Week #24, 2019
- Lettuce or radicchio
- Leeks
- Sweet red peppers
- Hot peppers
- Cherry tomatoes
- Potatoes
- Onions
- Tomatoes
- Winter squash – you can always leave it on your counter (for months) and it will get sweeter.
- Thyme
- Kale
- Grapes
- Apples
- Zucchini or cukes or beans – all sadly on their way out
We have chanterelles thanks to Kris ! Beekeeper and master forager, Kris Schamp has brought us extras for sale while supply lasts. The Chanterelles are $10/pound, $3 cheaper than New Seasons! In the weeks to come he will have honey for sale as well. We have tons of cheese, the goats continue to produce and Juve is busy milking and starting the cheese while I finish it off. For pick-up sites you can order and I will send with your pick-up.
Tonight is the benefit dinner for Portland Area CSA farmers at La Finquita. Holly (our member!!) is the executive director and she and Mary have been working hard all week to transform the farm into a venue (we now have it!! Get ready). The outdoor kitchen is truly like an industrial kitchen, clean, organized and in working order (check it out Mary Kay – you will be in heaven). The upstairs of the barn is magical, cobwebs cleaned, floors scrubbed, junk stowed away or thrown out and lights strung. Juvencio worked like a fiend to help organize, clean and support the general clean up of the farm. He mowed and weeded and worked his magic.
I have been marching in the streets at the Climate Strike PDX, making wreaths (some on display for sale today, get them while you can!) and doing my doctor thing. We roasted two bushels of red sweet peppers and managed to peel and seed and package them all Friday night after the strike and before setting up for the Farmers Market. So much to do and so little time.
Our very own harvest festival 2019 is set for October 6th. Hopefully we can keep the farm fairly clean until then so the prep is less (although the pizza area is in disarray we have less to do than usual). We are busy pulling out summer crops and getting all the greenhouses planted for winter. I have radicchio, escarole, lettuce, kale, onions, parsely, celery, arugula and more to get planted. Juve will turn his attention from the party prep to the greenhouses and haven them ready to go in no time.
We are getting sign ups for Winter Share 2019-20. Think about it and take action as we are filling the 30 slots fast. We have 12 harvests over 5 months, (basically every other week except November there is more as we have so much more produce) Thanksgiving harvest is not included (that is an add on for all CSA members and the cost is $40) The cost for the 12 week subscription is $330.
On the home front, Luna heads to PSU on Friday. She will study biology a move into the dorm. I stay busy with benefits, politics and work and more work and try not to think about how empty our house will feel. I know this was part of the deal with motherhood, just can’t believe it is here, so when you see me with knitted brow or tears in my eyes you will know why. Thankfully she will be close for now (my sons are in Alaska and Costa Rica so I know this will change). I am reminded daily how precious life is and hope to live each day fully.
So, what have you done today to PROTECT, RESTORE AND FUND our planet? For one thing you have invested in sustainable agriculture! The next thing you can do is watch Greta Thurburg in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q0xUXo2zEY please copy, past, spread this and take action today and every day. Stand up, join the movement – “Everything counts, what you do counts” More news coming from La Finquita in ways you can help us help the planet from local agriculture to reforestation on our land in McMinnville.
Time to harvest! See you around the farm . . .
Chanterelles Sauteed
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces fresh chanterelle mushrooms, quartered if large
1 teaspoon minced shallot
1 garlic clove, minced
PREPARATION Melt butter with oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté until lightly browned, about 6 minutes. Add shallot and garlic; sauté 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 hours ahead. Transfer to baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil and let stand at room temperature. Before serving, rewarm in 400°F oven until heated through, about 5 minutes.
Calabrian Bruschetta
from Verdura by Viana La Place
4 small Asian eggplants
Extra-virgin olive oil
3 ounces provolone or caciocavallo cheese
6 thick slices country bread
2 garlic cloves
3 red tomatoes, cored and thinly sliced
Extra-virgin olive oil
Trim the eggplants and slice them 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the eggplant slkices on a lightly oiled baking sheet and brush them with olive oil. Bake the eggplant slices in a preheated 376 degree oven for 10 minutes. Turn the slices over, brush with oil, and cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
Using the large side of a four sided grater (or a potato peeler…), grate the cheese into long, thin strips.
Grill or lightly toast the bread. Rub with the cut side of the garlic cloves and drizzle with olive oil.
Place a few slices of eggplant on each bruschetta, top with some sliced tomato, and sprinkle a little shredded cheese over the top.
Place the bruschette under a preheated broiler and broil until the cheese melts. Serve immediately.
Layered Eggplant Casserole from Recipes from America’s Small Farms
2-3 TBS vegetable oil
1 large egg
2 TBS milk
¼ cup all purpose flour, more if needed
1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into ¼ inch thick slices
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large tomatoes, cut into ¼ inch thick slices
4 ounces Monterey Jack or other cheese, grated
1 TBS unsalted butter
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2-quart casserole. Beat the egg and milk in a bowl and spread the flour on a plate. Heat 1 TBS of the oil in large skillet. Dip each slice of eggplant into the egg mixture, and then flour on both sides. Place the slices in the skillet in a single layer and fry until golden on both sides. Continue frying the eggplant in batches, adding oil as necessary, until done. Layer the fried eggplant, the onion, the tomato, and the cheese until they are all used up; the final layer should be the eggplant. Sprinkle any remaining flour (or use another 2 TBS of flour) over the top. Dot with the butter. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, until bubbling and the eggplant is tender. Note: instead of frying the eggplant slices, you can drizzle them with oil and bake them on a cookie sheet for about 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Eggplant Pulp Facts from Recipes from America’s Small Farms No one ever said eggplant pulp was pretty, but it’s a beautiful base for spreads and salads. To make it, just puncture a large eggplant in a few places and wrap it loosely in aluminum foil. Place it in a 400 degree oven until it’s soft and mushy – it’s usually ready in about an hour, but longer baking won’t hurt it. Let it cool completely, then scrape all the flesh off the skin. You’ll get about 1 ½ cups of pulp from a medium eggplant. Add whatever other vegetables and herbs you like – the eggplant’s mild taste and pleasant texture blends and binds other ingredients.
Eggplant Rounds with Cheese and Tomato Sauce adapted from D. Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
6-8 eggplant rounds per person, grilled, broiled or fried (from the skinny asian eggplants, reduce number of slices if using the large purple ones.)
3/4 cup grated or sliced mozzarella
1/2 cup crumbled gorgonzola or goat cheese
about 4 cups favorite tomato sauce
chopped parsley or basil
Place the eggplant rounds on a sheet pan and cover with the cheeses. Bake at 375 degrees until the cheese melts. Serve with 2 or 3 spoonfuls of the sauce on each serving and garnish with the parsley or basil.