WEEK #23

The Weekly Share, Week #23

• Kale
• Tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Sweet peppers
• Hot peppers
• Cucumbers (enjoy them while they last, they are on their way out)
• Zucchini
• Lettuce
• Basil or cilantro
• Onions
• Garlic
• Apples
• Eggplant
• Carrots or beets
• Melon (we hopefully have enough for everyone to get one melon, if you took one last week please don’t take one this week)
• Thyme or sage

Cool nights and warm days really feel like fall. The warm weather crops like tomatoes and eggplant really “feel” the change. The winter squash is dying back symbolizing its readiness for harvest. The rain last week gave all our brassicas a boost, they are growing like crazy and we are starting to see Romanesco broccoli! I managed to run out between cloud bursts and seed our covercrop, crimson clover. I planted it in rows under the brassicas and it is already germinated! Our goal has been to put a winter cover crop over much of our land so that the soil can regain its nitrogen. Alas as we farm every square inch of our property and then some we rarely get it planted in time or at all. Hopefully this new (old) strategy will work and we can have beautiful nitrogen rich clover come spring. If we are lucky it can also help compete with all the weeds.( By the way, they also germinated in a thick carpet everywhere with that nice rain.)

Juve has been racing against time to get the back field fenced and the second of two greenhouses set up. It looks like time will win and they will have to wait until he gets back from Honduras. We hope to pull the cucumbers before he goes so that the radish and lettuce can be seeded in the greenhouses while he is gone. There is so much to do at this time of year in preparation for fall and winter. There also seems to be an interminable amount of clean up to do! One can do what one can do and then she has to sleep.

We have 6 weeks left of the regular season. It has flown by. We will offer a Thanksgiving basket again this year that should be rich in veggies for your holiday meal. Even if you plan to be out of town, the veggies will keep or can travel with you. We hope for Brussel Sprouts (man, they are so ridiculous! We have rows of them out there but they look small, they have 2 ½ months to get their act together!), pie pumpkins, lettuce, radicchio, celery, cabbage and more. We will have a sign up next month and harvest for you on 11/20 for pick up 11/20 or 11/21. The cost $40.

Our harvest festival is set for October 9^th. If you have any interest in helping out that day or before please contact us. Our amazing helpers Mary Kay and Mark will be out of town so we will need a couple of volunteers to work the pizza making station as we make the rounds and organize the day.

La Finquita Del Buho presents:

The 17^th Annual

Harvest Festival

Sunday October 9, 2016 from 2- 6 p.m.

At the farm; 7960 NW Dick Road, Hillsboro 97124

Lots of fun for the whole family:

Swiss alp horns, Traditional Mexican dancing, La Finquita’s own blue grass jam session players, and surprise performance , cider pressing, wood fired pizza oven, potluck, farm tours and festive fall wreaths and bird feeders for sale and much more

Please bring: your favorite pizza topping, a dish to share, a mason jar for cider, plates, cups and silverware for your family, a check book or cash to purchase items and contribute to the performers

Contact Lyn Jacobs (503-568-5760) or Juvencio Argueta (503-830-0342) for more information

Roasted Eggplant and Tomato Pasta

• 1 ¾pounds eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 to 2banana or Italian frying peppers, halved, seeded and thinly sliced
• 4tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
• Kosher salt
• 12ounces pasta, such as campanelle or farfalle
• 2pounds very ripe heirloomtomatoes, halved through their equators
• 1 to 2fat garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
• Large pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• 2tablespoons brine-packed capers, drained
• 2tablespoons unsalted butter(optional)
• Grated ricotta salata or Parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
• Fresh mint or basil leaves, for serving

Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Spread out eggplant cubes and peppers on a rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 3 tablespoons oil and season well with salt. Roast, turning everything, until eggplant and peppers are very soft and deeply golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta in well-salted boiling water until about 1 minute shy of al dente. Drain.
3. Using the large holes of a box grater, grate tomatoes over a large skillet so the pulp falls into the skillet. To do this, hold on to the curved side of the tomato in your hand and slide the cut, flat side across the holes. Stop grating just before you reach the skin.
4. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan with the tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Simmer until tomato pulp is reduced by half, then season to taste with salt.
5. Add the pasta, capers and butter, if using, to the pan with the tomatoes and bring to a simmer, tossing until butter melts and pasta finishes cooking, about 1 minute. Turn off the heat and toss in eggplant and cheese, if using.
6. Serve pasta drizzled with a little more oil and the herbs.

Puttanesca Sauce

Puttanesca Sauce

Puttanesca Sauce

This is a twist on a roasted tomato sauce with the addition of anchovies, capers, olives and red chile flakes. In this sauce, the tomatoes are chopped coarsely (no need for tedious peeling and seeding), and tossed in a large roasting pan, then the pan goes in the hot oven to make a roasted puttanesca.

Ingredients

• About 8 pounds ripe tomatoes, any variety, cored and quartered
• 5 medium onions, coarsely chopped
• 10 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
• 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, parsley, and/or chives)
• About 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon salt, or to taste (don’t add much because the anchovies are quite salty)
• Generous grinding of black pepper
• 8 anchovy filets plus 2 tablespoons anchovy oil from the tin
• 1/2 cup drained capers
• 1 cup pitted black or green olives, cut in half or coarsely chopped
• Dash red chile flakes, to taste
• A few tablespoons sugar (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large roasting pan, gently toss together the tomatoes, onions, whole and chopped garlic, herbs, olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 25 minutes.

Gently stir the vegetables and add the anchovies and 2 tablespoons of the anchovy oil. Roast for another 20 to 25 minutes and gently toss. Add the capers, olives and a dash of the chile flakes and roast another 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are softened and somewhat broken down into a sauce, with a golden brown crust on top. Remove and taste for seasoning.

The sauce can be refrigerated for three to five days, or it can be frozen in a tightly wrapped plastic bag for several months. The sauce can also be placed in sterilized Mason jars and processed — 20 minutes in a boiling water bath should do it. It will keep for up to 10 months.

Toss the sauce with pasta, or serve it over grilled chicken or fish, or in any dish that calls for regular tomato sauce. You can cut the recipe in half or make a huge batch, all depending on how many tomatoes you have.

If the sauce tastes bitter, add a few tablespoons of the sugar. Add salt and pepper and more chile flakes as needed. Place in clean, sterile jars and refrigerate, freeze or can. Makes about 10 cups.