Wow, can you believe it’s August already?!  I feel like I’m right in the middle of summer, but school is already back in session and now you can tell the days are certainly a little bit shorter.  But there’s still 4 weeks of summer sweetness left, so get to the beach, that hike or camping trip you’ve been thinking about, or just sit outside and enjoy the setting summer sun.  Soon enough it’ll be cooler and rainier, and you’ll be glad you have these memories!

This week’s bag is the epitome of a sweet summer day.  You’ll be getting italian basil and roma tomatoes, perfect for that caprese salad you’ve been craving for the beginning of your sunset dinner!  And you’ll enjoy the string beans and swiss chard, maybe with something wonderful on the grill?  Lettuce will provide a perfect cup for your thinly sliced veggies for a healthy light lunch, and finally lilikoi will be the perfect after meal finish, perhaps scooped out and eaten with a papaya.  Hope you enjoy those ideas, and if you’re looking for more direction, take a peek at the following recipes.  Bon Apetit and make the most out of these summer days!

Lilikoi  bars

Caprese Salad   The most amazing pictures accompany this post; they made my mouth water while reading it.

Green Bean salad with red onion

Lettuce Wrap Ideas   Plenty of ideas for ways to fill your lettuce wraps!

Creamy Chard with Bacon and Mushrooms   You will have to halve this recipe as you won’t have 5 cups of chard but the recipe sounds delish!!

Happy Local Eating Oahu Fresh Members!

 

Bon Apetit Oahu Fresh Members!  We’re excited to bring you a bag of wonderful locally grown fresh produce this week…and we have some great fruits for you in the bag too.  This week’s fruit comes from the North Shore farm Kama`aina Land, and it’s organically grown lilikoi and limes.  You’ll also get some long beans from Ho Farms, green onions and tomatoes from Green Growers, sweet potatoes from Mililani Ag Park, and hydroponic lettuce from 808 Fresh.

If you’re pressed for time, we have some suggestions to make cooking a meal made from locally grown ingredients easier, just see below!

Sweet Potato Salad   This sweet potato salad is easy-few ingredients and it’s just a bit on the non traditional side.

Beef with Chinese Green Beans   A simple dinner idea!

Spicy Tempura Sweet Potato

Lime Chicken Soft Tacos   This is another easy dinner and uses your limes and green onions.  You can saute the long beans to go alongside or make the sweet potato salad for a  local meal.

 

 

Aloha Oahu Fresh members!  We think this week’s bag is really exciting…round eggplant, hydroponic lettuce, kale, cherry tomatoes, avocados, lilikoi,&  japanese cucumber!   Summer is great for diverse produce and you will probably think of plenty of things you can do with this week’s selection.  If you’re stumped though, maybe feeling a little sluggish from the heat, grab a glass of cold water, pulp a lilikoi into it, and start checking out these recipes!  You’ll find some great ideas to get you in and out of the kitchen wiki wiki and on to eating your ono local produce!

Bon Apetit!

Summer Nights Eggplant  You will have this dish done in less than an hour, and it’s easily a meal by itself or could be a side to grilled chicken or fish.

If you feel inspired to make a salad with your bag items this week (and why wouldn’t you with all this tasty bounty?), go light and use a homemade dressing on top.  It’s easy to make Lemon Mustard Vinaigrette, there’s only 4 ingredients!

Saag with Collards, Kale, and Spinach  Saag is word referring to dishes comprised of leafy greens that have been cooked a long time.  This dish is Indian in flavor.

How to cope with all those summer vegetables?  A NYTimes piece today on that topic caught my attention:  Raw Panic   You’ll be educated and inspired!

Lilikoi Coconut Pancakes   If your lilikoi make it to the weekend you may want to try this out…if they don’t we hope to have lilikoi again soon so maybe next week!

If your kitchen is air conditioned and you feel like spending a bit more time in the kitchen you may want to try this wonderful sauce recipe:  Eggplant Ragu.  The recipe is actually Pappardelle with Eggplant Ragu and Fresh Ricotta.  It looks delicious!

 

Here’s what’s coming in your bag this week!  We have a nice selection of summer produce this week, including hydroponic lettuce, tomatoes, green onions, arugula, crooked neck squash, and papayas!

Yellow Crooked Neck Squash

Farmers Market Squash Saute

Nine Fantastic Arugula Recipes

Cucumber Tomato Salad

Fresh Papaya with Coconut Lime Yogurt  from Martha Stewart, it’s easy and looks delicious

Aloha Oahu Fresh members!  This week’s bag is salad friendly…hydroponic lettuce, nalo greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, daikon, okra, and bananas!

Have you tried okra before?  Some say it’s an acquired taste, but like anything else, it depends on how you prepare it.  Okra can be pickled, smoked, fried, or used in stews and jambalaya.

Daikon, if you are not familiar with it, is a radish commonly used in Japanese and Vietnamese dishes.  It’s a bit more subtle than French radishes, and pickles easily for a great sandwich topping.

Cajun Jambalaya with Okra, Andouille, and Shrimp   Lots of ingredients for this one but you’ll have a few meals out of it!

Pickled Daikon and Carrots

Easy Daikon Salad Recipe

Crispy Fried Okra   You will be getting a half pound of okra in your bag, so halve this recipe.

Creamy Chilled Cucumber Dill Soup  This is a no cook meal that would be great to take to work for lunch, with some shrimp or avocado added on top….YUM!