Hey! We put up hay
Week #9 August 10, 2015
Your box this week, depending on size, may contain the following vegetables:
The shadow of the barn peak points toward the double rainbow we caught today after yet another heavy downpour. Left, the Jimmy Nardello sweet peppers finally showing a good color change!
Hmm-m-m-m-m, about those tomatoes..........
We started to notice evidence of the tomato horm worm last week and, when we get a minute, may put an organic spray on them. We have to admit, it’s a game to find and “dispatch” the monsters (and they ARE BIG!!) although, in lieu of the parasitic wasp, we are getting help from birds. Aside from that, I could almost become speechless when it comes to the tomato crop this year. More of the same (too wet), you ask? Well, yes, especially when you come to expect such beautiful fruit, non-belmished, good size and great color. As I was putting up some tomato seconds for the freezer tonight, I did notice, however, that most of the dark spots are luckily only skin deep. So you may see some of those in order to get a decent amount of tomatoes in your box. As an update to my last-week-comments that the beautiful purple cauliflower were making their slow appearance...........well, we’ve gotta move on. Checking today while trying to harvest more yielded only about 3 mini-heads. Then I happened on to one and used my harvest knife to slice it off its stalk. Confirmed: rotted to the core. The rot had extended all the way up the stalk from root to the heading “flower”. As I walked through the other beds, I noticed so many had just turned a dry, ugly brown. We’re done. The beds will be turned under.......we may try one more succession of “Snow Crown” or “Denali”, both white heads for fall harvest.
Beets Green Onions Carrots Lettuces Cucumbers Kale Sweet Corn Summer Squash Cabbage Eggplant (looking at melons!) Sweet Peppers Tomatoes Herbs (basil, parsley, dill or chives)
Hey! We put up hay
this weekend! Those of you who pick up your share saw the machinery assembled in the field and noticed the neat rows of cut and tedded hay, waiting for baling and the elevator ride to the barn’s hay loft. What a nice surprise to get that done, even if it IS extremely late. The quality looks to be pretty good and we’ ve already started to sell it. Of course the weather turned hot and oh-so-humid, but it wouldn’t be hay baling without the heat! Well, folks, we are at the halfway mark of our season, and luckily, it seem that “things” this time of year wind down a bit. We can breathe a bit. The mad-mad rush of planting everything is over, and even sowing for fall harvest is about over (but, see next paragraph). Even the weeds, although well established if they’ve made it (and you KNOW this year they have!), slow down and take a back seat. As I’ve said before, Fall is in the air, the winds of change are here. So we are madly regrouping our thoughts for season extension - more than we’ve ever attempted before. It’s a bit daunting, but after this season, we have nothing to lose and a lot to gain, if not just experienced knowledge in the “sport”. Season extension and winter harvesting can be done rather simply, but then it’s the transport and washing that will be the trick in the cool, cold and frigid temps. May our farmers’ ingenuity and stamina be with us!
“Foodie” Corner” EGGPLANT STORAGE TIP: The ideal temperature
for storing eggplant is 50° F. If stored at temperatures lower than this, eggplant deteriorates quickly. Since most refrigerators are set between 35° and 38°F, they aren’t a good location for storing eggplants. Room temperature (68° to 70° F) isn’t a good idea either; eggplants perish quickly if kept this warm.
If you can’t use eggplants immediately (which, honestly, I try my hardest to do), store them in the coolest place available: try the dry and well-ventilated garage or a basement with a fan or dehumidifier. To absorb moisture and help prevent spoilage, put them in paper bags or, wrap in paper towels, in unsealed plastic bags. Although eggplant may shrivel if kept this way for more than a few days, the flesh stays creamy white and the eggplants generally remain usable.
We’re hoping for an EGGPLANT EXTRAVAGANZA. This is one veggie that may actually do better this year than it did last! Although the potato beetles tried to do in this hearty cultivar, it made a miraculous recovery. Remember, the many beautiful renditions of this fruit can be frozen for enjoyment through the winter. It is especially beckoning if you take the time to bread and bake or pan fry before freezing. It makes a quick and delicious start of something wonderful when you add other great basics: tomatoes, herbs, garlic, cheese (or equivalent). The hard part is already done, just add your culinary touch!
EGGPLANT This is a great paleo recipe and very addictive. Use an ice cream scoop so they are all the same size! Perfect for entertaining. Yummy!” Ingredients 2 teaspoons olive oil, or as needed 1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise 1 pound ground turkey 1 carrot, shredded 1/2 small onion, diced 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 1 large egg 2 cloves garlic, or more to taste, minced 1 teaspoon dried basil (such as Simply Organic(R)) or fresh from your box 1 teaspoon dried parsley (such as Simply Organic(R)) or fresh from your box 1 teaspoon dried oregano (such as Simply Organic(R)) 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste 3/4 cup almond flour 2 cups marinara sauce Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with
aluminum foil. Grease foil with olive oil. Arrange eggplant halves cut-sides-down onto the prepared baking sheet. Pierce skin of eggplant several times with a fork. Roast eggplant in preheated oven until soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely. Scoop the flesh from the eggplant halves onto a cutting board; chop into small chunks and put into a large mixing bowl. Mix ground turkey, carrot, onion, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, sea salt, and black pepper with the eggplant chunks until ingredients are somewhat evenly mixed together. Gently mix almond flour into the eggplant mixture; scoop with an ice cream scoop onto the prepared baking sheet. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake meatballs in oven for 15 minutes, flip the meatballs, and bake until browned and no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes more. While the meatballs bake, heat marinara sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat until hot; add baked meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat.
Your box this week, depending on size, may contain the following vegetables:
The shadow of the barn peak points toward the double rainbow we caught today after yet another heavy downpour. Left, the Jimmy Nardello sweet peppers finally showing a good color change!
Hmm-m-m-m-m, about those tomatoes..........
We started to notice evidence of the tomato horm worm last week and, when we get a minute, may put an organic spray on them. We have to admit, it’s a game to find and “dispatch” the monsters (and they ARE BIG!!) although, in lieu of the parasitic wasp, we are getting help from birds. Aside from that, I could almost become speechless when it comes to the tomato crop this year. More of the same (too wet), you ask? Well, yes, especially when you come to expect such beautiful fruit, non-belmished, good size and great color. As I was putting up some tomato seconds for the freezer tonight, I did notice, however, that most of the dark spots are luckily only skin deep. So you may see some of those in order to get a decent amount of tomatoes in your box. As an update to my last-week-comments that the beautiful purple cauliflower were making their slow appearance...........well, we’ve gotta move on. Checking today while trying to harvest more yielded only about 3 mini-heads. Then I happened on to one and used my harvest knife to slice it off its stalk. Confirmed: rotted to the core. The rot had extended all the way up the stalk from root to the heading “flower”. As I walked through the other beds, I noticed so many had just turned a dry, ugly brown. We’re done. The beds will be turned under.......we may try one more succession of “Snow Crown” or “Denali”, both white heads for fall harvest.
Beets Green Onions Carrots Lettuces Cucumbers Kale Sweet Corn Summer Squash Cabbage Eggplant (looking at melons!) Sweet Peppers Tomatoes Herbs (basil, parsley, dill or chives)
Hey! We put up hay
this weekend! Those of you who pick up your share saw the machinery assembled in the field and noticed the neat rows of cut and tedded hay, waiting for baling and the elevator ride to the barn’s hay loft. What a nice surprise to get that done, even if it IS extremely late. The quality looks to be pretty good and we’ ve already started to sell it. Of course the weather turned hot and oh-so-humid, but it wouldn’t be hay baling without the heat! Well, folks, we are at the halfway mark of our season, and luckily, it seem that “things” this time of year wind down a bit. We can breathe a bit. The mad-mad rush of planting everything is over, and even sowing for fall harvest is about over (but, see next paragraph). Even the weeds, although well established if they’ve made it (and you KNOW this year they have!), slow down and take a back seat. As I’ve said before, Fall is in the air, the winds of change are here. So we are madly regrouping our thoughts for season extension - more than we’ve ever attempted before. It’s a bit daunting, but after this season, we have nothing to lose and a lot to gain, if not just experienced knowledge in the “sport”. Season extension and winter harvesting can be done rather simply, but then it’s the transport and washing that will be the trick in the cool, cold and frigid temps. May our farmers’ ingenuity and stamina be with us!
“Foodie” Corner” EGGPLANT STORAGE TIP: The ideal temperature
for storing eggplant is 50° F. If stored at temperatures lower than this, eggplant deteriorates quickly. Since most refrigerators are set between 35° and 38°F, they aren’t a good location for storing eggplants. Room temperature (68° to 70° F) isn’t a good idea either; eggplants perish quickly if kept this warm.
If you can’t use eggplants immediately (which, honestly, I try my hardest to do), store them in the coolest place available: try the dry and well-ventilated garage or a basement with a fan or dehumidifier. To absorb moisture and help prevent spoilage, put them in paper bags or, wrap in paper towels, in unsealed plastic bags. Although eggplant may shrivel if kept this way for more than a few days, the flesh stays creamy white and the eggplants generally remain usable.
We’re hoping for an EGGPLANT EXTRAVAGANZA. This is one veggie that may actually do better this year than it did last! Although the potato beetles tried to do in this hearty cultivar, it made a miraculous recovery. Remember, the many beautiful renditions of this fruit can be frozen for enjoyment through the winter. It is especially beckoning if you take the time to bread and bake or pan fry before freezing. It makes a quick and delicious start of something wonderful when you add other great basics: tomatoes, herbs, garlic, cheese (or equivalent). The hard part is already done, just add your culinary touch!
EGGPLANT This is a great paleo recipe and very addictive. Use an ice cream scoop so they are all the same size! Perfect for entertaining. Yummy!” Ingredients 2 teaspoons olive oil, or as needed 1 large eggplant, halved lengthwise 1 pound ground turkey 1 carrot, shredded 1/2 small onion, diced 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional) 1 large egg 2 cloves garlic, or more to taste, minced 1 teaspoon dried basil (such as Simply Organic(R)) or fresh from your box 1 teaspoon dried parsley (such as Simply Organic(R)) or fresh from your box 1 teaspoon dried oregano (such as Simply Organic(R)) 1 teaspoon sea salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste 3/4 cup almond flour 2 cups marinara sauce Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with
aluminum foil. Grease foil with olive oil. Arrange eggplant halves cut-sides-down onto the prepared baking sheet. Pierce skin of eggplant several times with a fork. Roast eggplant in preheated oven until soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool completely. Scoop the flesh from the eggplant halves onto a cutting board; chop into small chunks and put into a large mixing bowl. Mix ground turkey, carrot, onion, Parmesan cheese, egg, garlic, basil, parsley, oregano, sea salt, and black pepper with the eggplant chunks until ingredients are somewhat evenly mixed together. Gently mix almond flour into the eggplant mixture; scoop with an ice cream scoop onto the prepared baking sheet. Reduce oven heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake meatballs in oven for 15 minutes, flip the meatballs, and bake until browned and no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes more. While the meatballs bake, heat marinara sauce in saucepan over medium-low heat until hot; add baked meatballs to the sauce and stir to coat.
