Summer came to our house today with 80 degree weather and a box full of sunshine: yellow wax beans (which last summer were the star of my favorite Farm Box Veggie Enchiladas), golden summer squash, colorful kohlrabi, and jewel-toned rainbow chard. There’s a “toy” section in the farm box, with adorable cucumbers that are no more than 4 inches long, darling and sweet-tender carrots, and corn cobs no larger than the baby corn that Tom Hanks nibbled on in the movie Big.  Rosy beets with vibrant green toppers, a magenta Maui onion, crimson strawberries and vivid orange golden nugget oranges completed the invitation to summer.

My plan for the bounty? To make my first Summer Succotash of the season, with a combination of the yellow beans, squash, red onion, fresh corn and basil, perhaps a little orange zest and juice. I’ll serve that in my Family Farm Box Meals with an Herb Roasted Chicken, which could also accompany a Red Beet, Red Cabbage and Red Lentil Salad. I’ m planning a Cider Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Kohlrabi Mash and Wilted Greens and my favorite seasonal Summer Minestrone Soup, this week with an accomodation to make it gluten-free with rice-based rigatoni. My friends and I loved a Three Citrus Sangria last week that I made with my Glen Ivy Farms navel oranges. This week I’ll make it with golden nugget oranges. As I progress through my box of summer, I can’t wait to share recipes and ideas. If you have some amazing ways you are transforming your farm box, I would love to hear from you!