Over the years, people have asked me many questions about vegetables. They’re fun to answer, and what I say often changes depending on the season or time of day:

  • “What is your favorite vegetable to grow?” Kale because there are many beautiful varieties and it does well all season long. 
  • “If you could only grow one thing what would it be?” Broccoli because I love it, it’s fun to harvest, and pretty easy to grow if you can keep pests away.
  • “If you could only eat one vegetable for the rest of your life, what would it be?” This is a tough one, but right now I could eat carrots every day.
  • “If you were a vegetable, what would you be and why?” I would be a head of romaine lettuce because they grow well in cooler weather and the heart is the best part. 

But there is one question that I’ve put a lot of thought into: what is my favorite vegetable? And I’ve decided it’s the onion. My favorite meals always include onions. Fresh or cooked, they make any dish so much better. It’s a significant ingredient in all of my soups, stews, stock, and sauces. And I love it raw in salads, slaws, tacos, or sandwiches. 

The fresh onions you’ve been getting in your share are only the beginning! Last week, we started to harvest our storage onions. We grew two kinds of yellow storage onion, a red storage onion, and two kinds of shallots, this season, and they are all ready to come out of the fields by early August. Then we lay them out in our greenhouse to cure in the same way we cure our garlic. 

You’ll start seeing the storage onions in your share before you know it. These onions can be stored either in your fridge or in a cool place out of direct sunlight in your kitchen. 

I don’t have a ton of time to cook during the summer, but I made this open-faced sandwich recently and it was delicious! It’s from one of the Moosewood cookbooks and includes onions as well as some other vegetables you’ve been getting in your share. It is super easy and quick and doesn’t require standing over a hot stove for too long! 

Shredded Zucchini and Carrots

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
½ cup finely chopped onions
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
Pinch of red pepper flakes
½ cup grated carrots
1 cup grated zucchini (or other summer squash)
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil
½ cup grated gruyere cheese
2 slices of whole grain bread
Ground black pepper

Directions

  1. In a skillet on medium heat, warm the oil. Add the onions, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. 
  2. Stir in the carrots and cook for a minute. Add the zucchini and salt, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. 
  3. Uncover, stir in the basil, and remove from the heat. 
  4. Meanwhile, sprinkle the grated cheese on the bread. In the oven or toaster oven, melt the cheese. Mound the vegetables on top and sprinkle with black pepper. 

Until next time,

Ember