• Carrots or beets or beans
• Lettuce or cabbage
• Eggplant
• Sweet peppers
• Hot peppers
• Basil (whole plants! Make pesto this week!)
• Cucumbers
• Summer squash
• Tomatoes
• Heirloom tomatoes
• Cherry tomatoes
• Tomatillos or padron peppers
• Onions
• Potatoes
• Herbs (mint, parsley or thyme)

With the record breaking heat farm work has been hard to squeeze in with  harvesting at all those odd hours. Finally on Thursday with a break in the weather we thought some work might get accomplished. Juvencio was gathering the eggs and a rooster charged him. He was running to teach that rooster a lesson and he hit the bridge of his nose on a chicken perch. He was knocked out and broke his nose. He is Ok, but his nose is crooked and he has two black eyes. He has been doing a little around the farm as he recovers, the question is who taught whom that lesson?

Juvencio managed to till two beds in the high tunnel where I hope to transplant tomorrow, winter crops that will be sweet with the kiss of frost. I have spinach and fennel and celery to get in. We have so much to harvest and clean and transplant. Hopefully Tuesday will be the last hot day. Flowers continue to explode but once the rains start they will retreat. Enjoy those zinnias while you can. 

I was back at the farmers market yesterday. The market master “forgot” we needed two full spaces and could not find a spot for us in the main market. We had to split our dried flower and fresh flower business. Polly sold our wreaths and bird feeders and I arranged and sold fresh flowers. Luna helped cashier for an hour in the morning rush, but it was pretty exhausting. I then headed into Portland to sign paperwork with my  mom and her realtor. Her house goes on the market at the beginning of October. There is so much to do!! We packed more boxes and shared precious items with my sister. I got home at 9:15 p.m., ate Thai take out, made a few bird feeders and fell asleep.

My studio is now empty. If you want to purchase a wreath, reach out to me or better yet come see me at the Beaverton Farmers Market, Saturdays thru October from 8:30-1:30. I have material to make special orders especially if you can wait a tiny bit. I did have the biggest selection last week.

Off to harvest. Please consider showing up to help us harvest. These are huge harvest with more tomatoes than any family can handle. We need volunteers. We have not been giving fruit as we have not had the help to harvest. You can pick our apples and black berries, just ask us to point you in the right direction.

Tomato Tart

FOR THE CRUST (PÂTE BRISÉE)

• 1 3/4 cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 115 grams), cold unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water

FOR THE FILLING

• 3 large very ripe tomatoes, heirloom or other, sliced crosswise 1/4-inch thick (about 1.5 pounds)
• Coarse or kosher salt
• 1 small garlic clove
• 1 cup (15 grams) basil leaves, loosely packed
• 2 cups (25 grams) parsley leaves, loosely packed
• 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard (double if it you like mustard; skip if you don’t)
• 2 ounces (55 grams) hard cheese, thinly sliced or coarsely grated (see Note)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Make the dough: Place flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add egg and water to the food processor, pulsing to incorporate. Pulse until dough comes together. Turn out dough onto a sheet of parchment and shape into a disk. Place another sheet of parchment on top and roll out to an 11-inch disk. Slide onto a plate or tray and freeze for 10 minutes, until firm but not so hard that it will crack when bent. Line a 9.5-inch tart pan, preferably one with a removable bottom, with the dough. [A pie dish or cake pan lined with parchment could work as well, just keep the sides 1-inch high.] Trim excess dough (reserve in the fridge for patching) and prick the bottom with a fork. Freeze for 20 minutes, until solid. 

Bake shell: Preheat the oven to 375ºF with rack in center. Place the tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Weigh the crust down with parchment paper and pie weights, dried beans, or rice (that you don’t plan on using for anything else). Bake crust for 20 minutes. Remove parchment and weights. If there are any cracks or breaks, you can patch with the remaining dough. Bake for 5 minutes more. Remove from oven and let cool.

Make the filling: Meanwhile, place tomato slices on a rimmed baking sheet and lightly sprinkle with salt.

Combine garlic, parsley, basil, and ½ teaspoon salt in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add olive oil and pulse until a spreadable paste forms. You might need to scrape down the sides of the food processor a few times. If making the herb mixture in advance, store in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pressed against its surface.

Blot tomatoes with paper towels to remove excess liquid.

Using a small spoon or offset spatula, spread Dijon mustard evenly on the bottom of the crust. Evenly distribute cheese on top. Dollop with herb mixture and gently spread to cover in a thin layer. Top with tomatoes, overlapping. Cut smaller pieces of tomatoes to fill gaps. The tomatoes shrink while roasting, so keep them snug and the tart pan full. Lightly brush tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper.

Bake tart: Until tomatoes are softened and the crust is golden, about 50 minutes and up to 1 hour, until the tomatoes are deeply roasted. Allow to cool slightly then serve warm or at room temperature.

Eggplant, Tomato & Potato

Recipe from Plenty More, by Yotam Ottolenghi

ingredients

4 medium tomatoes, cut into a half inch dice

1 shallot, finely chopped

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon sriracha or other hot sauce

2 medium eggplants, cut into 1-1/4 inch chunks

1 cup olive oil

1-1/4 cup sunflower oil

1-1/3 lb. potatoes, peeled and cut into slices 1/8 inch thick

1/2 cup tahini

2-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 small clove garlic, crushed

6 eggs, freshly poached

1 teaspoon sumac

1 tablespoon cilantro leaves, chopped

salt and black pepper

instructions

Place the tomatoes in a colander for 30 minutes to drain. Transfer to a bowl and add the shallot, vinegar, parsley, sriracha and a 1/4 teaspoon salt. Mix gently and set aside. Mix the eggplants with 1-1/2 teaspoons salt, place in a colander and set over a bowl for half an hour to remove any excess liquid. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and pat dry. Pour all but two tablespoons of the olive oil into a skillet or sauté pan along with all of the sunflower oil. The oil needs to reach about a 1/2-inch up the sides of the pan. Place over high heat and, once hot, add the eggplant in batches. Fry for 3 – 4 minutes, until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Set aside while you continue with the remaining batches. Leave the oil to cool and pour it into a jar. You can use it again in the future. Wipe out your pan. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, add the potatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold water, and set aside to dry. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to the sauté pan and place over medium high heat. Add the potatoes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and a grind of black pepper and fry for 10 minutes, shaking the pan from time to time until the potatoes are cooked through and golden brown. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Place the tahini, 1/4 cup water, 1-1/2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the garlic, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and whisk until you have a thick, pourable consistency. Spoon half of this sauce over the potatoes and spread the eggplants on top. Follow this with the remaining tahini sauce and then spoon over the tomatoes. Poach the eggs just before you are ready to serve and then lay them on top of the tomatoes, along with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of sumac and cilantro, and the last drizzle of lemon juice. Serve immediately.

PAN FRIED TOMATOES WITH CUCUMBER SALSA

INGREDIENTS

4 tbsp olive oil

1½ tbsp maple syrup

6 multicoloured tomatoes, medium-ripe (about 6), halved through the stem

4 sprigs za’atar oregano (or regular oregano)

4 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed with the side of a knife

Cucumber salsa:

120g cucumber, peeled, deseeded and chopped into 1 cm cubes

15g chives, finely chopped

5g za’atar oregano (or regular oregano), leaves picked and finely chopped

1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped

1 tbsp capers, drained and finely chopped

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp olive oil

Flaked sea salt and black pepper

METHOD

1. Add the oil and maple syrup to a medium frying pan and place it over a medium heat. Sprinkle the cut side of the tomatoes all over with 1 teaspoon flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Once the pan is hot, add the tomatoes, cut side down and sprinkle the other side with ½ teaspoon flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Fry for 10-12 minutes, until starting to colour on the bottom, then gently flip over and fry for 4-5 minutes more. Add the oregano sprigs and smashed garlic and fry for another 2 minutes, until the tomatoes have softened and lightly caramelised and the garlic is browned. Some tomatoes will soften faster than others; gently remove them as they’re ready and arrange them on a serving plate. Once all your tomatoes are done, add them to the plate and pour over the fried garlic, oregano and any of the liquid from the pan.

2. Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the cucumber salsa together and season with ½ teaspoon flaked salt and a good grind of pepper. Spoon half this mixture all over the tomatoes, serving the remaining alongside.

Chopped salad with tahini and za’atar

The addition of tahini paste to a familiar tomato and cucumber salad is a revelation. Serves four.

6 ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 1cm dice

2 mini-cucumbers, trimmed and cut into 1cm dice

1 red pepper, seeds, stalk and pith removed, cut into 1cm dice

5 spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle

15g coriander leaves, roughly chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp olive oil

Salt

200g feta, cut into 4 rectangular blocks (optional)

4 tbsp tahini

2 tsp za’atar

Put the chopped tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl for 20 minutes. Discard the resulting juice and put the tomatoes, cucumbers, pepper, spring onions and coriander in a large bowl. Add the lemon juice, oil and half a teaspoon of salt, and stir gently to combine.

To serve, arrange the feta (if using) on four plates and spoon the salad on top, making sure some of the feta remains visible. Pour a spoonful of tahini over each portion and finish with a sprinkle of za’atar.