August 13th, 2015
What’s in this week’s box??
*Farm Kids
zucchini Summer squash Red cabbage Lemon Basil
Cilantro Oregano onions Eggplant
sweet corn carrots potatoes
cucumbers sweet peppers tomatoes
Welcome to week 9. This is the half-way point of the season! How did we get here so fast? In between the farm work I’m trying to get through the kids’ school supply lists, some shopping done and organizing of school clothes. This is a good reminder that yes, indeed, we’re in week 9.
We’re watching the zucchini slow down a bit, but a new planting of summer squash is coming in strong. The cucumbers and pickles are still plentiful. The sweet corn is continuing to ripen, as the first batch finishes, the second is coming in right behind it. We’re spending some extra time cleaning up the farm a bit as we get ready for our Pack Shed Party. Summer vacation is winding down but the farm is definitely not.
If you would like to pickle cucumbers, please let me know.
I will sell extra cucumbers for $1.50 a pound and pickles for $2.00 a pound. The pickles will be young cucumbers, 2-4 inches in length.
I also have mature dill with seed heads, $1.50/bunch. Please let me know if you’d like any and I’ll send it along with your share as soon as I can.
Pack Shed Party
Friday, August 28th, 6:30-?
Bring a potluck dish and lawn chairs
Raspberries….
Coming soon! We’ll keep you posted!
Meet Fred!
Fred is a 6month old rooster we picked up this week. He’s white and his tail feathers are just starting to grow in. It looks like they’ll be beautiful! Our previous rooster disappeared one day, we think a hawk may have gotten him. So our ladies have been without a beau for some time. I enjoy waking up to the cock- a- doodle- doo and he will do a good job keeping them near the coop. His crow sounds like a teen-ager’s right now- a bit croaky. But it will ring out as clear as a bell by fall.
In your box:
*Farm kids
Today I watched my kids pick, shuck and eat corn. I watched them google the kind of snake they found (only the 2nd one I’ve seen in the 8 years we’ve lived here) and then attempt to catch it. (I’m happy to say they missed it.) The boys planted fall beets and lettuce in the greenhouse (spilling more dirt than they used) and Claudia spent a lot of time washing produce in the wash shed. Watching kids get dirty and learn from the farm is a wonderful perk to my job. (And in case you think this sounds too ideal… we have our share of whining about farm work. ) It was a lot of fun to meet some of our member’s kids this past week too as they came out to pick beans. Hopefully we’ll see even more at our Pack Shed Party!
Tomatoes: We grow many different varieties. We have heirloom and hybrid. Big ones and little ones. Our tomatoes grow outside in all the elements of nature. They are not grown for beauty, but for flavor. Each tomato offers its own strength and weakness. Some of them acquire blemishes quite easily. Please don’t be afraid of the cracks. Cut around them and enjoy the tomato- usually the more cracked it is, the more likely it is to be an heirloom -valued for flavor. If they aren’t fully ripe, just leave them on your counter until they are. It’s best not to refrigerate tomatoes. Use them as they ripen.
Zucchini/Summer Squash/ Cucumbers: Store in refrigerator, crisper drawer is best.
Carrots: Store in plastic bag in crisper drawer.
Onion: The onions are starting to cure- but haven’t completely yet. Use as a fresh onion.
Pepper: Crisper drawer
Potatoes: Store in a cool, dry place.
Beans-taking a break this week, but they’ll be back!
Broccoli- done for a few weeks. We’ll see it return closer to fall.
Cilantro- plastic bag in the refrigerator
Lemon Basil- place in water on your counter
Oregano: Plastic bag in refrigerator or hang to dry.
Sweet Corn: Keep in crisper drawer
Red Cabbage: Crisper drawer or plastic bag in refrigerator
Recipes
Rainbow slaw
4 tsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. raw honey
½ tsp. caraway seeds
pinch of salt and pepper
4 cups finely shredded red cabbage
1 cup shredded carrot
1 cup shredded zucchini
½ cup sliced onion
¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
Whisk first 5 ingredients together. Toss with cabbage, carrot, zucchini and onion. Let stand 20 minutes. Stir in sunflower seeds.
Moroccan chickpea Salad
3 T. olive oil
3 T. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
3 cups canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
¼ cup chopped onion
2 small tomatoes, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
¼ cup chopped, fresh cilantro
1/3 cup crumbled feta
In a small bowl, whisk together oil, lemon juice and spices. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine remaining ingredients.
Pour dressing over chickpea mixture and toss to combine. Serve immediately or cover for up to 24 hours to allow flavors to marinate.
Zucchini and Eggplant Lasagna
1 lb eggplant
1 zucchini, cut into slices
1 yellow squash, cut into slices
1 tsp. olive oil
½ large yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ cups small curd cottage cheese
1 T. fresh oregano
olive oil cooking spray
6 oz. shredded mozzarella
Fresh basil for garnish., optional
Preheat oven to 375. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and spread eggplant, zucchini and squash out in a single layer on sheets, leaving a slight space between each round. Bake for 30 minutes; remove from oven and set aside.
In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium for 1 minute. Add onion and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cottage cheese and oregano.
Lightly grease an 11×7 baking dish. Line bottom of dish with zucchini and squash, using all rounds and overlapping them so dish is completely covered. Top with cottage cheese mixture. Arrange eggplant over cottage cheese in overlapping rows, then top with mozzarella. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbling. Serve immediately, garnishing with basil if desired.
Have a great week and happy eating!!
Jody, Mike, Claudia, Malcolm and Jonas