The days are getting shorter and families are flocking to Back to School specials. Summer is moving into its final phase.

Last year at this time, Manatee and I considered this the end of the summer because it was our wedding weekend. Our summer was constructed around the wedding: showers, bachelor and bachelorette parties, cake tastings. It was a whirlwind. After the honeymoon, we fell into the rhythm of a married couple. The summer of engagement was over.

This year we are getting ready to celebrate our first anniversary. And in true Manatee/Badger Girl fashion, we are celebrating by running a half marathon and then treating ourselves to a swanky dinner downtown. Active + foodie = Badger Girl and Manatee union.

The weather has been a little cooler and since we don’t have kids, we can try to pretend that summer will continue through August and into September. This week’s share helps with the end of summer denial: watermelon, corn, tomatoes. We can try to ignore that we need a sweater to sit out on the deck and the shortening daylight hours.  We will revel the watermelon dripping down our chins and the grilled sweet corn stuck in our teeth. Live on, summer, live on.

Sweet corn
Summer squash
Watermelon
Tomatoes
Cherry tomatoes
Peppers
Swiss chard
Beets
Cucumber

Swiss chardAndy Ziegler gave me a recipe that he promised would force me to fall in love with swiss chard. It involves blanching, sauteing and sherry vinegar. Check back next week to hear the verdict and see some pics.

Summer squash and peppers- Tonight, as our post-race dinner, we will be making shish kebobs. For veggies, we will do peppers (even the hot ones), summer squash, onion, and mushrooms. For meat, we will buy a mixture of steak and chicken. Check back next week to see pics and more specific instructions.

Tomatoes and cherry tomatoes: This is our first real bulk tomato share. I am super excited. I foresee lots of tomato sandwiches and Caprese salads. We may even try grilling some. Scratch that- we WILL try grilling some tonight.

Sweet corn- Last week Manatee had grilled corn for the first time. I honestly think if someone would have asked him to choose between the corn and me, we would not be celebrating our wedding anniversary this weekend. This makes me suspect that we will be grilling all 7 ears of corn. I have a feeling I won’t get a choice in the matter. I think I can live with that.

Cucumber– I have to admit that I am struggling with the cucumbers. Maybe some more poor man’s bruschetta? Anyone have any good tips or recipes for eating cucumber?

Beets– After some brief internet research and the discovery of a new blog to follow (The Dinner Files), I have learned you can grill beets. This will be a side to our shish kebobs tonight.  As recommended, I will toss them with walnut oil and some soft cheese (goat for me and ricotta for Manatee). Yum!

Watermelon– I wish I could say that we will be grilling the watermelon but I don’t know if we are willing to sacrifice it. It’s suppose to be amazing but we have enough trouble not eating it as we are cutting it up. I would love to hear if any of you have tried grilling it and your thoughts on it. Is it worth the sacrifice of fresh fruit?

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Hope everyone is enjoying the CSA and the wonderful produce so far. If you don’t get a CSA but are struggling with how to use seasonal produce, drop me a line. Together we can do a little brainstorming and I would love the excuse to try something new.

Enjoy!

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