Week #17
- · Green and purple beans – Bindu, Suresh and Jocelyn harvested over 80 pounds on Sunday in 90 degree weather, we thank them for the amazing quantity
- · Hot peppers – “Jalafuego” and “Serrano”
- · Tomatoes – “New Girl” and “Applegate” are real winners
- · Cherry tomatoes – Over 200 plants and we struggled with Anaga to fill 42 little hallocks. Obviously they are not quite “on” but couldn’t resist
- · Apples – “transluscent” and other delicious early varieties
- · Currants – red and tart, good to just mix into a fruit salad or nibble on
- · Cucumbers – pretty much the mother lode 9 – 11 per share, see recipes below
- · Basil – you can easily make a small batch of pesto this week
- · Zucchini – time to make that zucchini bread you have been putting off, lots of tried and true recipes under the zucchini tab, all delicious and somewhat nutritious
- · Garlic
- · Onions – still the sweet Walla Walla type onions
- · Cabbage – this will be the last week until the fall , enjoy some cole slaw or try the kale salad dressing over the shredded cabbage
- · Shiso – Japanese basil, I recommend that you use it like Mint in the cucumber recipe listed below. It is to be used fresh in salads or you can even make tempura.
The heat is on!!102 is just too hot for the veggies and for us. Some of the recently transplanted crops like broccoli and Napa cabbage don’t look like they will make it. They got infested with the flea beetle and then got blown away by the scorching heat. Hopefully it will cool back off and we can get back to the business of transplanting for fall.
The weeds have definitely gotten the better of us in some areas. If anyone has a strong desire to pull weeds we can direct you to the areas close to death. We are always amazed by how plants recuperate if the competition is pulled out. The onions that looked to be a complete bust responded great to intensive weeding and turned out great. Too bad history keeps repeating itself.
Juve spent part of the week hauling cattle, he brought two bulls from Eugene; one to sire this years offspring and one to raise up for future years. They are Galloway cattle known for remaining small to medium sized and loving shrubs and brush as opposed to grass. Our friends Martin and Anna sent them our way we can’t wait to see the fluffy calves in the spring.
The harvest today was intense and long. There were too many beans and too much scrounging around for cherry tomatoes. We really needed the help as each crop can take over an hour to harvest. Please be sure to do your part to help bring in the harvest over the next 12 weeks.
Becca’s favorite Thai Cumber salad with Roasted Peanuts
¼ cup fresh limejuice
1 ½ tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 ½ tablespoons minced seeded jalapeno chili (about 1 large)
2 garlic cloves
1 ½ English hothouse cucumbers, halved, seeded, thinly sliced
¾ cups sliced red onion
2 tablespoons fresh mint (use your Shiso here!!)
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped lightly salted roasted peanuts
Whisk first 5 ingredients in medium bowl. Place cucumbers, onion, and mint in large bowl. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on peanuts and serve.
Shiso salad.
In a bowl, combine 2 cups very thinly sliced peeled cucumbers and 1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar. Slightly crush cucumber with your hand, and let stand at least 5 minutes. Rinse and core 1 crisp green apple (such as Granny Smith or Newtown Pippin; 1/2 lb.); thinly slice on a food slicer or mandoline. Add apple at once to cucumbers, and mix. Add 1/4 cup finely slivered fresh shiso leaves (green or purple); mix. Season to taste with salt. With a slotted spoon, mound salad on plates and garnish with fresh shiso leaves. Makes 3 cups, 4 servings.
Shiso-Marinated Lamb Chops with Orange Curry Gastrique
Serves 4
Two racks lamb loin chops, Frenched (about 2-1/4 lb)
Marinade
4 T olive oil
2 T fish sauce
4 T shiso (Japanese basil) minced
Gastrique
1/2 medium onion, chopped
olive oil
Juice and zest of 1-1/2 navel oranges (reserve some zest for garnish)
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 small dried red chiles
fish sauce to taste
1/3 C sugar
2 T balsamic vinegar
Mix the marinade ingredients and place in a plastic bag with the lamb racks. Marinate for 1 – 4 hours, turning every half hour.
To make gastrique, sauté onions in a small amount of olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 8 minutes. Increase heat to high, add the turmeric and stir vigorously for 30 seconds, ’til the color deepens. Reduce heat to medium, add orange juice, zest, coriander, cumin, chiles, sugar and vinegar and simmer for 15 minutes. Purée and add fish sauce to taste (don’t be timid with the fish sauce: the idea is to counteract the sweetness of the orange juice and bring out the curry flavors, so a significant amount of fish sauce is needed). Depending on your preference, you may want to add some hot sauce or ground cayenne if you like more heat — I’m fairly conservative in that direction.
Grill or broil, 4″ from heat, the lamb chops, 4 minutes on one side, two on the other, for rare meat. Immediately turn the racks a few times in the gastrique to coat, then cut into individual chops and spoon additional gastrique over them. Garnish with reserved zest and shiso sprigs
Zucchini and Avocado Salsa Salad
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN
Whenever you make a dish with uncooked zucchini, be sure to slice or dice it finely, so that the zucchini can absorb the dressing or seasonings. I like to eat this salsa salad with rice.
1 medium zucchini
Salt to taste
5 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 or 2 jalapeño or serrano peppers, seeded if desired and finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 cup chopped cilantro, to taste
1 Haas avocado, ripe but not too soft, cut into tiny dice
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Boston lettuce or romaine lettuce leaves for serving
1. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt, and drain in a colander for 15 minutes. Rinse if the zucchini tastes very salty, and drain on paper towels.
2. Combine the tomatoes, chiles and cilantro in an attractive bowl. Combine the zucchini, avocado and lemon or lime juice in another bowl. Taste and add salt if desired. Add to the tomatoes, and toss together gently. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve on lettuce leaves as a salad, or serve over rice.
Yield: Serves six.
Advance preparation: You can assemble this several hours ahead. It will even keep for a day in the refrigerator, but it will become watery. This isn’t a bad thing if you are serving it over rice, with the juices poured over.
Warm Cabbage, Onion, and Apple Slaw
1 medium yellow or red onion
1 medium red or green cabbage
2 large crisp, sweet apples
Oil
Salt and pepper
Vinegar
Peel and slice the onion very thin. Trim the cabbage, core it, cut in half, and slice into fine chiffonade, as for coleslaw. Peel, core, and slice the apples very thin.
In a large saute pan, heat a little oil and begin to saute the onions. When they are translucent and just beginning to brown, add the apples. Saute about 1 minute so everything is sizzling, and add the cabbage, the seasoning, a dash of vinegar, and a little water. Stir on a hot flame just long enough to barely cook the cabbage. It should retain a little crunch and the sweetness of fresh cabbage.
Serve with pork, roast chicken, or duck; a savory grain and legume pilaf or roast potatoes; or by itself, cold.
SERVES 8 TO 10
GREEN BEANS WITH TOMATOES AND BASIL
From Asparagus to Zucchini, Madison Area CSA Coalition
1 1/2 pounds green beans, cooked
1 garlic clove, diced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tomatoes or 1/2 basket of cherry tomatoes, coarsely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp. chopped fresh basil
1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
Cut beans into 1‑inch lengths; set aside. Saute garlic and onion in oil in skillet until soft. Add tomatoes, salt and pepper, and cook 2 minutes. Stir in basil and green beans. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in parlsey, and serve immediately. Makes 4‑6 servings.
Haricots Verts Salad With Figs and Walnut Vinaigrette
I cheated a bit and did the green beans in the microwave and ran them under cold tap water (but I did dry them). I didn’t have the truffle. 😉 Have to try that some time. Don’t put the salad together until just before serving ’cause it gets ucky. Next time I might try having the walnuts in big pieces instead of chopped. -jw
1 lb. haricots verts (slim green beans), tipped and tailed
Kosher salt
2 T sherry vinegar
1/8 t freshly ground white pepper
3 T toasted walnut oil
1 T olive oil
2 T snipped chives
1 T very finely diced shallot
6 large ripe figs, stemmed and quartered
20 small basil leaves
2 T coarsely chopped walnuts
1/4 oz. summer truffle, very thinly sliced (optional)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a large pinch of salt. Prepare a large water ice bath; set aside.
Drop the beans into the boiling water and cook at a full boil until they are slightly tender and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. Drain, plunge
into the ice water to halt the cooking process, drain again, and spread the beans on a kitchen towel.
Combine the sherry vinegar, 1/8 t kosher salt, pepper, walnut oil, and olive oil in a large mixing boil. Whisk vigorously. Add the chives, parsley, and shallot and mix well. Drop the figs, beans, basil leaves, and walnuts into the bowl, and toss together gently but thoroughly with your hands. Sprinkle the salad with a pinch of salt and, if desired, garnish with the thinly sliced summer truffle. Serve immediately.
adapted rom The Basque Kitchen, Gerald Hirigoyen.
TOMATOES AND FETA CHEESE WITH HERB-AND-GARLIC DRESSING
6 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 2 teaspoons dried
1 tablespoon coarse-grained Dijon mustard
1 shallot, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 cup olive oil
4 large tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/3 cup Kalamata olives or other brine-cured black olives, pitted, chopped
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl; gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.
Arrange tomatoes on platter. Sprinkle with olives and cheese. Drizzle with enough dressing to coat. Serve, passing remaining dressing separately.
Gazpacho
Blend in cuisinart or blender
4 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon Tabasco
1 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper, basil to taste
1 small opinion chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
Add 2-3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
2 green or red tomatoes, chopped
2 cucumbers, chopped
Pulse until desired consistency add 1 6 oz can tomato paste and 4 cups water. Eat chilled