Week #14

• Lettuce
• Garlic
• Green onions
• Eggplant – it got huge with the heat! If you cut it in half and salt it and leave it for 30 minutes and wipe off the salt it makes it much blander and more delicious.
• Tomatoes! Regular slicers, or cherry tomatoes they are coming on strong.
• Green beans – they also are coming on, don’t be deterred by some huge long fat beans they are “Fortex” our favorite. They stay crisp and starchless even when big. That being said, no one liked 100 degree days so if you come to a floppy bean toss it out, sometimes it just happens with the heat.
• Basil – you can place it in a jar with water on your counter and use it all week. You can hang it and dry it out of the sunlight and crumble it in a jar and save it for sauce all year.
• Cucumbers – they have gone wild, but took a huge flavor hit with the heat. Some got extremely bitter and we can’t judge this when harvesting them. We are sorry but we cannot control the weather. Taste each cucumber to make sure they aren’t bitter, if they are toss them to the compost. Hopefully with cooler days this bitterness will subside.
• Zucchini and summer squash – make zucchini bread, try Sue Kass’ paleo bread or make into breakfast cupcakes, they are delicious. “A zucchini a day keeps the doctor away”
• Kale or chard – gotta love those greens, also a bit bitter with the heat and the onslaught of the flea beetle. This tiny black flea gives each leaf a tiny pinhole and really inhibits growth!
• Cabbage – we are nearing the end of spring cabbage. Do not despair; we ate three cabbages last night with 6 people. Use my recipe for roasted cabbage now that it has cooled off, it was just gobbled up.

Thank goodness the weather has cooled off! We are busy assessing the damage. Most of the crops we transplanted during the blast of heat over the last two weeks did not like the heat. We lost over half the lettuce, half the green beans and some of the fennel. We also had trouble germinating more of those crops in the heat. There will be a gap in lettuce over the next few weeks and through the next month. The cucumbers loved and hated the heat. They grew like crazy but also got intermittently bitter. Sorry, completely out of our control, don’t take it out on the cucumbers! Just compost the ones that are bitter and they should all sweeten up with the cooler weather.

The pests also really loved the heat. The whole beetle family went crazy with reproduction. The cucumber beetles both striped and spotted are eating everything from beans, to squash, to cukes, to sunflowers! I hate cucumber beetles! The flea beetles are even worse! They are eating all the broccoli, kale, corn and tomatoes! We just don’t have enough time to combat bugs, weed, harvest, and transplant and enjoy life!

Juvencio single handedly saved the onions. They were covered in weeds as they begin to bulb. He weeded for over two days to beat back the weeds and expose the bulbs. They will come out of the ground and start the drying process later this month, with our luck just when we are hoping to take a vacation! The boys helped weed some of the basil and Brussels sprouts. It is unclear at this point who will win; the weeds vs. the Argueta’s, you can lend a hand in the battle anytime you want to help us weed. Our enemy the Canadian Thistle definitely has the upper hand and needs attention today if you have leather gloves.

We had a grand celebration last weekend for all the anniversary’s and Jacob’s 21^st birthday last Sunday. We celebrated my parent’s 55^th wedding anniversary, our 25^th, Dee and Dan’s 18^th. See the photos from the grand paella (made by Kevin, the paella kid) and Spanish tapas that we made. We had surprise visits from college friends from as far away as Pennsylvania. Too bad it was 98 degrees, but the orchard provided some reprieve from the heat and we managed to eat and drink as it cooled to a pleasant 90 degrees by 9:00 p.m.

As summer sets in we remind you of upcoming events:

• Payment for the remainder of the season due August 1
• Helvetia Culture Fest August 16th
• Canning party – September 12 (just mark your calendar)
• Harvest Festival, October 18

We have beef! We have lamb! Please contact Juvencio for details.

• We are selling ¼ to ½ a steer. You pay $3.50 – $4.00 per pound hanging weight to the farmer. You pay cut and wrap and butcher fee to the butcher. It is a great way to fill your freezer for the whole year. The butcher will talk you through the cuts of beef, make sure to get the beef bones for stock and soup.
• The lamb is $5.50 a pound hanging weight to the farmer. There is a butcher fee and cut and wrap. Grass fed and free range, what a deal. You know they have had a great life!

T-shirts!! We are ordering more La Finquita t-shirts. We have a rapid turn around as my folks are heading to Europe and want to take shirts with them. I will send out email details as soon as I know them. I would like payment before I order as this is always a problem. We will order the moon and owl design.

Have a great week!

Paleo Zucchini Bread (tested and approved by Sue Kass)

Preheat oven to 400. Prepare 1 dozen muffin tins or oil and line w/parchment standard loaf pan.

Blend until smooth:
1 c almond butter
2 Tbs cocoa powder
3 Tbs maple syrup
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Add in
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
Mix well, then fold in
1 c. Shredded zucchini, excess moisture squeezed out.

Muffins take about 15-20 minutes, loaf 30-40.

Doubles, freezes well.

 

Zucchini Feta Pancakes

Published August 17, 2010

Makes 6 servings as an appetizer

Ingredients

• 1 pound zucchini, shredded
• 3/4 teaspoon salt (divided)
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 3 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
• 1 small garlic clove, pressed
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (3 ounces)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions (4 to 6 green onions)
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

Place zucchini in a cheesecloth-lined strainer, and toss with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let sit 20 minutes, then twist to wring out all possible liquid.

Meanwhile, mix together the yogurt, mint, garlic and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; set aside.

Place the drained zucchini in a bowl and toss with the egg, feta, green onions, flour and pepper. In a skillet, heat 1/4 inch oil over medium heat. When hot (drop a bit of zucchini in to test; if it sizzles, it’s hot), make pancakes using a 1/4-cup measuring cup filled three-quarters full (3 tablespoons) with zucchini mixture. Press down lightly, if needed, to form chubby pancakes 2 1/2 inches in diameter. Cook until well-browned, about 7 minutes, then flip and cook on the other side. When pancakes are lightly browned on the second side, remove and place on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding more oil to the pan if needed. The pancakes will be delicate while hot, but will firm up upon standing. Serve with a hefty dollop of the yogurt topping.

To make in advance, place the cooked and cooled pancakes in the freezer for 1 hour, until par-frozen. Stack in a sealed container. To reheat, place a tray of the frozen pancakes in a preheated 350-degree oven (no need to thaw first), and cook until they begin to sizzle (10 minutes). Serve with the yogurt topping.

 

Zucchini Trifolati (this is the way we eat zucchini almost every day)

Sautéed Zucchini

 

The secret to this fabulous cooking technique is the long slow cooking which infuses all the flavors.  Vegetables cooked this way make great pasta sauce or you can serve them as crostini.  Try mushrooms with garlic and mint.

 

2 pounds Zucchini

4 cloves of garlic, sliced

chili pepper (or herbs)

Salt

 

Cover the bottom of a large sauté pan with olive oil.  Add the sliced garlic and chile peppers to the pan; NOW turn on the heat.  Slice the zucchini into thin slices and add to the golden garlic, salt and cover the pan.  The salt will bring out the liquid in the zucchini and they will stew in their own juices and infuse with the garlic.  Let them over cook.  It is a pleasant surprise.

All the 3 recipes are with beans. ( From Suresh our CSA member for over 8 years)

Wash and clean the Green or Purple Beans from your CSA share. We harvested them today, so many of them. Trim the ends and chop it fine. Set it aside.

South Indian Coconut Steamed Beans aka Beans Palya – cooking time 15 mins

This is a traditional dish. We make this pretty often in our family. It goes well with rice dishes or with lentil soups.

 

Ingredients: Chopped Beans, Black Mustard Seeds, Split Garbanzo (Chana) beans, Fresh Grated Coconut

 

Method

1. Heat organic olive oil in a wok
2. Toss black mustard seeds, once they crackle, throw in some split garbanzo beans. Toast until it is golden brown
3. Toss in the chopped green beans. Add salt, some water. Cover and steam till the beans are tender but still crisp.
4. Add fresh grated coconut. Adjust the salt if needed.
5. Optional, to make it more spicy, you can add some dry curry powder and cook for a few more mins.

South Indian Bean Lentil Spicy Crumble aka Beans Paruppu Usili – cooking time 30 mins
We love this dish. We dont make it as often as we would like. We tend to make it during special occasions or festivals. When I was growing up, I would pester my mom to make this often.

 

Paruppu usili is a traditional south-indian side dish. It is a dry curry made with the combination of dhal and vegetables. Usili can generally be made with many vegetables, string beans, cluster beans or carrot. This does consume a lot of oil.

 

Ingredients: Chopped Green or Purple beans, Split Garbanzo Beans (1 up), Red Chillies,
Dal Mixture
Wash and soak the chana dhal in water for 1 hr. Coarsely grind it with red chillies and salt in a blender. I use vitamix to get this done.

> Option 1 – You can fry this, as part of the preparation, it does take up a lot of oil.

> Option 2 – You can make a little balls and steam in a pressure cooker. You can allow it to cool and pulse in the blender

 

Method

1. Heat organic olive oil in a wok
2. Toss black mustard seeds, once they crackle, Toss in the green beans and saute until it is 3/4th cooked.
3. Add the Dal Mixture and fry until the beans and it comes together well.
4. Serve as a side dish.

South Indian Mixed Veggie Sagu – Cooking time 45 mins

 

Saagu is a coconut based curry from Karnataka, India. It is usually served with flat bread (naan, or pita bread, chapatis ) or lentil pancakes (dosas). The first time I tasted it was when my mother in law made it. In our home Bindu makes this. It is delicious, chock full of vegetables.

 

Ingredients: Chopped Beans, Carrot, Peas, Sweet Potato/Potato, Sweet Bell Pepper

Ingredients for Sauce: 2 tbs poppy seeds, 2 cloves, quarter inch cinnamon stick, 1 jalapeno pepper, fresh grated coconut (quarter cup) or quarter cup of coconut milk, small bunch of cilantro, 2-3 tbs roasted split garbanzo bean (optional), mint (optional)

 

Method

1. Heat organic olive oil in a wok
2. Toss black mustard seeds, once they crackle, Toss in all the vegetables with salt and cook until the green beans are almost cooked.
3. Grind the ingredients for the sauce into a fine paste with water if necessary.
4. Add the sauce to the cooked vegetables.

 

CUCUMBER AND TOMATO SALAD WITH BUTTERMILK DRESSING
2 cups mayonnaise
1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh chives
6 medium cucumbers, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
8 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
2 heads iceberg lettuce, cored and cut into 2-inch chunks
Whisk together mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste until smooth, then whisk in chives.

Put cucumbers, tomatoes, and lettuce into bowls and serve with dressing. Cooks’ note:
Buttermilk dressing (without chives) can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Whisk in chives before serving.

SOBA NOODLE SALAD WITH CUCUMBER AND MANGO
3/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 red jalapeño or serrano chile, seeded, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
1 1/2 teaspoons grated lime peel

12 ounces green soba or chuka soba (Japanese-style) noodles

1 large English hothouse cucumber, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
1 large ripe mango, peeled, halved, pitted, thinly sliced crosswise
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped fresh mint
1 cup chopped toasted salted peanuts
Lime wedges
Warm vinegar, sugar, and salt in small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and jalapeño. Cool. Mix in lime juice, sesame oil, and lime peel.

 

Eggplant and Tomato Gratin

By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

This is a delicious, low-fat version of eggplant Parmesan. Instead of breaded, fried eggplant, though, the eggplant in this dish is roasted and sliced, layered with a rich tomato sauce and freshly grated Parmesan, and baked in a hot oven until bubbly.

For the tomato sauce:

1. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2. 1 small or 1/2 medium onion, chopped
3. 2 to 4 garlic cloves (to taste)
4. 2 pounds fresh tomatoes, quartered if you have a food mill or else peeled, seeded and chopped; or 1 1/2 (28-ounce) cans chopped tomatoes, with juice
5. Salt and freshly ground pepper
6. 1/8 teaspoon sugar
7. 2 sprigs fresh basil
8. For the gratin:
9. 2 pounds eggplant, roasted
10. Salt and freshly ground pepper
11. 2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil leaves
12. 2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
13. 1/4 cup bread crumbs
14. 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
15. Roast the eggplant.
16. Meanwhile, to make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy, preferably nonstick skillet over medium heat, and add the onion. Stir until tender, about five to eight minutes, then add the garlic. Stir until fragrant, about a minute, and add the tomatoes, salt (1/2 to 1 teaspoon), pepper, sugar and basil sprigs. Turn the heat up to medium-high. When the tomatoes are bubbling, stir well and then turn the heat back to medium. Stir often, until the tomatoes have cooked down and are beginning to stick to the pan, about 25 minutes. Remove the basil sprigs.
17. If you did not peel the tomatoes, put the sauce through the fine blade of a food mill. If the tomatoes were peeled, pulse the sauce in a food processor fitted with the steel blade until coarsely pureed. Taste and adjust seasoning.
18. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set aside 1/4 cup of the Parmesan and mix with the bread crumbs. Oil the inside of a two-quart gratin or baking dish with olive oil. Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce over the bottom of the dish. Slice the roasted eggplant about 1/4 inch thick, and set an even layer of slices over the tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon a layer of sauce over the eggplant, and sprinkle with basil and Parmesan. Repeat the layers one or two more times, depending on the shape of your dish and the size of your eggplant slices, ending with a layer of sauce topped with the Parmesan and bread crumb mixture you set aside. Drizzle one tablespoon of olive oil over the top. Place in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until bubbling and browned on the top and edges. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

Yield: Serves six

Advance preparation: The tomato sauce can be made up to three days ahead. The casserole can be assembled a day ahead, covered and refrigerated, then baked when you wish to serve it. Don’t add the last layer of bread crumbs and Parmesan, with the drizzle of olive oil, until right before you bake it.