CSA Week 9
This week you MAY have lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, apples, basil? eggplant? peaches?
Thankfully tomato season has finally arrived! We missed all our dates for having crushed tomatoes or sauce made, that’s just how it goes. Pretty son we should have a lot and I will be asking for bulk orders, so break out those salsa and sauce recipes, or simply can some whole tomato goodness to remind you of Summer when it is snowing.
Not sure if you will see peaches or nectarines at all this week, but just in case…. Did you know they are exactly the same genus and species? A nectarine is merely a fuzzless peach and has been cultivated for thousands of years. Well, that might be a little over simplified, but it is not wrong. Some people like to think they are a cross between a plum and a peach. Not so. Anyway, like their sisters, the flesh can be white, yellow, peach and even fairly red. They can sit out on the counter, but if they are ripe (smell, your nose knows) refrigerate them.
Still with the Early Mac apples, but look out for Paula Reds and Zestar. As with all early apples, store in fridge if not eating right away.
(reprinted from another year) Farm snob alert: If you are new to fresh, local tomatoes, you cannot handle them as those rock-hard things masquerading as tomatoes at the supermarket. Be very gentle with them, knowing that they don’t like being squeezed, dropped, or having other produce piled on top of them. Also, wipe from your mind that a tomato is supposed to be firm, or soft for that matter. We have been programmed to squeeze produce to check for ripeness. Just don’t. Also, I have observed people over the years that pick up a tomato and if it gives to the touch (because it’s being squeezed), they put it back, as though it is supposed to feel like a supermarket tomato. Wrong. Just remember that the supermarket tomatoes, even those labeled “vine-ripe” are NOT. “Vine-ripes” are harvested when “pink” starts to show at the blossom end versus harvested at “mature green” or “breaker”. Then they run the tomatoes through sorters to grade them by size, then pack them. Usually they are refrigerated (a huge no-no for any unripe fruit); then they are shipped and gassed with ethylene during their journey to “ripen” them. By the way, ethylene is the natural gas produce by fruits to ripen, so it’s not harmful, just leaves me with the feeling of lab created. How on earth can you do all that to a ripe tomato…you can’t. And why would you want a fresh, harvested by hand, ripe tomato to feel or resemble those sold in the super? You don’t, it’s not real. OK, tomato rant off. If you love supermarket tomatoes or the hard, flavorless, pink circles on your sandwich, I am truly sorry if I offended…but you’re probably not going to like our tomatoes then
Just kidding – We actually do grow a very firm variety called Market Pride just for you – but they are red, LOL :~}
Hopefully we can return to the days when members pick out their own tomatoes – we’ll see!
Eggplants? Glenn says maybe. If it looks like an eggplant, it probably is – they come with many different skin and shape variations.
Recipes
Any Fruit Crisp
Prepare any fruit you have laying about. I’ll be honest with you, I never peel my peaches when I make crisp (THE HORROR!) but simply rinse extra fuzz off, cut up in chunks, sprinkle with a little flour and lemon juice and toss with any berries languishing on the counter. I’ve decided the fuzz, which sometimes can irritate my lips, is rendered impotent when cooked – kinda like nettles.
With my fingers, I blend a stick of butter with ½ cup flour, ½ cup brown sugar, 1 cup oats/fine nuts (you know I don’t really measure anything). Prep your fruit, toss with a coulpe tablespoons flour and a sprinkle of sugar if desired. Top the fruit with this mixture (if this is new to you, it is crumbly, so just sprinkle/spread it around the best you can). Bake at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes, until the fruit is tender and bubbling and the top is crisped and golden. YUM!
A few notes:
- crisp gets soggy the next day but is still delicious; I have enjoyed it on yogurt or oatmeal for breakfast.
- You can mix fruits freely, but apples cook at a different rate than peaches, so take that into consideration.
- Crisps and cobblers are a perfect way to use soft fruit that no one wants to eat fresh.
- The crisp topping may benefit from cinnamon and nutmeg, especially with apples and feel free to add a little granola or finely chopped nuts or seeds if yo have them
- If your fruit is dry (as apples can be), you may want to sprinkle a little water and lemon juice over them before topping.
- Substitute whatever flour you like, I have had the best success with corn flour, but have used blends of rice flour too.
- Cook with The Force, I do!
*Wet fruits like peaches, nectarines and blueberries really need the addition of some thickening agent, if you skip that you may have a runny, yet delicious, mess. I mostly use wheat flour because it is handy, but I can go gluten free any time with instant tapioca, tapioca flour or potato starch – so make necessary substitutions but not ommission 😉
Baked Eggplant for dummies Geniuses
This recipe goes into every year’s eggplant letter…it’s simple, not slimy or greasy, and very tasty.
Slice thinly (the long way or the round way), lay on lightly greased baking sheet, thinly spread mayonnaise on top, sprinkle with parmesan cheese, garlic powder, and pepper and bake in hot (400) oven for 10 mins, or until fork tender. If you’re a purist with garlic, omit the powder and mix minced garlic in with the mayonnaise. And, really, the garlic is not necessary at all, it is simply another excuse to put garlic on something. Everyone has time for this recipe!
This also freezes beautifully – freeze the baked eggplant on the baking sheet and then package up after frozen…it is fabulous to have on hand in the winter to re-bake and serve with red sauce and pasta for a quick vegetarian meal. Baked Eggplant
For when we see kale and corn again:
Member Carie sent me these recipes noting, “Another favorite for the kid who can’t eat corn on the cob. Stores well in the fridge for a quick veggie with lunch or to bring to a picnic/party.” Apologies I do not know who to give credit to for the recipes 🙁
Kale Corn Salad
Prep time, 20 mins, Total time, 20 mins
Serves: 2 entree-sized or 4 appetizer servings
Ingredients
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 Tbsp honey
• ¼ tsp salt
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large bunch black/dinosaur kale, stems removed
• 2 ears fresh corn, cooked until just tender
• 1 cup cooked quinoa or other grain
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
Kale corn salad
Monday, July 9, 2018 7:56 AM
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large bunch black/dinosaur kale, stems removed
• 2 ears fresh corn, cooked until just tender
• 1 cup cooked quinoa or other grain
• ¼ cup sunflower seeds
Instructions
In the bottom of a large salad bowl, whisk together the lemon, honey, salt and olive oil. Chop kale leaves and add to the bowl. Toss to combine with the dressing and let sit 5 minutes.
Cut the kernels off the corn on the cob and add to the salad along with the quinoa and sunflower seeds. Toss salad and serve right away. Salad will keep in the fridge for 2 days.
Notes: Optional additions: golden raisins, dried cranberries or chopped apples.
Fresh Salsa
Sharon’s Summer Arugula Wrap
Eggplant with Tomato Coulis
Farm Dirt
Making great progress on prepping and planting for Fall crops! How much do I love to share good news?!!
Keep positive for a gentle remainder of the Summer and a long Fall growing season 🙂
The garlic was undercut and harvested two weeks ago. It is curing in a greenhouse now. Remember the scapes in June? Those have to get removed so the energy goes into the garlic bulb and not a flower and seed production. There’s a lot of work involved to get a bulb of garlic, but it is worth it when there is a good harvest. I’m not actually sure what it costs us to grow it. One farmer-friend charges $30/lb for garlic! That puts one bulb of garlic at $5-10 each!!! We don’t charge that.
The barn Swallows are feeding new nestlings, the Red-tails are having flying lessons, seeing bear, gray fox, and lots of herons!
Coming soon: onions, eggplants, more tomatoes, next batch of squashes, garlic..
Eat well,
Geneviève Stillman
