• Lettuce
• Basil
• Cilantro or parsley
• Tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Beans – purple, yellow and green
• Zucchini
• Cucumbers
• Eggplant
• Hot peppers
• Sweet peppers
• Apples – gravenstein and others
• Asian pears – small but sweet!
• Potatoes
• Onions
• Garlic
• Chard or Kale
• Carrots or beets
The summer vegetable parade is on! It is time to eat at home, make vegetable dishes to store and share with family and friends. There are soooo many vegetables. There is so much to put up for the winter. I have been canning almost daily for the past weeks. I am almost “pickled out”. I am enthused about tomatoes as I plan to can 125 quarts and have done only 25! There will be pickling cukes and canning tomatoes for sale, please send me an email. The more flexible you are the better, so I can shoot you an email when they are available. Cucumbers for pickling are $1/pound (we have dill as well for a nominal fee) and tomatoes will be $1.50/#.
We have been busy entertaining family here from the east coast and Alaska. Our family reunion culminates tonight with a paella feast and barn dance. We took a day off from farmer’s market and farm work and went rafting on the Clackamas River yesterday. It was great fun and amazing to wake up at 5:30 instead of 3:40 on a Saturday! We will work our hardest this week to catch up on all the work that got put off (like harvesting the 500 feet of shallots and onions we have left in the field) and planting for the fall (those beets and carrots that need to be germinating right now).
Once again Washington County is working against protecting farm land. This should come as no surprise to any of us as they have said in many ways that farm land is secondary to “growth” of industry in the area. They are proposing turning West Union into a commuter artery even though we have been telling them, talking with them, offering them alternatives. This would have a huge impact on us. Here are the many reasons this is a BAD IDEA:
• More lanes mean faster traffic (just ask Washington County sheriffs)
• Faster traffic causes conflict with farmers moving farm equipment
• Helvetia Road is part of the County’s Vineyard and Valley tour – not a speedway
• Street lights on farm side causes crops to ripen too early (from the light)
• Commuters prefer Jacobson, not West Union, because it is faster and shorter
• Urban improvements, like sidewalks, will disrupt area’s farmland drainage
• Commuter traffic should be routed through urban areas – not through farmland
La Finquita has been a powerful voice of reason in the area of farm land use and protection. We need you to act again. Please sign the petition. Please take a copy of the petition to your work and get co-workers to sign it. It is due back by next week (August 18).
Please read and take action on these items:
1) Sign the petition: There is a petition in the barn we need to you sign and preferably to take to your work and get signed by all you know. Washington county wants to turn West Union into an urban road, this has huge implications for us and for traffic paths in the Helvetia area. We need your continued help to keep this precious area from urban encroachment.
2) Sign-up for the canning party September 13! Plan to spend the day with us, 9 – 5, adults and kids over 9 or 10 who can participate or play by themselves. Other kids should have a designated adult to watch them while you work. See your email for the list of what to bring.
3) Sign- up to help harvest August 20th ! Your farmers are trying to take a vacation. We need someone to step up as the harvest crew leader and then we need at least 5 volunteers to help harvest that day. Please let us know ASAP, no one has signed up for that day yet. The leader volunteer should plan to help us harvest August 17 so we can show you the ropes.
4) T-Shirts are here. If you pre-ordered they are available in the barn. If you did not order and want a shirt there are extras. The cost is $18, check made out to Diane Jacobs.
5) Helvetia Culture Fest August 17 – take a flyer in the barn and be there or be square!
6) More blueberries – they keep on coming, picking is slim, so there are only 5 flats.
Have a great week!
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
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.
Julia’s cherry tomato notes:
-I like these as a snack as is.
-Basic (cherry) tomato sauce: Wash several baskets worth, then put in a pot with onion, garlic and oregano and cook down for about 1/2 hour over medium heat. (olive oil can be added if you like). Then let it cool some, put through a food mill, and voila: tomato sauce!
-Add cherry tomatoes halved to a grain salad such as couscous, rice, orzo or other pasta. I find them to be an essential ingredient!
Here’s a recipe from a 35 year old cook book called America’s Best Vegetable Recipes from the editors of The Farm Journal:
“Try cooking cherry tomatoes. Saute them in a skillet in butter for only 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of sugar to make them shine. A bright and tasty addition to a dinner plate.”
Cherry Tomato and Olive Relish from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered if large
1 or 2 yellow or other tomatoes, seeded and finely diced
24 nicoise olives, pitted and halved (I use the already pitted kalamata from trader joes, I chop them roughly for this recipe)
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
2 teaspoons chopped marjoram (I use oregano when I don’t have marjoram available)
5 basil leaves, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
fresh lemon juice to taste
salt and pepper
Put the tomatoes in a bowl with the olives, capers, and herbs. Moisten with the oil, then season to taste with the S & P & lemon juice. Serve right away, or at least within the hour of making it.
Marinated Cherry Tomatoes 4 servings
2 baskets Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Finely chopped parsley
1 Tablespoon Finely chopped rosemary
3 Garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mix tomatoes, onions, parsley, rosemary, garlic, olive oil and vinegar in a shallow bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover the bowl and let tomatoes marinate at room temperature at least 1 hour, but preferably 3 to 4 hours or overnight. Stir occasionally. Enjoy with crostini or as a side dish.
Cherry Tomato & Avocado Salad
1 basket cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tablespoons chopped scallion or other mild onion
1 cup (approx.) chopped avocado
2 tablespoons chopped herb (such as parsley, cilantro, dill….)
optional vinaigrette to coat (whirl 2 T lemon juice or vinegar, 1 small clove garlic, 1 t mustard, pinch salt and pepper, with 1/2 cup olive oil in blender.) Gently mix all ingredients. Serve. (The avocado is optional but delicious)
Blanched Broccoli with Basil Pesto and Cherry Tomatoes adapted from Pasta e Verdura by Jack Bishop
2 pounds broccoli di cicco
salt to taste
1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 Tbs. pine nuts
6 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 pints cherry tomatoes
1 pound pasta (such as shells, or other open shape)
Bring 4 quarts of salted water to boil in large pot for cooking the pasta. Bring several quarts of water to boil in another pot. Chop the broccoli into small, bite-sized pieces. Add the broccoli and salt to taste to the boiling water. Cook until broccoli is tender, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside the broccoli. Place the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in the work bowl of a food processor and process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth. With the motor running, slowly pour the oil through the feed tube and process until smooth. Scrape the pest into a large bowl. Stir in the cheese and additional salt to taste. Cut the tomatoes in half. Add the tomatoes to the bowl with the pesto and toss gently. Add the broccoli to the bowl and toss gently. Taste for salt and adjust seasonings if necessary. While preparing the sauce, cook and drain the pasta. Toss the hot pasta with the broccoli sauce. Mix well and transfer portions to pasta bowls. Serve immediately. Serves 4.
CHICKEN WITH ORANGE, SPINACH AND CHERRY TOMATOES
2 tablespoons.
2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon
3/4 teaspoon
1 cup
1 tablespoon
4
4 cups minced fresh dill
grated orange peel
minced garlic
salt
cherry tomatoes, halved
olive oil
skinless boneless chicken breast halves, thinly sliced crosswise
firmly packed torn fresh spinach leaves (about 8 ounces)
Preheat oven to 450F. Place large baking sheet in oven to heat. Meanwhile, mix dill, orange peel, garlic and salt in medium bowl. Season with pepper. Combine tomatoes, oil and 1 teaspoon dill mixture in small bowl. Add chicken to remaining dill mixture in medium bowl and toss to coat. Cut 4 sheets of foil, each about 20 inches long. Place 1 foil sheet on work surface. Arrange 1 cup spinach on 1 half of foil. Place 1/4 of sliced chicken mixture atop spinach. Spoon 1/4 of tomato mixture atop chicken. Fold foil over, enclosing contents completely and crimping edges tightly to seal. Repeat with remaining 3 foil sheets, spinach, chicken mixture and tomato mixture, forming 4 packets total. Arrange foil packets in single layer on heated baking sheet. Reduce oven temperature to 400F. Bake until chicken is just cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to plates; let stand 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Bon Appetit March 1998
Our CSA member Suresh offered us these three recipes for beans:
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.