Green Beans and Peppers

 This week we are busy trellising tomatoes to ensure that the plants grow tall and strong.  A few yellow pear tomatoes have ripened and the rest are soon to follow.  This week our green beans are ready to be harvested as well as some of the pepper varieties.
  Each week we attend the Sandy Springs farmers market, one of the things that we are most known for is our basil.   Each week the Basil must be cut several times to prevent flowering, so you get to reap the benefits...more basil.  I  cut the stems long so that you can use the basil as a table centerpiece, in case you don't use it all in your cooking.
  My favorite way to use a patty pan squash is to stuff it.  I am including an Italian style recipe this week to incorporate some of that wonderful basil.  I am also including our favorite potato recipe- it's simple and delicious!

 
This week's CSA:
Green Beans
Summer Squash (patty pan and yellow crooked neck)
Cabbage
Potatoes (red pontiac new potatoes)
Baby bell peppers
Basil
Jalapeno peppers

Recipes:

Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Basil Orzo

2 Patty Pan squash

Olive oil

1 cup orzo, cooked and cooled

2 tbsp whole milk ricotta cheese

2 tbsp Romano cheese, grated

6 fresh basil leaves, chopped

¼ tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Trim the stem off the squash to create a flat surface. Coat them in olive oil and place them stem side down in a baking dish. The bake time will vary greatly depending on the size of the Patty Pan. I had two, one smaller than the other. The smaller cooked in 30 minutes and the larger took 40 minutes. Insert a fork in the flesh to ensure that it is tender and remove from the oven. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

In a bowl mix together the orzo, cheeses, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Using a small paring knife carefully cut the top off of each squash. Gently scrape out some of the seeds using a spoon to create a bowl to hold your filling. Scoop half of the filling into each squash. Return to the oven and bake 5 to 7 minutes longer until everything is heated through. Makes 2 side dish servings.

Roasted new potatoes:
Baby new potatoes
Fresh garlic
Onion
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
  Wash your baby potatoes ( if you find a potato that is much larger than the others cut in half), arrange on a baking sheet add Fresh garlic cloves,chopped onion, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in oven at 400 degrees F for 15- 20 minutes, until golden brown.