- · Lettuce
- · Basil
- · Tomatoes
- · Cherry tomatoes
- · Sweet peppers
- · Hot peppers
- · Zucchini
- · Cucumbers
- · Kale or chard or collards
- · Leeks
- · Onions
- · Garlic
- · Eggplant
- · Shiso or papalo – Japanese “basil” used fresh in salads, or Oaxacan flavored green for tacos
- · Daikon
- · Broccoli? Or tomatillos
- · Beans
- · Apples
- · Plums
It has been a busy week. We managed to get Jacob moved into the dorms at U of O. It was amazing we could squeeze all that stuff into the Suburban and then set up in ½ of a dorm room. Tears were shed all the way home, they well up easily daily. I am so proud he is off pursuing his dreams. There is an incredible emptiness here in our home.
The canning party was a great success. We got the recipes underway by 10:00 am and finished by 5:30, quite a feat for 15 participants 12 recipes and over 290 jars canned. We managed without the amazing organization and expert advice of Mary Kay. I missed her terribly as the weight of it all was mine to carry alone. She did help via cyber space, I emailed her the recipes and she created my master shopping list. I made 6 trips to different markets and harvested beets and corn from Polly’s farm. We tried some different recipes this year; chipotle in adobado and tomato chutney and Aunt Sarah’s plum jam with a modern twist.
Thanks to Marquita and three additional burners we were able to keep the recipes cooking and move on to the hot water baths in quick order. We made 12 different recipes: spicy salsa, chipotles in adobado, tomato chutney, curried apple chutney, plum apple chutney, shallot marmalade, corn relish, pickled beets, roasted Jalapenos in olive oil, Chinese plum sauce, and lots of plum jam (over 60 jars!!). There will be tastes of it all at the harvest party to tempt all those who didn’t make it. Recipes will be on the website.
This week I go and testify at the Hillsboro City Counsel over the traffic signal issue. As Washington County passed the ordinance to allow road creation in the area between Helvetia and Cornelius Pass road in any way the city wants, now it is on to battle the city over a traffic light at the corner of Dick and West Union. The hearing is Wednesday at 6:30 at the Civic Center and the main points are to keep commuter traffic off of West Union and south along Jacobson Road. Any support you can offer by speaking briefly would be helpful.
As the season heads into our last month we hope you will put some away for the winter. Tomatoes can be canned fairly easily and if that doesn’t seem possible then just throw them into a ziplock bag and freeze them! The peppers are at their peak as are the tomatoes. The greens are still waiting for some rain, but the tomatoes will split if rain hits their skins, so it is a toss up. Enjoy what is in season before the season changes.
Important Events:
1) The Helvetia culture fest is today from 1 – 4. Come join the fun with a pie walk, alp horns, Yodeling and burgers from the Tavern.
2) We are considering ordering t-shirts again but there was no interest expressed in response to the email I sent out. If you want a t-shirt, you need to sign up this week and pre-pay.
3) October 14: 2 p.m. – 6 p.m. La Finquita del Buho Harvest Festival, get ready to have some fun and show off your farm to family and friends! Pizza making, cider pressing, Pupusas, Baile Folklorico with “Mexico en la Piel”, Marimba and more
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 following the 2 mile family friendly walk.
Have a great week!
Roasted Tomato Sauce (our family favorite)
Are you wondering what to do with all those extra tomatoes? They come in all sizes and sit on the counter. We simply take the tomatoes and either put them in whole or halve them into a flame proof pan. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil. If you find that you have extra onions or garlic, just add them too, skins and all to the pan. We also add red peppers (skin and all) or a hot red pepper. Roast in the oven at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove and cool. If onions, or garlic, or peppers used, pop out of the skins and toss the skins out. Then we puree the whole thing eat that night or store in freezer bags for delicious sauce. Of course you may season with parsley, basil, oregano, more onions etc.
Roasted Red Onions with Tomatoes and Red Wine
Cipolle al Forno
September 12, 2009
Copyright Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Serves 4 as a main dish; 6 to 8 as a side dish.
These generous sized wedges of red onion roast with wine, tomatoes, olive oil and herbs to become almost a meal unto themselves. I always make enough for leftovers because the onions are such a good lunch the next day with bread and cheese.
Every country cook has a collection of favorite onion recipes, onions grow easily in kitchen gardens and keep well through the winter in root cellars. Pair the onions with grilled and roasted meats, or simple seafood dishes.
At one farmhouse lunch my hostess served sections of onions roasted like these along with their pan juices atop a simple risotto — an even better reason to make extra.
- 6 medium red onions (3-1/2 to 4 pounds) cut in 4 wedges each
- 3 branches of fresh thyme leaves
- 2 4-inch sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves, broken
- generous 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground
- 3 canned tomatoes, drained
- about 1/3 cup dry red wine
- about 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
- water
1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Arrange onion pieces wedge side up in a large shallow pan (half sheet pan or broiler pan). Tear up thyme branches and scatter over the onions along with the rosemary leaves. Tuck broken bay leaves here and there. Sprinkle with fennel and crush the tomatoes over the onions, too. Moisten wedges with the wine and olive oil, and season liberally with salt and pepper.
2. Roast about an hour basting with pan juices several times. After about 20 minutes, add the garlic. If pan juices threaten to burn, add 1/3 to 1/2 cup water and scrape up any brown glaze with a spatula. Baste it over the onions. They’re done with they still hold their shape, but are tender when pierced with a knife. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature, basted with their pan juices.
Roasted Tomato Salsa
8 to 10 roma tomatoes, halved lengthwise
1 poblano pepper, halved lengthwise (remove the seeds and ribs, if you’re concerned about heat)
1 jalapeno pepper, halved lengthwise (remove the seeds and ribs, if you’re concerned about heat)
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup roughly chopped red onion
2 to 3 tablespoons lime juice
sea salt, to taste
Preheat the oven to 425. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and set aside.
In a large bowl, toss the tomatoes, peppers and garlic with the oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the oiled vegetables to the prepared baking sheet and spread them into a single layer. Roast the vegetables for 20 minutes. At this point, start checking every 5 minutes and removing any vegetables that appear browned and softened (for me, this was the garlic first, then the peppers and finally the tomatoes). Once all the vegetables have roasted, allow them to cool slightly.
Transfer the slightly cooled vegetables to a food processor, fitted with a metal blade. Add the cilantro, red onion and 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Pulse about a dozen times, to achieve the texture of a chunky puree. If the salsa is too thick, add more lime juice. Salt to taste (this is very important; add a little bit, try it and repeat as necessary). Either serve immediately or cover the salsa and refrigerate it, serving it cold.