Finally, here at the end of August, it is HOT. We’ve been spoiled by a season of remarkably mild days, and now we resent the relentless sweat of long harvests in the sun. Nevertheless, heat means peppers and tomatoes and melons, so we’re happy to see all of our fruit on the vines finally ripening up. continued »
Food, food, food! This is the time of year when we almost give up eating meat altogether and dive full-on into veggie heaven. Warm sautees, cold salads, crisp raw dipping plates – we’ve got so much here to experiment with, our kitchen is transformed into something like an art studio much of the time, with pots stacked ramshackle on stove and counter, recipe books open everywhere like giant resting butterflies, and the laptop perched somewhere atop it all, most often linked to epicurious.com.
If we’ve got a passle of houseguests, which we do much of the warm season, this kitchen studio is messy, crowded, loud and prolific. When it’s time to eat, we have to sort of sweep pans out of the way while we enjoy the fruits of our labors, then get
everyone organized into a cleaning crew. When we finish tidying up, it’s pretty much time to start thinking about the next meal. Ah, summer. This week we’ve included some of our latest favorite recipes which are on the unusual side. Have fun!
Summer Squash
Tomatoes – We’ve given each of you some very ripe and some not so ripe tomatoes to use both now and in a few days. The best test of ripeness with heirloom tomatoes, since many ripen to colors other than red, is to gently push the side opposite the stem and see if it’s soft.
Cucumbers – Both the large green and the small white are tender, tasty and great for raw eating.
Radish – These pretty Easter Egg radishes are a spicy treat for summer. Layer with nasturtiums and cream cheese for a fabulous, dressy appetizer.
Nasturtium Leaves and Flowers – This is one of our favorite treats in the summer garden. Use these peppery leaves and flowers to make a creative appetizer or just use to enliven a salad or garnish a dessert. From this week’s box, you can slice multi-colored radishes, cucumbers and summer squash, then spread with nasturtium-leaf cream cheese, and top with a flower. Yum! To make nasturtium cream cheese or butter, soften 4 oz of either, then add two tablespoons finely chopped leaves and/or flowers. Dill or onion would be nice in there, too. Nasturtium vinegar also makes a great peppery vinaigrette. In one quart white wine vinegar, add a handful of nasturtium flowers and let steep for a couple of weeks before straining. It takes on a lovely pink color.
Green Beans
Fresh Red Onion
Garlic
Salad Turnips – These terrific little turnips are crisp and sweet, perfect for fresh eating or glazed with ginger in the recipe we’ve included below.
Baby Beets
Eggplant – Just a few are ready so far, but sooooo pretty! The white ones are like pearls growing under the leaves of the lush plants.
Cilantro and Basil
Tarragon, Thyme, Oregano, Summer Savory, Parsley – Experiment! Here’s a suggestion – take a little taste of each and then go ahead and season with them, without knowing what they are. Just try it. If you must know what you are using – the tarragon is the tallest stalks, parsley is next in size. The oregano has round leaves, and the thyme and savory have tiny little sharp leaves. Thyme is thicker and milder than the savory.
Ginger-Glazed Young Turnips with Cider and Raisins
from Farmer John’s Cookbook
½ teaspoon salt plus a dash, divided 1 bunch young turnips, trimmed
¼ sugar or honey
1/8 cup white vinegar
1-2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger (or more, to taste)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup apple or grape cider
½ cup raisins
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Finely chopped crystallized ginger (optional garnish)
Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add a dash of salt, then the young turnips. When the water returns to a boil, cover and reduce heat. Simmer the turnips gently until tender but not mushy, 10 to 15 minutes depending on size. Remove the pot from heat and transfer the turnips to a dish to cool.
Meanwhile, transfer ½ cup of the hot cooking water to a medium pot. Stir in the sugar or honey, vinegar, and ginger to taste. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Combine the cornstarch and cider in a small glass or bowl; let stand until cornstarch is dissolved.
Slice the turnips to your desired thickness. Place the pot with the ginger mixture over medium heat. Stir in the cider mixture and adjust the heat so the ingredients simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is smooth and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the pot form heat; stir in the raisins and sliced turnips and continue to stir for 2 minutes, until the mixture reaches a thick, gravylike consistency. If necessary, stir in a bit more cider to reach the desired consistency. Stop stirring and let stand for 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and crystallized ginger.
Sauteed Beets with Turmeric and Toasted Black Mustard Seeds
Farmer John’s Cookbook
1 ½ pounds beets, peeled, cut into matchsticks
½ teaspoon turmeric 2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
½ teaspoon black mustard seeds 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
Put the beets and turmeric in a large pot. Fill with enough water to barely cover the beets. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until tender but still firm, 5 to 10 minutes. Drain beets and set them aside to cool. Heat the ghee or oil and the mustard seeds in a large skillet. As the mustard seeds begin to pop, place a lid over the skillet for a few seconds (to prevent the seeds from popping out), then add the beets. Cook and stir constantly, uncovered, for 1 minute.
Sprinkle the salt and sugar over beet mixture and cook for 1 minute more. Remove the skillet from heat. Season with more salt to taste if desired. Serve hot, at room temperature, or chilled.
This box marks the half-way point in our CSA season. Hard to believe the summer is already on a downhill climb toward fall. Though temperatures continue to climb, we are already losing light and putting in seeds and plants for the last crops of the year. Time sure flies when you are having fun! continued »
When it rains it pours. Yesterday, a 15-minute rain and wind storm knocked over half of our sweet corn. In spite of our valiant and goofy efforts to stand it up today, it looks like the stalks are overwhelmed. Luckily, the rest of garden is producing with reciprocal alarming abundance, and we’ve got food coming out of our ears! Here’s what’s in the box: continued »
Things are really starting to pop here in our gardens – in fact, I ate the first tomato today! There aren’t enough ripe to get them in the box, but we are on the verge of the height of growing season. Get ready! For this week, we see the first of the summer crops. continued »
Summer has finally really arrived this week on our little valley farm, where we had our first few 90-degree days. Not too pleasant to work in, but very very important for our still-quite-petite peppers and melons. The most exciting things are going on underground, however, where our first crop of potatoes has matured in a most lovely way. continued »
Last night I was just finishing milking my goats on our front porch when the rain hit. I was thrilled, of course, having been praying for precipitation for weeks now. My does however, hate to get wet, so rather than return them to their pasture in the downpour, I enjoyed a half hour or so or watching the rain while snuggling with them under the wide eave. Goats are a lot like dogs, curious and loyal, only they prefer to sniff you rather than lick you when they are feeling affectionate. And, they smell like cream. Wonderful rain, delightful goats. Life is very very good here at Circle M. Hope you can taste it in these veggies. continued »
You’ll laugh to read this post and compare it to the post on the last local delivery. Then, we were under water, and now – nothing! We’ve had pretty much no rain since the flood. It’s certainly feast or famine when it comes to moisture this year. But, thankfully, we can irrigate when we’re dry. We’re also thankful that the gardens are yielding some spectacular romaine lettuces, which are just the thing to eat when you come in from this hot parching weather. continued »
The theme of this week’s box is Grace. Today’s harvest was such a celebration – everything looking so fresh and good in spite of the fact that the plants have been through such a late and harsh spring. If you can picture me kneeling beside crisp rows of multicolored lettuce, slicing through each rosette with a satisfying crunch, and saying in measured rhythm as I cut, “Thank you, thank you, thank you…” you have some idea of what our time in the garden has been like in the past few days. continued »
I’ve decided to write down each week’s harvest list in order of what should be consumed first, in terms of longevity in storage. As you’d expect this time of year, the garden is all about fresh, raw and green! Salads and stirfrys, sautés and crispy snaps. I’m thankful for every last bite, as these tender veggies have weathered floodwaters, tornado winds and torrential downpours in the past two weeks. Not to mention the heaviest insect pest load I’ve ever seen on this property. Bugs always move in when the plants are stressed. But don’t panic, it’s organic! Ignore those little holes and enjoy – they’re proof that you aren’t eating pesticides! continued »
