At my house, it looks like we might have to eat our peas fast this year, thanks to the pea leaf weevil. Honestly, who even knew there was such a thing? I’ve been growing peas for 15 years and I’ve never seen one. Apparently they are responsible for my slowly withering sugar snap pea vines. The weevils seem not to have found the snow peas – yet. But I fear for the shell peas which are just now coming on.
Island farmstands to the rescue: I nabbed shell peas at Beetlebung Farm yesterday and combined them with my own sugar snaps and purple snow peas in a Gingery Red Cabbage and Pea Slaw with Cilantro, Lime, and Peanuts. This slaw has all my favorite flavors in it; I thought you might like the recipe for the long holiday weekend.
While I generally prefer to eat slaws not long after they’re mixed (within a half hour or so), I find that arranging slaw on a shallow platter, rather than a deep bowl, keeps the texture fresher for longer. Another tip: Keep a portion of the crunchy ingredients – peanuts, radishes and some of the peas – to use liberally as a garnish rather than mixing them all in.
If I had more shelled peas (and I was feeling flush!) I might make Lobster Salad Rolls with Fresh Peas, Radishes, Lemon and Chives for the holiday on Monday.
With what I’ve got, I think I’ll stick with this Bibb, Pea, and Bacon Salad with Buttermilk Dressing. I might serve that after Roasted Fish with Cherry Tomatoes and Olives.
I went on a summer squash/zucchini hunt Sunday afternoon, too. I missed the little baby squash at North Tabor Farm but found pretty green-striped zucchini and white cucumbers at Beetlebung. And on my way there, I stopped into Lydia Fischer’s stand on the Menemsha Crossroads (shared by @thegardenfarmmv and @fire.cat.farm) and bought three beautiful squash plants. The variety is Y-Star, a prolific yellow pattypan.
The first thing I did with my stripey squash was to slice and grill them as a side for our supper. I do this a lot in the summer as it allows me endless ways to flavor the squash after cooking.
These I topped with lemon zest mixed with a bit of olive oil, lots of fresh thyme and chive blossoms, and crumbled Grey Barn Bluebird. Other great topping combos? Goat cheese, olive tapenade, basil and sundried tomatoes. Pesto and Parmigiano. The toppings should be light — more like garnishes. And be sure to add them when the squash is still warm. Find grilling tips and more topping ideas in the recipe for Simple Grilled Zucchini with Custom Toppings.
You can also turn your grilled zucchini into this: Grilled Toast with Whipped Lemon-Thyme Feta and Summer Squash. Notice a theme here? Zucchini does really well with creamy cheeses!
If you need a special dessert for Monday, I’d go for something fun, like Summer Berry and Vanilla Ice Cream Pie with Chocolate Sauce. (You can use store-bought ice cream.)
Or use your freezer and your broiler to craft Make Ahead S’mores Squares (no campfire required.)
Maybe we’ll see you in Edgartown at the parade on Monday. (Look for us walking alongside the red Vineyard Gazette truck!) Or we'll catch you on Instagram @cookthevineyard.
P.S. Spotted in the wild: A new zucchini at Morning Glory Farm. The Pantheon squash is an improved Costata Romanesco (an Italian heirloom) with fewer prickly spines and a great nutty flavor.
What's Open on Martha's Vineyard
OPEN
• Atria Cafe has opened for the summer. Starting at 8 a.m every day except Mondays, fresh croissants, tea cakes, cookies and more are available at the cafe adjacent to the restaurant in Edgartown.
BEE MINE
• Saturday, July 2 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m., suit up and tour a local honey farm and explore the secret life of bees. The tour of Ginny Bee Honey Farms finishes with a local honey tasting at Norton Farm farmstand. Purchase tickets.
CLASSY
• The FARM Institute and Jenny DeVivo are starting a new series of classes on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 to 7:30 called Eating What's Fresh and What's Local with Jenny DeVivo. The classes run through August; each one is individually ticketed.
And don't forget, you can find a complete list of open restaurants — as well as farm stands and retail stores — at What's Open on Martha's Vineyard.