Cucumber Salad Dressing (Submitted by Pam Dunn of Fine As Frog's Hair)

1 small cucumber peeled, seeded and chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
1-1/2 T fresh lemon juice
1/4 ts salt
1/4 ts crushed garlic (1/2 clove) or more to taste depending on your love for garlic!
dash cayenne pepper (optional)
1-1/2 ts minced fresh dill or basil (1/2 ts if using dried herbs)
1 ts minced red or yellow onion

Place the cucumber, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, garlic and cayenne in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add dill (or basil) and onion and blend briefly just to mix. Store in glass container in refrigerator. Will keep for three days.

The Most from a Chicken : Winter Soups! (Submitted by Kendra Kendle)

If you're like me, you love soup in the winter and you also like getting the most bang for your buck, so try this with one of Crossroads Farm's chickens (I have plenty in my freezer from this summer). I get at least two meals this way - sometimes 3 or 4!

1 whole Crossroads Farm chicken
6 quarts of water
1 large onion
3 stalks of celery
3 tablespoons of salt (to start)

Bring to a boil, scrape off foam, and take down to a simmer. Simmer 4 hours, checking every hour to taste and add salt until it suits your taste. Remove the chicken. Strain the broth. De-bone and shred the chicken.

From here you can go in so many different directions because you have 6 quarts of chicken broth and a whole cooked chicken!  Here are some suggestions:

Creamed Chicken
You can use some of the broth and make gravy by whisking 2 tablespoons of flour per cup of broth in 1/4 cup water. Add the flour/water mixture to the broth and simmer until it thickens. Add shredded chicken and enjoy over biscuits and mashed potatoes.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Put some shredded chicken in the desired amount of broth (depending on the size of your family). Bring to a simmer and add chopped carrots (and onions and celery if desired). Simmer until the carrots cook. Add noodles, remember they'll absorb a lot of the broth, serve once the noodles are tender.

Potato Broccoli Cheese Soup
4 cups diced potatoes
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onion
1 bag frozen broccoli (you may want to wait to add the broccoli as it will cook much faster than the raw veggies)
little pepper
5 cups broth

Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer until veggies are tender. Ladle out 1 cup of broth and add 1/4 cup flour, whisk together and pour back into pot. Simmer until soup thickens. Turn soup off and add 1 can evaporated milk and 1/2 to 1 cup shredded cheese (your choice)!

Get creative! You can also make Wedding Soup, chicken salad, or Amish noodles. Freeze extra broth for future recipes.

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Farmers' Market Veggie Medley (Submitted by Susan West of Lone Oak Farms)

2 medium (8") zucchini, sliced
2 medium yellow summer squash, sliced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 or 2 cloves fresh garlic, diced
1 sweet pepper, cubed
1 or 2 T fresh lemon basil, chopped

Saute all ingredients in 2 T olive oil until tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve as a side, over rice or pasta. Enjoy!
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Strawberry Ice (Issue Number 234: Mother Earth News, p. 30)

1 C hot water
3/4 C sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 C sliced strawberries, plus additional berries for garnish

Mix hot water, sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Blend 3 cups strawberries in processor until smooth.  Add sugar syrup and blend until combined.  Pour mixture into 9x13 baking pan.  Freeze for about 25 minutes or until icy around edges.  Using fork, pull icy portions into middle of pan.  Repeat this step every 20 minutes until all the liquid is frozen into flaky, loose crystals.  Cover and freeze.  When ready to serve, use fork again to scrape crystals into bowls and garnish with berries.
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Baked Cod with Spinach (Submitted by Kendra Kendle)

fresh spinach
butter
onion
garlic Salt
pepper
plain bread crumbs
cod

You may have to be more adventurous to try this because I don't measure anything when I make it!  Chop the spinach and onion and saute in a lot of butter.  Add pepper and garlic salt to taste.  After the spinach and onion are sauteed, add bread crumbs until it's similar to the texture of meat balls.  Place the cod in a baking dish, place pads of butter on top, and place a scoop of the spinach mixture on each piece of cod.  Bake at 350 until the cod is flakey, about 20-25 minutes.

I've also made this recipe with swiss chard in place of the spinach.
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Silky Butternut Squash Soup (Submitted by Susan West of Lone Oak Farms)

1 butternut squash, peeled, cleaned and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
1 32-oz box low-sodium chicken broth (or more if needed)*
3 T butter or olive oil
5 thyme sprigs, stripped
ground sage to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C pine nuts, toasted
1/2 C crumbled blue cheese (or another cheese of your choice)

In large saucepan, add butter or olive oil and heat on medium-high. Add squash and onion. Saute, stirring every five minutes. Once veggies are soft, about 20 minutes, add broth, sage and thyme. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer until squash is tender. Remove from heat. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor (working in small batches , if necessary.) Add more broth if necessary to achieve desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with one tablespoon cheese and one teaspoon pine nuts. Serves 6 to 8.
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Browned Butter Pasta with Tatsoi (Submitted by Susan West of Lone Oak Farms)
Serves 2

Your pasta of choice, preferably curved or with ridges
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Salt and pepper
Leaves of 2 to 3 bunches of tatsoi, rinsed
1/2 cup chopped sage
Freshly grated parmesan
Lemon wedges, optional

Cook pasta to al dente in salted water.

When pasta almost done, melt butter in a skillet. Swirl the butter in the pan as it foams. (At this point, remove pasta from the heat and drain well in a colander.) When butter begins to brown, toss in pasta and mix to coat with butter. Salt and pepper to taste. Add tatsoi and sage and cook until slightly wilted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Plate and serve immediately with grated parmesan and lemon wedges on the side.
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How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds (Submitted by Susan West of Lone Oak Farms)

1. Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)
2. Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on an oiled baking sheet, stirring to coat. If you prefer, omit the oil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.
3. Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes*, checking and stirring after 10 minutes.
4. Let cool and store in an air-tight container.
5. Other seasoning options: Italian seasoning, cinnamon and sugar, parmesan cheese.

*We found it necessary to roast ours longer than the recommended time.
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Submit your in season recipes to ovfarmersmarket@gmail.com!