It's here already and it sure feels like it. August is the last month of summer for most, as a kid I remember how time seemed like it used to speed up as the days of summer began to end and the beginning of school loomed close. I would look around and realize with horror all the work books I was supposed to have completed and the book list that seemed so short in June, seemed impossibly long in the reality of August. How easy to procrastinate when school was so distant! Now time moves a little differently. It moves so fast that procrastinating is not an option. Each task layered on top of the others, all with priority stars next to them. Never a right or wrong choice but always hard to decide. Farming in August is more like a dance with fate and time and weather all rolled into one. I don't miss those back to school jitters and our waltz with August always keeps us on our toes.

Scenes from the farm: Finally back on the lettuce planting train, Duma finding some shade, rudbeckia in the PYO garden, and the squash patch

The share:

salad mix

head lettuce

swiss chard

summer squash

cucumbers

cherry tomatoes

heirloom tomatoes

basil

parsley

beans

potatoes

beets

carrots

eggplant

sweet peppers

hot peppers

spring onions

Recipe of the Week:

RATATOUILLE

GOURMET JUNE 1991

YIELD

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

- 1 onion, sliced thin
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
- a 3/4-pound eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 1 small zucchini, scrubbed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into thin slices
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3/4 pound small ripe tomatoes, chopped coarse (about 1 1/4 cups)
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
- 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup shredded fresh basil leaves

PREPARATION

1. In a large skillet cook the onion and the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and heat it over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the eggplant and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened. Stir in the zucchini and the bell pepper and cook the mixture over the moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook the mixture, stirring occassionaly, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the oregano, the thyme, the coriander, the fennel seeds, the salt, and pepper to taste and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil and combine the mixture well. The ratatouille may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated before serving.

August