It's truly summer!

Happy Summer everyone! In case the hot weather hadn't clued you in to the season change yet, the longest day of the year occurred yesterday, marking the official start of the summer. And with the new season comes new vegetables!

And for the start of the hottest time of the year, we now have the cheese kitchen AIR CONDITIONED!!! Yes, I have made all the cheeses in a small metal building with no AC or windows and the stove on full blast last summer and this year. Not fun. And as mentioned previously, air temperature can effect the cheese making process. So now we have one more variable under control - and it will allow me to make some cheeses that require longer incubation times at temperatures less than 100F (seriously, we have a thermometer in there and it regularly gets over 100F...). Yeah!


Full Baskets

Cardinal Basil
Roma Tomatoes
Purple Cherokee Tomatoes
Clemson Spineless Okra
Kirby cucumbers
Country Gentlemen Sweet Corn
Purple Beans
Ichicban Eggplants
Poblano Peppers

Half Baskets

Cardinal Basil
Roma Tomatoes
Purple Cherokee Tomato
Clemson Spineless Okra
Kirby cucumbers
Red Norland Potatoes
Butter Beans
Jalapeno Peppers
Garlic


Roasted Okra

This is a delicious way to cook okra that I only recently discovered. If you think you don't like the vegetable, try it this way!

Preheat the oven to 450F. Coat a baking sheet with olive oil and drizzle a little on the okra. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 15 minutes, turning them every 5 minutes. They should be browned in a few places and slightly crisp. Excellent!