Strawberry Moon Ushers in Blueberry Season

    I hope that everyone got a chance to look up at the sky over the weekend and view the full moon.  It was supposed to be the brightest and largest moon of the year.  The sight of it rising over the hill above my garden was lovely indeed.

    According to the almanac, this moon was the “Strawberry Moon.”  It arrived just at the end of our strawberry season.  The good news is that it is now the start of blueberry season, so there is another berry favorite to be found at Farmers Market over the next few weeks.

    June has gone by so quickly—it is hard to believe we are almost at the end of the month already.  The garden plants have gotten much bigger in just the past couple of weeks.  I am so tempted to pick things before I should.  The little green tomatoes on the vine look so delicious.  We all know how much I love fried green tomatoes.  But really, they are just not quite big enough for frying yet, so I am trying to be patient and leave them alone.

    I have little green beans on the plants now.  I picked a baby one for my father the other day and he keeps raving over the flavor.  I know he really wants me to go out and pick some more for him but they are just slightly too small at this point and picking enough for a meal would be rather tedious.  I hear thunder outside as I write this, so I really hope we get some rain in order to plump them up and make the ready to pick.

    It is exciting now to go to market and see which farmers have different vegetables available.  Even though we all mostly live within the same county, there are many factors that determine how soon each farmer is able to get their plants and seeds in the ground.  You never know who will be the first to offer a certain fruit or vegetable each season.  The first tomatoes and sweet corn are usually pretty exciting events.

   While we are waiting for those main season summer veggies to get into full swing, here is a quick and yummy summer lunch idea using what is plentiful right now.  (From www.cultivatingsustainability.com)

Quesadillas with Swiss Chard, Summer Squash & Black Beans

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 large summer squash (any combination of yellow squash or zucchini)
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 large bunch swiss chard, chopped (including stems)
• 1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 oz cheddar cheese, grated
• 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled (I say use whatever cheese you have on hand)
• 6 large tortillas

Directions:  In a large cast-iron skillet, heat oil on medium high heat. Add onion and summer squash. Saute for 4 minutes or until they begin to brown (stirring only occasionally). Add garlic, saute for another 2 minutes. Add swiss chard and black beans and saute for 4 minutes, or until swiss chard is tender.  On a cutting board or large plate prep the quesadillas: sprinkle a little cheese on one tortilla, spoon about 1/2 cup of swiss chard mixture on top of cheese, spread evenly up to the edges of the tortilla, top with a little more cheese and another tortilla. Cook in skillet until crispy and browned on one side and then flip and cook other side.  Repeat for remaining quesadillas.  Top quesadillas with a dollop of sour cream.