- Alisa Craig onions (sweet onions)
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Cherry tomatoes or eggplant
- Potatoes
- Cabbage (Murdock is the giant green pointed cabbage, Super star is the green and Omero is the red – roasted cabbage is the best!!)
- Basil or parsley
- Apples (if we get to it )
- You pick black berries ( head out to the field and walk the perimeter of the field)
- Hot peppers
- Green peppers
The heat of summer is getting us down. It is scorching out there! We are weeding and transplanting early and late and trying to stay out of the worst of it in the mid afternoon. We are in the height of the summer turn over. We pulled several beds of onions and are moving on to the shallots. I had so many onion/shallot starts that I just kept on planting. The pig garden ( a small patch above the main garden where we raised pigs many years ago) which was packed with flowers last year has 7 rows of onions and shallots and three beds of dry farmed tomatoes.
I hope to seed the daikon, radishes, turnips and rutabagas once the onions are out. I have purple sprouting broccoli and overwintering cabbage plus napa cabbage to get transplanted. Yesterday we turned over a whole garden where the wimpy garlic grew and put in a whole winter patch. I view it as a “safety garden” if it works great, if it fails I have more of everything in the main garden.
Juvencio weeded the Brussels Sprouts and some of the fall cabbage.We harvested the final two beds of mainseason potatoes. Teamwork was dream work. Juve ended up mowing down all the weeds and the plants and he dug and I gathered and we pulled out 8 crates of yukon gold potatoes. We will have several beds of purple potatoes inside the hoop houses for later in the fall but for now done with potato digging.
August is full of flowers. There is still time to order your subscription – 4 bouquets for $40. If you pick up every other week I can make that work! I can pick buckets of flowers for you to arrange – so many colors to choose from contact us today.
Winter Share sign-ups are underway. You do not want to go 5 months without seasonal, farm fresh vegetables. The amazing selection of radicchio is enough to make your mouth water. The cost is $320 for 8 weeks of veggies. There will be a large selection including: leeks, shallots, green onions, radicchio, lettuce, cauliflower, radish, fennel, Brussels Sprouts, kale, chard, spinach and the list goes on. Email us today – lynjuve@msn.com.
Recipes to enjoy this week:
· BASIL & TOMATO FRIED RICE
· 4 eggs
· Kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) and black pepper
· Neutral oil, such as canola or vegetable oil
· 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
· 4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
· 1 to 2 bird’s-eye chiles (or other hot chiles), deseeded and finely chopped
· 2 pounds firm, ripe large or cherry tomatoes (see Tip), cut into ¾-inch wedges if using large tomatoes
· 5 to 6 cups cooked leftover rice, preferably jasmine
· 2 tablespoons soy sauce
· 1½cups tightly packed basil leaves
· Step 1
In a bowl, whisk the eggs with ½ teaspoon salt.
· Step 2
Heat a large wok or 12-inch well-seasoned cast-iron or nonstick skillet over medium-high. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of oil, then pour in the beaten egg. Cook for 15 to 30 seconds, allowing the bottom to set slightly, before stirring and turning until just set. Break up the egg slightly, then remove from the wok and set aside.
· Step 3
Heat the wok over high. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, along with the onions, and stir-fry for 1 minute, until slightly softened. Add the garlic and bird’s-eye chiles and stir for 15 to 30 seconds, until fragrant. Next, add the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon of salt, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, tossing every now and then, until the tomatoes are softened. (Reduce heat to medium-high if it starts getting too smoky or the garlic begins to scorch.)
· Step 4
Add the rice, soy sauce and half the basil, and season with 1 to 2 teaspoons of salt, to taste. Reduce heat to medium-high and stir-fry for 5 to 6 minutes, allowing the rice to soak up the tomato juices. As the liquid cooks off, the rice will char (though less so if using a nonstick pan) and develop some smoky flavors.
· Step 5
Add the egg and remaining basil and toss for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and check seasonings, adding some black pepper and more salt if needed. Serve immediately.
TIP
· If using cherry tomatoes, cut up 5 or 6 of them to add moisture during cooking. The rest can be added whole, as they will burst during the latter part of cooking.
·
Burst Tomato Galette with Corn and Zucchini
Serves 4 to 6 as a main or 8 as an appetizer or side dish
For the pastry: 1 1/4 cups (160 grams) all-purpose flour 1/4 teaspoon table salt 8 tablespoons (4 ounces or 113 grams) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces and chill again 1/4 cup (60 grams) plain yogurt or sour cream 2 teaspoons (10 ml) fresh lemon juice 1/4 cup (60 ml) ice water
For the filling: 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil 1/4 teaspoon coarse Kosher or sea salt 3 cups (about 450 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes 1 ear corn, cut from the cob (about 1 cup)
1 small (8 ounces or 225 grams) zucchini or summer squash, diced 1 bundle (3 to 4 ounces or 85 to 115 grams) scallions, thinly sliced 1/2 cup (2 ounces or 55 grams) grated parmesan
Glaze: 1 egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Make dough: Whisk stir the flour and salt in a large bowl. Sprinkle bits of butter over dough and using a pastry blender or your fingertips, work it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with the biggest pieces of butter the size of tiny peas. In a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add this to the butter-flour mixture. With your fingertips or a wooden spoon, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Pat the lumps into a ball. Wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour, or up to 2 days.
Make filling: Get down the saute pan with the lid. If you don’t have one, any large lid will do. Add olive oil, tomatoes, salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes (if that’s your thing) to your saute pan then cover and heat over high heat. Roll the tomatoes around from time to time so that they’ll cook evenly. In a few minutes, you’ll hear some putts and pops as the tomatoes burst a little. When most have, remove the lid, turn heat down to medium and add zucchini chunks. Saute for two minutes, until they soften. Add corn and cook for one minute. Add scallions, just stirring them in, then turn off heat. Adjust seasonings if needed. Transfer mixture to a large plate and spread it out, so that it will cool faster. You want it cooled to at least lukewarm before assembling the galette.
Assemble galette: Heat oven to 400 degrees. On a floured counter, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round and it really doesn’t need to be perfectly shaped. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet; I like to fold my dough gently, without creasing, in quarters then unfold it onto the baking pan. Sprinkle tomato-zucchini-corn mixture with half of parmesan and spoon the mixture into the center of the dough, leaving a 2-inch border. If any liquid has a puddle in plate, try to leave it there as you spoon. Sprinkle almost all of the remaining parmesan, leaving a pinch or two behind for the crust. Fold the border over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Brush crust with egg yolk glaze. Sprinkle glaze with the last pinches of parmesan.
Bake the galette: For 30 to 40 minutes, or until puffed and golden brown. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
IRANIAN CUCUMBER SALAD
Yield:About 4 cups
· ¼ cup black or golden raisins
· 3 Persian cucumbers (about ½ pound)
· 24 ounces Greek yogurt or labneh (3 cups)
· 2 tablespoons any combination of finely chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, basil, tarragon or dill
· 1 garlic clove, finely grated or pounded into a smooth paste with a pinch of salt
· Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
· ¾teaspoon ground or crumbled dried rose petals (optional)
· 1 teaspoon dried mint
· 1 teaspoon dried dill
· 3 tablespoons roughly chopped toasted walnut pieces
· Step 1
In a small bowl, submerge the raisins in boiling water to plump for 10 minutes, then drain well.
· Step 2
Remove alternating stripes of peel on cucumbers and trim ends. Dice cucumbers into ¼-inch pieces and place in a large bowl with raisins, yogurt, fresh herbs, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and, if using, half the rose petals. Using your fingers to break up any large pieces, gently grind the dried mint and dried dill into the bowl. Stir to combine and adjust seasoning with salt as needed.
· Step 3
Just before serving, stir in the walnuts and transfer to serving bowl. Garnish with remaining rose petals, if using. Cover and refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days.