CSA Week 8
This week you MAY have corn, squash, peppers, eggplant, cucumber, green tomatoes, onion and a few hot peppers (I believe we were aiming for serrano or jalapeno)
Yes, actually green tomatoes, not Green Zebra or Evergreen. We decided to go for it and get going – maybe the stimulation will get them to ripen faster, LOL.
Hey, give eggplant a chance. Of course, not if you are allergic (my brother Allan). And it is art worthy š
Eggplants
I love eggplant and the Farmer accommodates my enthusiasm by growing many varieties. Eggplants come in many shapes, colors and sizes! Everyone can readily identify the common dark purple-almost black, Italian variety carried in every store, but there are so many more and, yes, they can be strikingly different or have merely the subtlest nuance.
I assume because the large, dark eggplant is so common, most people think that not only is that the āoriginalā eggplant but that their origin is Italy. Not so. As far as we eggplant aficionados know, eggplants origins are Oriental and did not make it to Europe until the 13th Century. mainly white (though there were other colors) and the size of a large egg. When they were brought to North America, it was as an ornamental plant and not for the dinner tableā¦itās funny because when tomatoes were introduced, there was a lot of suspicion about consuming them ā nightshades had a bad wrap, I guessĀ šĀ Funny, no one was worried about tobacco (also in the nightshade family)!
More info about eggplants and varieties
Recipes
Green tomatoes – because a Brazilian friend suggested it was a good idea – she does a lot of cooking with green tomatoes. Cool.
Panzanella
Okay, there are a million versions of Panzanella out there but this is what I am planning for tonight with the sourdough Faith and I made yesterday – and I am going green:
- 3 green tomatoes in large dice
- 1 cucumber (I’m going to peel it) in large dice
- half an onion diced
- 1 green pepper diced
- 1-2 cups of croutons made from yesterday’s sourdough
Make dressing:
- 1/3 cup awesome EVOO from Oleatrees
- squirt of Dijon (you should know by now, it ends up in 90% of my dressings)
- 3+ TB lime juice
- splash cider vinegar
- a little minced onion and garlic
- S & P to taste
- going to hunt up a little cilantro or parsley (probably parsley for Glenn ;-))
Toss the veg together with the dressing and let marinade for an hour or so. Toss in croutons and enjoy. If I find feta in the fridge, I’m thinking that would be nice with the cucumber and tart tomato profile.
Tell me what you did with your green tomatoes and post on Insta of FB #cookingwithstillmans or #stillmanscsa
Baked Fried Green Tomatoes – Food Network
This is a must make of you think you can’t cook or enjoy eggplant: Baked Eggplant SIMPLE
Member Michelle sent me this last year and I am reposting because y’all are holdin’ out on me:
Farm Dirt
Wow, we actually have gone 2 days without rain – woot! Thanks A LOT “master weather-maker” El NiƱo! Subsequently, we actually were able to mow down the first corn and peas, plow, harrow and get preppedĀ for new cabbages and broccoli. We still need to plant about an acre of carrots, but can’t get on large swaths of the farm that have access to irrigation; carrots need consistent water to germinate and come up though our heavy soil. Yes, we could take a shot at it that it will continue to rain incessantly, butĀ we are really hoping it won’t š
Green tomatoes, just so you know we are not holding out on you…they are coming, SLOWLY, but, as I said last week, if we can keep the disease at bay, there will be a lovely crop of RED,Ā ORANGE,Ā and GOLDEN tomatoes. Glenn is going to load you up as soon as he can. Meanwhile, break out the fried green tomato and green tomato chili recipes.
The winter squash is looking NICE!
Under both wildlife and Farm Dirt news, for some reason, the birds are wreaking havoc with the corn. On a dry year, this would not be surprising, as pecking at the moist kernels is a great way to hydrate, BUT, since there is standing water everywhere…. Anyway, we cannot always tell what has damage to the top of the ear without husking, so our plan is to cut off the tips so you don’t have to š
Speaking of birds, Glenn has spotted the area on top of an old foundation on the property where a Turkey Vulture (aka “John Crow” if you are from the West Indies) has her nest.Ā He did not walk in to look for her exact nesting spot, lest he lead some predator to the clutch. They often nest on the ground, or hollow log, ledge, and the like, so there’s likely no protection. We like our vultures, they are an important part of our ecology and do yeoman’s work cleaning up all the creatures that die in the road, field and forest. Plus, they are magically amazing in the sky, effortlessly gliding and riding the thermals.
Eat well,
GeneviĆØve Stillman
Coming up: garlic, red tomatoes?
Cuteness overload with this precious Snow Seal Lynx Point in the latest litter
