- · Lettuce
- potatoes
- · Tomatoes
- · Cherry tomatoes
- · Sweet peppers
- · Hot peppers
- · Onions
- · Leeks
- · Garlic
- · Cucumbers
- · Summer squash
- · Basil
- · Apples
- · Plums
- · Pears
- · Eggplant
Well, fall is in the air. We have definitely felt the difference in the weather and so have the plants. The brassicas (cabbage broccoli family) love the cool nights and temperate days. The warm weather loving crops like beans and cucumbers are bothered by this change and have all but given up on production. Our palates must change with the weather too, so enjoy those cucumbers while they last. It seems like great weather for ratatouille, so I have included some recipes. Polly suggests adding a bit of balsamic vinegar to deglaze the pan and then an touch of pesto when you serve it.
The fruit is just peeking with apples in abundance and pears and plums just behind. We hope there will still be plenty by September 22, the day of the canning party. It has been suggested that I change the date but too many details to deal with so it remains on Saturday September 22. As mentioned in the previous post it will be scaled back with fewer recipes as we hope to teach a bit about canning and peak people’s confidence and interest in canning in the hopes that you will take it up at home on your own. I plan to nail down the recipes this week, but . . .
It is back to school for many this week and a busy time with fall sports etc. Don’t forget that cherry tomatoes and cucumber slices make great additions to the lunch bag. The fruit also can be given whole or sliced of dried. We have been experimenting with dehydrating fruit, veggies and the like and adding spices to make them even more appealing. I must admit that some of the items appeal to a more mature palate.
Important dates to remember:
1) September 22: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.: please see attachment for a list of what to bring
2) September 23: 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.: Helvetia Cultural fest. Pick up a post card and come join the fun.
3) October 14: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. harvest festival, get ready to have some fun and show off your farm to family and friends!
4) October 20: 9:00 a.m. – Wellness Center Opening please join my team! http://walkforwellness.virginiagarcia.org/wellness/participantpage.asp?fundid=1720&uid=3086&fkroledescid=3 you can search for Lyn Jacobs or La Finquita del Buho team. I will be giving a personal tour of the new Wellness Center at Virginia Garcia Clinic in Cornelius following the 2 mile family friendly walk.
Sautéed Zucchini, Basil, Cherry Tomatoes, and Olives
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2 -inch thick slices
2 large garlic cloves, sliced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
2 cups small cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add zucchini, garlic, and rosemary. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until zucchini is just tender, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and olives. Sauté until tomatoes just begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Mix in basil and vinegar. Season vegetables to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl. Makes 6 servings.
From Bon Appétit, Sept 2007.
Roasted onion and tomato salad (inspired by Caprial Pence)
This recipe is a little more flavorful if you have shallots, but it works well with the red onions in your box this week, or you could use roasted garlic (instructions for roasting garlic in last week’s newsletter).
- 1. Place a handful of peeled onions or shallots in a roasting pan. Quarter larger onions and place cut-side down. Drizzle with olive oil and roast at 350-degrees until very soft and slightly caramelized.
- 2. Cut several large tomatoes into wedges and place in a bowl. Coarsely chop roasted onions (or shallots, or garlic) and toss with tomatoes.
- 3. Combine 2 Tbs. red wine or balsamic vinegar with 6 Tbs. olive oil. Toss with garlic and tomatoes.
- 4. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to sit for 30 minutes at room temperature before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, thyme, or whatever is handy).
Cucumbers Stuffed with Herbed Cottage Cheese
from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Molly Katzen
Note: A cold stuffed fruit or vegetable can make an oasis out of a hot summer day’s lunch. Serve it on a bed of crisp, cold greens, with homemade bread and butter.
For the Herbed Cottage Cheese:
2 cups cottage cheese
2 tablespoons of several different herbs, minced (cilantro, dill, basil, thyme, chives, parsley, marjoram, and mint, any combination of these is just fine).
Start with the smaller quantities listed above, and increase, to taste, as needed. Set aside until cucumbers, or other vegetable is ready to stuff.
For the Cucumbers:
Cucumbers, as many as you would like to stuff
Slice cucumbers in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Lay each half on its back, and fill them generously (about ½ cup filling per half). Chill if needed and enjoy.
Buttermilk & Cucumber Dressing
From The Enchanted Broccoli Forest by Molly Katzen
Note: This dressing is great with fresh summer garden salads. You can even use it to dress a simple cucumber salad.
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1½ cups buttermilk
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoons salt
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon dill
1 teaspoon mild paprika
Puree everything together in a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade. Yields approximately 2¾ cups.
Summer Squash with Tomatoes, Basil and Lemon
–inspired by Tender by Nigel Slater
This is a new favorite summer squash dish. The addition of the lemon juice is critical. It calls for a handful of basil leaves and I’m guessing many of you have a basil plant in a pot or garden close by.
3-4 medium summer squash, well washed and cut into thick fingers, homemade French-fry sized
½ a Walla Walla Sweet or other onion, diced or thinly sliced (optional)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 medium to large tomatoes, roughly chopped
Handful of basil leaves, roughly torn
Salt and pepper
½ a lemon
Heat the oil in a large skillet or sauté pan and add the onion and squash and cook, fairly undisturbed for 6-8 minutes over medium to medium-high heat until the vegetables begin to soften.
Add the tomatoes, the basil, salt and pepper, and a good squeeze of lemon juice. Stir and then cover with a loose fitting lid and let simmer for 10 -12 minutes until the squash is completely tender. Adjust seasoning and serve with good crusty bread to mop up the juices.
Ratatouille’s Ratatouille
As envisioned by Smitten Kitchen
1/2 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
1 cup tomato puree (such as Pomi)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small eggplant (my store sells these “Italian Eggplant” that are less than half the size of regular ones; it worked perfectly)
1 smallish zucchini
1 smallish yellow squash
1 longish red bell pepper
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
Few tablespoons soft goat cheese, for serving
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Pour tomato puree into bottom of an oval baking dish, approximately 10 inches across the long way. Drop the sliced garlic cloves and chopped onion into the sauce, stir in one tablespoon of the olive oil and season the sauce generously with salt and pepper.
Trim the ends off the eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash. As carefully as you can, trim the ends off the red pepper and remove the core, leaving the edges intact, like a tube.
On a mandoline, adjustable-blade slicer or with a very sharp knife, cut the eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and red pepper into very thin slices, approximately 1/16-inch thick.
Atop the tomato sauce, arrange slices of prepared vegetables concentrically from the outer edge to the inside of the baking dish, overlapping so just a smidgen of each flat surface is visible, alternating vegetables. You may have a handful leftover that do not fit.
Drizzle the remaining tablespoon olive oil over the vegetables and season them generously with salt and pepper. Remove the leaves from the thyme sprigs with your fingertips, running them down the stem. Sprinkle the fresh thyme over the dish.
Cover dish with a piece of parchment paper cut to fit inside. (Tricky, I know, but the hardest thing about this.)
Bake for approximately 45 to 55 minutes, until vegetables have released their liquid and are clearly cooked, but with some structure left so they are not totally limp. They should not be brown at the edges, and you should see that the tomato sauce is bubbling up around them.
Serve with a dab of soft goat cheese on top, alone, or with some crusty French bread, atop polenta, couscous, or your choice of grain.