My brother was visiting from Colorado last week and he was hip deep in farm work: spinning lettuce, weeding, harvesting. It was a great week. We ate at the Wrought Iron Grill one night and watched the sunset and the fire flies come out almost every night. It was sad to see him go.
We had a good rain on Monday (or was it Tuesday?). Finally got the peas trellised and some more lettuce planted, lots more cultivation, another planting of summer squash. The Organic inspector came on Thursday, spent the rest of the day and Friday getting ready for the market. Days are starting to blend together as the crops accelerate towards maturing. Pretty soon we will be so busy harvesting that there won’t be time to pull many weeds. Hopefully our diligence at early cultivation will hold us into the harvest season.
Green leafy things still dominate your box as we slowly move into the main season crops. All the local farmers are complaining that the season has been slow, perhaps all the cool weather we’ve been having.
In your boxes this week:
Growers Mix: Another week of lovely baby greens and Swiss chard.
Kale:This first bunches of the season. We try not to do kale too often. We know that there are both kale lovers out there and kale haters. Please, try it if you never have. See the last few weeks newsletters for recipe ideas. Use in replacement of braising mix.
Onion bunches:White and red. They aren’t good keepers so enjoy there sweet flavor now.
Green Peppers: The first of the season. These are the first of the peppers we planted in the greenhouse. Enjoy….there are lots more to come!
Basil: The ultimate taste of summer. Also fresh oregano( and rosemary for full shares.) If you don’t use the herbs you can dry them by hanging the bundle upside down.
Heads of lettuce:Some buttercrunch mostly a romaine/ leaf lettuce variety called Nevada. Beautiful, crisp and sweet as only can come out of the greenhouse.
Green Tomatoes: See recipe below. If you’ve never tried fried green tomatoes you should. I’ve given out FGT recipes in past years. This one is different and seemed so simple and elegant.
FRIED GREEN TOMATOES WITH CRISPY CORNMEAL CRUST
This is a wonderful recipe for those of you who have never tried green tomatoes before. They are very good, but different from red ripe tomatoes. If you have never tried green tomatoes before, you are missing out on a seasonal treat!
Serves 4 to 6 people
1/2 cup milk, or 1 egg beaten with 1/4 cup water
1/2 cup cornmeal or flour, or a combination
1 1/4 teaspoons salt plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper plus more to taste
mild-flavored vegetable oil
4 large firm green tomatoes, cored, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1. Line a plate with paper towels.
2. Put the milk or the egg-water mixture in a shallow bowl; set aside. Put the cornmeal or flour in another small, shallow bowl and stir in the salt and pepper.
3.Fill a large skillet 1/4-inch deep with oil. Heat over high heat until the oil just begins to smoke, about 3 minutes.
4. Dip each tomato slice into the liquid, then into the cornmeal or flour. Carefully place the tomato slices in the oil and cook until golden and soft (but not mushy), 3 to 4 minutes on each side (working in batches as necessary). Adjust the heat as necessary to prevent burning.
5. Transfer the fried tomatoes to the paper towel lined plate to dry. Season with more salt to taste. Serve immediately.
That’s it for this week. Thanks everyone for your support of our farm and local produce. Remember to keep bringing your boxes back. Always, Pooh, Richard, Cody and Taylor.