class I ever took. This is a female io moth, which can be determined by color. Females are pink and brown, while the males are yellow. Both have "eyes" on their wings to deter predators. They are mostly found on trees, which is why I was intrigued to see it on a pepper plant. The weird thing about these moths is that the adults do not eat. Their lifespan is very short once they reach this stage and lay their eggs. The caterpillars are reddish-orange in juvenile stage, and mature caterpillars are bright green with a red & white stripe. Both stages of caterpillars are covered in stinging spikes, so if you've accidentally touched a caterpillar that set your hand on fire, it may very well have been this one!
Anyway, that's all for this week. Have a great week and don't forget to wash your produce!!
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