- Grapes !! our sweet purple grapes make a great snack
- Sweet Peppers
- Hot peppers
- Spaghetti squash
- Tomatoes heirloom
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Basil
- Apples (MacIntosh)
- Plums , more for the picking if you want to make a compote, sauce or other dish
- Asian pears or pears
- Eggplant
- Zucchini
- Potatoes
- Cherry tomatoes
- Leeks
- Beans
It was a busy week. I took my mom on an unplanned trip to Los Angeles to visit an ailing uncle leaving Juvencio to run the ship alone. Of course he is well versed at that but it coincided with Luna being away as well. The trip was excellent timing to offer help to family and enjoy conversations with an uncle (cousin) who has been prominent my whole childhood. We had not been back to LA for 8 years, we marveled at how clear the air was and the amazing amount of traffic. I made it back for the farmers market and the first wreath sales on Saturday. It was a great market, wiping out my supply, so I am busily writing while thinking in colors and styles for my next creations.
Juvencio managed to harvest the third to last bed of potatoes that I had planted with the Zell family back in late May or early June. They were quite productive despite the massive amounts of weeds that were growing with them. He also cleared greenhouse #2 in preparation for fall and winter crops. Prior to leaving on Wednesday I had finished transplanting and seeding by headlamp greenhouse #1. We have lettuce, radicchio, endives, daikon, cilantro, dill, green onions, bok choi, arugula and more growing. I plan to seed beets (again) and transplant mustard, kale, celery and more later today. We have 5 covered greenhouses and the remaining three are filled with mostly summer and fall crops. They will have to be turned over and as crops fade. I have the small greenhouse that I use for seeding full of seedlings, ready to go once space opens up. It is like a perfectly orchestrated symphony that has not been practiced for some time. Hopefully it will all work out.
We are busy preparing for the benefit dinner and harvest party. Actually we are just stressing about cleaning the barn, the grounds and the kitchen for the events. We are trying to pull together some of organizer members to lend a hand next Sunday afternoon. So if you are moved to do so, show up on Sunday afternoon and we can get this place into order.
Mark your calendars for CSA benefit farm to table dinner at La Finquita on September 22 here is the link to buy your ticket: https://farmfeast2019.eventbrite.com
September 27 – Prospera! annual fundraising gala for Virginia Garcia Memorial Health Center, sit at my table by letting them know you want to sit with Lyn and Juvencio buy tickets here: https://virginiagarcia.ejoinme.org/MyEvents/Prospera2019/Tickets/tabid/1060827/Default.aspx
October 6 – Harvest Festival – free to all, bring family and friends and show off your farm! See attached flyer, print and post.
La Finquita Del Buho presents:
The 20th Annual
Harvest Festival
Sunday October 6, 2019 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, Music, 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 pass, 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
Recipes for the week:
Try this amazing cheesecake made with our eggs and our goat cheese: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/goat-cheese-cake-with-mixed-berries
Green Bean & Fingerling Potato Salad
2 pounds purple and/or white fingerling potatoes, scrubbed
1 pound green beans, trimmed
chives and garlic chives (with blossoms, if desired) and thyme, parsley, mint and summer savory leaves
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
In a large kettle, simmer potatoes in salted water to cover until tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes, and drain in a large colander.
In a large saucepan, cook beans in 3 inches salted boiling water over high heat until crisp-tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. With tongs or a slotted spoon, transfer beans to colander with potatoes and drain well.
In a large bowl, toss together warm potatoes, beans, herbs, oil, zest, and salt and pepper to taste. Salad
may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.
Serve salad warm or at room temperature. Serves 12 as part of a buffet. adapted from Gourmet
Cream of Tomato Soup, Indian style
adapted from Madhur Jaffrey’s “World of the East Vegetarian Cooking” (with adaptations by Sumana’s husband, Vikram)
Serves 4 – 6
this tomato soup recipe is one Vikram considers his signature dish. He adds a lot of fresh curry leaves, and leaves out the cream.
1 1/2 lbs. red-ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. sliced lemon grass (I usually leave out)
1 tbsp. dried or fresh curry leaves (can only find in Bay Area Indian stores – has a wonderful aroma that’s hard to substitute, but okay to omit if not available).
1-inch sliced fresh ginger
4 tbsp. unsalted butter or ghee
1/2 C heavy cream or milk (Vikram leaves this out…)
2 tbsp. white flour
2 1/2 C milk
1/2 tsp. ground roasted cumin seeds
pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 tsp. lime or lemon juice
1 tbsp. minced fresh cilantro
Combine the tomatoes, lemongrass, curry leaves, ginger, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Put the tomatoes through a sieve (you should have about 2 cups of thick tomato juice). Bring this juice to a simmer and keep on a low heat. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add flour. Stir and cook the flour on low heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let it brown. Pour in the hot tomato juice, stirring all the time. Add cream and 3/4 tsp. salt. Simmer and add rest of ingredients except cilantro. Serve garnished with cilantro. May serve cold. This recipe is very tolerant of changes in quantities or omission of flavoring ingredients.
PEELING SWEET PEPPERS: Lay the peppers in a broiler pan, and broil until their skins blister (2-3 minutes). With a tong or long fork, slightly rotate them and continue turning until the peppers are completely charred, then pop them into a paper bag. Close the bag and the let the peppers sit in it for 15-20 minutes: the charred skin steams loose from the flesh. Then, holding each pepper over a bowl, slit down one side, open it up, and discard the seeds, ribs and stem. Cut the pepper into 2-3 pieces, and peel off the loosened skin with a paring knife. The bowl collects the pepper juices, which can be used to store the peeled peppers up to 2 days, if you wish. Or, drain the skinned and seeded peppers on a rack. If you have a gas stove, you could also char the peppers over the flame, or you can use an open grill.
Sweet Pepper and Lentil Soup
inspired by a recipe in Not Your Mother’s Slow Cooker Cookbook by Hensperger and Kaufmann
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, or 2 leeks, chopped
3-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon freshly purchased paprika or smoked paprika
1-3 sweet peppers, depending on their size, seeded and finely chopped
1 cup dried brown or black lentils, picked over and rinsed
5 cups broth or water
S & P to taste (at least an entire teaspoon of salt for this one)
1-2 Tablespoons champagne or sherry or rice vinegar to finish the soup
Cook the onion in 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat in a skillet until the onion/leeks begin to soften. Stir in paprika and allow it to cook for about a minute more. Add the chopped sweet pepper and cook for another 2-3 minutes, until everything begins to soften. Scrape all this into a slow cooker. Add the lentils and broth (or water) and stir to combine. Cover and cook on low until the lentils are completely soft, 7-9 hours. Season the soup with S & P (more salt if you used water, less if you used purchased broth), and last Tablespoon olive oil. Stir in 1 Tablespoon of one of the vinegars, adding more if needed. Serve hot.
Romesco Sauce for Crostini, Pasta, or as a vegetable dipper
4 large roasted yellow, orange, and or red peppers
1/2 cup toasted almonds
2 cloves garlic
1 ripe tomato
1 tsp salt
2 thick slices from a baguette
1 tsp paprika
½ cup or less olive oil
Fresh basil leaves if available
2-4 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
Whirl everything in a food processor. Serve with vegetables such as carrot sticks, lightly steamed broccoli and caulifower florets, etc. Bread and crackers work well too.
Spaghetti Squash and Tarragon From Chef Jonathan Miller
1 spaghetti squash, halved lengthwise and seeded
1/4 c white wine
1/4 c pine nuts
1 T white wine vinegar
zest of half a lemon
juice from half a lemon
leaves from 2 thyme sprigs
crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 c olive oil
leaves from 3 sprigs tarragon, chopped
1/3 c grated ricotta salata
Heat oven to 350. Baste the spaghetti squash flesh with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put cut side down in a baking sheet and pour in the wine and about a third cup of water. Roast for about 50 minutes, until just barely tender, then remove from the oven and flip the squash over to cool. While the squash roasts toast the pine nuts until nicely golden.
Combine the vinegar, lemon zest, lemon juice, thyme, crushed pepper and a little salt in a bowl. Whisk in the olive oil until emulsified.
Scrape the squash out of its skin with a fork, separating it into strands and put in a large bowl. Toss with the dressing, then finish with the tarragon, ricotta salata, and the pine nuts. Serve while still warm or at room temperature. Yummy!