Week 16 and 17

 

 

• Peppers
• Eggplant
• Zucchini
• Cucumbers
• Basil
• Kale
• Celery
• Garlic
• Green onions
• Sweet onions
• Tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Green beans

 

Well summer is officially here. We harvested 500 tomatoes today from inside the greenhouse! We had amazing helpers and we worked hard but it took 11 of us 4 hours to pull in all those veggies. Enjoy and have a great week. Try some of these recipes offered by members.

 

Tomato Bisque

Use fresh tomatoes¹ to make a luscious creamy tomato soup². It is quite easy to make and much more tasty than canned cream of tomato soup. If you are lucky enough to grow your own tomatoes or have a good farmer’s market nearby, you can easily freeze tomatoes without the fuss of canning, and they will also taste fresher than canned. Simply wash, pat dry, place whole tomatoes in a freezer zip-top bag, suck out the air with a straw, seal, and freeze. When you thaw them, the skins will slip right off, and they are ready to go.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups water
• 4 pounds tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into pieces
• 2 Tablespoons light brown sugar
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup medium or whipping cream

Preparation:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and toss to coat. Stir over medium heat until the onion is tender. Sprinkle on the flour and continue stirring over medium heat until the mixture foams. Stir in the water and bring to a boil.

Measure out 3/4 cup of the tomato³ pieces and set aside. Add the remaining tomato pieces to the boiling mixture. Stir in the brown sugar and cloves. Reduce the heat and cook, uncovered, at the gentle bubble for 30 minutes.

Transfer to a food mill and force through. Return to the saucepan and stir in the reserved tomato pieces. Blend in the salt, pepper, and cream. Place soup⁴ over medium heat and warm gently, but do not boil.

Yield: 6 servings

 

Zucchini Lasagna

3 cups marinara sauce (Paul Newmans is good if you don’t want to make your own)
1 small can tomato paste
3-4 zucchini sliced thin the long way
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese
Optional – 2 cups onions and /or mushrooms, 2 tsp basil, 2 tsp oregano, 1 clove garlic

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray a 9 X 13 pan with oil
Stir the tomato paste into the marinara sauce to thicken it
Put about 1 cup of the thickened sauce on the bottom of the pan
Put a layer of zucchini strips, overlapping a little
Dot zucchini with dollops of ricotta, evenly distributed, use about 1/2 of the ricotta
Layer 1/2 of the mozzarella over that
Layer other veggies, etc., if you use them
Another layer of zucchini
Another layer of ricotta
Pour rest of sauce over
Other half of mozzarella goes on top
Bake 1 hour
Cool 10-15 min.

 

 

Salmon and zucchini

I also have a salmon recipe that uses 1 zucchini and 1 yellow squash for 4 salmon pieces:

 

4 sheets heavy duty aluminum foil

4 salmon steaks or fillets

4 medium carrots, sliced diagonally

1 each zucchini and yellow squash, sliced thinly

1/4 cup melted butter

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tsp dried dill, or more if use fresh

1 tsp lemon pepper

 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees

Spray foil pieces with non-stick cooking spray

Place a piece of salmon on each piece of foil

Arrange carrots around salmon

Top with squash

Combine remaining ingredients and spoon over veggies and salmon

Seal salmon well, but not too tightly, i.e., leave a little space

Place on cookie sheet

Bake 17-20 min. Or until done

Be careful opening the foil, as steam will come out

 

Celery, Tomato, and Basil Salad

4 large tomatoes, sliced crosswise OR 1 clamshell mixed cherry tomatoes cut in half, or a mix
3-4 small purple onions or 1/2 larger onion sliced crosswise
4 stalks celery with leaves, thinly sliced crosswise, leaves torn
Small handful fresh basil, torn
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons champagne or sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons heavy cream
S & P to taste

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, celery, celery leaves and basil; set aside.

In another bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and cream; to combine.

Season with salt and pepper. Pour over salad and toss to coat; serve immediately.