Week #25
- Zucchini
- Cucumbers
- Spaghetti squash
- Tomatoes
- Cherry tomatoes
- Sweet peppers
- Hot peppers
- Basil
- Cilantro or parsley
- Eggplant
- Onions
- Garlic
- Tomatillos
- Stuffing peppers
- Kale
- grapes
- apples
- leeks
- celeriac
Juvencio comes back tonight!! I managed to make it through 10 days without him with the help of our kids who alternated duties with me on my days off from my day job. No animals died, I got all the beds he so kindly prepared minutes before he boarded his plane, planted. The weeds took no holidays and with the rain last week and the week before they have gone wild! I am sure he will whip them into shape as soon as he adjusts to the cool fall weather of Oregon. He was visiting his father and the rest of his family in Honduras where it was in the 90s every day with 100% humidity. It was a much needed visit and he posted some great photos on facebook.
Jacob returned from Thailand on Wednesday after an amazing trip for over three weeks. It has been a busy week sending Diego back to college, running to the airport and managing the farm.
Last Sunday after the harvest, while I was cleaning and preparing the family dinner Paul Lardy (one of our members) came to me to report “a lot of water pouring off the cooler fan”. He had analyzed the situation and noted that the back side of the fan was covered in 6 inches of ice. The grate on the back side was completely frozen as was the inside of the fan box. Many members who picked up later on Sunday got to use head lamps and lanterns to gather their veggies as Paul worked hard to defrost the compressor with hair dryer and blower. Dan my brother in law) showed up later and together they spent hours (?) working. Dan called the “on-call” cooler guy and got information that what they were doing was the right thing to do. We turned the cooler back on and set the thermostat to 60.
The next morning I trotted out to check the temperature and it was 25 degrees in the cooler!! Awk, that is not the temperature for veggies! I shut it off and called the refrigeration folks. They came by on Tuesday, and after 3 trips and roughly $900 our cooler is working like a dream. First they had to clean the compressor on the outside, then they had to replace the thermostat and then the motor that controls the fan needed to be replaced. This couldn’t have waited for Juvencio???
Fall is here! It is the season for soup and roasted veggies. It is also time to make stews and dishes rich in cooked tomatoes. The cool nights definitely affect production of our favorite night shades (tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant). Enjoy them while they are available. We shift gears to fall and winter veggies such as leeks and celeriac (that big brown hairy root). few suggestions. We have 4 more harvests of the regular season at La Finquita. We will harvest through the end of October. We have an add on Thanksgiving basket on November 20th with plenty of delicious veggies for your harvest celebration.
Our harvest festival is slated for October 9th from 2-6. We have a great line up with the premier Mexican Dancers “Mexico el la Piel”, the “Helvetia Alp Horns” and our very own member jam session on the deck of the cabin. Please do join us for the event, it is not to be missed rain or shine.
Tomato Red Pepper Salad Dressing
This rosy, zesty salad dressing is great on a bed of leafy greens, sliced cucumbers and fresh mozzarella cheese. It is virtually fat free and therefore very low in calories. It also keeps well in the refrigerator for at least a week.
1 small (6 ounce) can of tomato paste
1 whole roasted red pepper or pimento from a jar
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons water
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon dried basil
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender container. Blend until well mixed.
Serves 8
Nutrients Per Serving
Calories: 22.9
Protein: 1.0 grams
Fat: 0.2 grams
Saturated Fat: 0.0 grams
Monounsat Fat: 0.0 grams
Polyunsat Fat: 0.1 grams
Carbohydrate: 5.3 grams
Fiber: 1.1 grams
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Vitamin A: 1,057.4 IU
Vitamin E: 1.0 mg/IU
Vitamin C: 33.3 mg
Calcium: 9.6 mg
Magnesium: 13.2 mg
Celery Root and Apple Salad with Toasted Walnuts
serves 4 to 6
2 medium celery roots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 medium red delicious apples, cored and cut into matchsticks
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 green onions, thinly sliced
1 bunch watercress leaves
dressing:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper
1 cup walnut halves, toasted
Combine the celery root and apple in a bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Toss with the green onion and watercress. Whisk the vinegar, mustard seed, mustard, honey and oil until well combined. Toss with the celery root mixture. Taste for salt and pepper and garnish with walnuts.
Celeriac and Tomato Soup
4 tomatoes 2 cups water
2 # celeriac ¼ cup lovage chopped (optional)
3 leeks 1 onion
1 clove garlic 1 large carrot
1 tablespoon olive oil 2 T butter
3 sprigs parsley 6 cups chicken broth
salt and freshly ground pepper
Peel, seed, and roughly chop tomatoes. Peel sufficient celeriac to make 1 ½ pounds trimmed flesh, then cut into ½ inch cubes and drop into acidulated water. Wash and trim leeks and, using only the white and light green parts, thinly slice. You should have 1 ½ cups. Chop onion and combine with leeks. Chop garlic. Thinly slice carrot. Heat together oil and butter and sauté leeks and onion until wilted. Add garlic and carrot, and cook for 5 minutes longer, Add one third of the tomatoes and cook until they are lightly browned on the edges and the juice is evaporated. Add drained celeriac, the rest to the tomatoes and the parsley sprig. Cook together for 10 minutes. Add chicken broth, water and lovage (if using). Bring to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Puree, season with salt and pepper, and serve with croutons on the side. (serves 8) For thinner soup only use 1 pound celeriac and 3 tomatoes.
Chile Relleno Casserole
4-6 roasted chilies (pasilla, poblano or Anaheim, peeled and seeded
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, jack or queso fresco)
8 corn tortillas
½ white onion, diced
2 Tablespoons olive oil
4 eggs, separated
4 Tablespoons flour
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in the olive oil, about 10-15 minutes, until onions are wilted and golden brown. Set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend the egg yolks and flour together until just combined. Whip egg whites until stiff then gently fold in egg yolks and flour together until just combined. Whip egg whites until stiff then gently fold in egg yolks and flour. Steam or microwave the tortillas until soft and pliable. Line a greased baking dish with 4 tortillas, cover with cheese, onions and chilies evenly and top off with remaining tortillas. Drizzle egg mixture over casserole. Bake 30 – 40 minutes or until lightly browned on top.