August--Or not...

It's oddly cool for August. We're not complaining; we LIKE 80 degree temperatures, but it's still disconcerting. Only the cherry tomatoes are ripening so far. We've gotten a few big ones, but nothing to speak of. Now that I have my kitchen back, I made the first BLT and the first zucchini bread of the season yesterday.

I've been super busy, so I haven't been able to do much. We did get the arbor put up.

And started moving the bricks over to the farm from our house.

Buddy worked on the apple tree. It has to come out entirely.

The naked ladies have put up flower stalks and are even showing a hint of color.

And the pumpkins are thriving. Remember those tiny starts from a couple posts ago? Well look at em now!

Yesterday we had Karen and Glen over to the farm. Glen had made this wonderful balsamic vinegar reduction, and I'd used some on the frittata I made last weekend. To garnish the frittata, I put a basil leaf and a cherry tomato. Realizing I was halfway to a tiny caprese salad, I added a crumble of feta cheese, and drizzed it with the balsamic reduction. OMG. Flavor bomb! It was so good, I wanted to share this with Karen and Glen.

I also had a slightly oversize zucchini, so I made zucchini bread with my usual recipe and served it with cream cheese. I had extra eggs, so I made deviled eggs too. Rick and Catherine brought filled celery and Ricky's homemade pickles. Karen and Glen brought smoked salmon spread and cheese and crackers. It was an amazing farm-fresh feast.

I foolishly didn't take any pictures, which is too bad because all the food looked beautiful. So I'll just report it recipe style.

***
Caprecitas
Large intact basil leaves
Squares of fresh mozzarella, no larger than half inch
Fresh picked tiny cherry tomatoes, such as Sungold
Balsamic vinegar reduction

Lay the basil leaves out on the serving platter, curve upward. Place a square of mozzarella and a cherry tomato on each leaf. Carefully drip a drop or two of balsamic reduction on each. Pinch the tips of the basil leaves together to make a pouch and pop the whole thing in your mouth for a burst of flavor.

***
Pesto Shells
Large shell pasta
Basil
Red Walnuts
Garlic (more than lots!)
Good olive oil
Pinch of salt
Tomatoes
Feta or mozzarella cheese or both
Balsamic reduction

Heat oven to 325.
Start a large pan of water boiling for the pasta.
Toast the red walnuts in a slow oven until they smell done (15 mins?) then let cool.
Boil the pasta for about 15 minutes or until just al dente. You want them still pretty firm. Drain and submerge in a bowl of water in the refrigerator to chill.
Peel tons of garlic and place in a small food processor with a good dollop of olive oil and a pinch of salt and grind up. Add a handful of walnuts, a bit at at time and munch those up. At the end, add a handful of basil leaves (the ones that were too little for the previous recipe), and whirl briefly.

You can stop here and assemble later. Don't let the shells dry out, and don't refrigerate the pesto. At the farm, assemble each shell with a dollop of pesto, a cherry tomato, a square of cheese, and a drizzle of balsamic reduction.

***
Balsamic reduction
Buy a large container of good quality balsamic vinegar (check Costco) and cook over a slow simmer until reduced by half or so.