Farm News . . .
This is the second season that Taylor has prepared the mid-day meal for all the farm crew, and farm family each day. With a background in fine dining restaurants and dealing with wholesale purveyors, Taylor really appreciates the access to fresh ingredients. He especially notes the increased freshness and better taste of onions, garlic, sweet basil, corn and okra. By cooking with the seasons, Taylor is limited by what is ready to harvest, but has free choice to prepare whatever he wants. He believes in “home cooked” meals with flavors related to traditional Latin American cuisine. Our farm chef seems to thoroughly enjoy what he does, and we all benefit from the fruits of his labor!
Cajun Succotash
Saute diced onion and minced garlic. Add corn cut off the cob and okra sliced in bite-sized pieces. Finish with diced tomatoes. Salt and pepper to taste.To freeze, cut all fresh ingredients (except tomatoes) and put in plastic bag. Add tomatoes when ready to cook later.
In Your Basket . . .
Sweet Corn
We know you will be pleased to see more sweet corn this year. A little background for you on corn production – each kernel of corn is pollinated individually in order to grow. The silks inside connect each kernel to tassels at the top of the ear. Really hot air and wind will make the tassel end dry up before the pollen has traveled down the silk to the corn kernel. So, if you have an ear with spotty kernels, you know why. Also, the heat speeds up the life cycle of the corn earworm. It will travel into the tip of the ear of corn before the corn is mature enough to harvest. Earlier in the year, the corn is ready to pick before the earworm tries to enter the husk. We cut off the top ends for you.
Green Onions – organic
Enjoy these versatile onions in any dish. The longer an onion is cooked, the milder it becomes and the natural sweetness comes forth. Store refrigerated and in a container to prevent the flavor from transferring to other food items.
Celery - organic
Enjoy this celery in a wonderful soup recipe shared by a CSA member last season. Remember that adding a fresh green to any soup will enhance the flavor of every ingredient in the pot!Use the celery leaves in place of fresh parsley. Store in the coldest portion of your refrigerator or place upright in a container with a little water and cover with a plastic bag. It will keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or more.
Bell Peppers – organic
Cucumber
Squash and Zucchini
Tomatoes – organic
Enjoy a medley of tiny tomatoes including the Sungold, Pears, Black Prince and Ivory Egg.
Eggplant
Your Choice Basket:
Okra – organic - new this week!
Low in calories, this popular Southern vegetable is high in amino acids and minerals. Try slicing into bite-sized pieces, tossing in seasoned corn meal, and skillet frying until slightly browned and a little crisp. Enjoy as a fun snack, a side veggie, or appetizer. Can be eaten alone or dipped in favorite dip or sauce.
Recipes to Enjoy . . .
Celery Roquefort Soup
recipe from Moosewood Restaurant Daily Special shared by CSA member, Dorothy
2 T butter
1 C diced onions
2 C diced celery
1 C water
2 C milk
4 ounces Roquefort or blue cheese
8 ounces Neufchatel or cream cheese
salt and ground black pepper to taste
In a soup pot melt the butter on medium heat. Add the onions and celery, cover, and cook, stirring frequently, until soft but not browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the water, cover, and bring to a simmer.
In a blender, combine the milk, blue cheese, and cream cheese and puree until very smooth. Stir the puree into the soup and add salt and pepper to taste. Reheat gently and serve hot.
Fried Eggplant Salad
from Greene on Greens
1 large eggplant or 2 small (about 1 ½ pounds)
salt
½ C olive oil, approximately
1 medium onion, halved, thinly sliced; or green onions
1 large clove garlic, minced
juice of 2 lemons
salt and freshly ground pepper
chopped fresh parsley
lemon wedges
Cut the stem from the eggplant and slice it in half lengthwise. Cut each half into ¼ inch thick slices. Place the slices in a colander, sprinkle them with salt, and let stand 30 minutes. Brush the eggplant with paper towels to remove the salt; pat dry.
Heat 2 T of the oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add enough eggplant slices to cover the bottom. Sprinkle lightly with more oil, and sauté until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels. Continue to sauté the eggplant slices, adding more oil as needed.
Pour off all but 2 tsp of oil from skillet. Add the onion; cook over medium-low heat 1 minute. Add the garlic; cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Place one fourth of the eggplant in the bottom of a deep, narrow serving bowl. Sprinkle with the juice of ½ lemon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Top with one fourth of the onion mixture. Continue to layer, squeezing lemon juice over each successive layer of eggplant, until all ingredients are used up. End with the onion mixture. Chill well. Serve garnished with parsley and lemon wedges. Serves 4 as an appetizer.
Hearty Eggplant-Zucchini Toss
from Asparagus to Zucchini
1 small eggplant
3 medium zucchini
1 large onion
4 cloves garlic
3 medium tomatoes
1-2 stalks celery
1 T olive oil
2 T tomato sauce (optional)
2 T oregano
salt and pepper
Peel the eggplant and cut it into chunks. Cut zucchini into ¾ inch rounds. Chop onion coarsely. Mince the garlic. Quarter or halve the tomatoes. Chop the celery. Heat oil in large skillet over medium and add all the chopped vegetables, the tomato sauce, plus the oregano, salt and pepper to taste. Toss well; cover the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally. You must keep watch over this dish, it will form a watery sauce at first, and the vegetables should be stirred in it until they are all somewhat cooked, about 10-15 minutes. Then remove the cover and cook a few more minutes until the sauce is reduced. Serve as a sauce for pasta or rice. Makes 4-6 servings.
Showing posts with label eggplant. Show all posts
Showing posts with label eggplant. Show all posts
Monday, August 27, 2007
Monday, July 30, 2007
Makin' Compost
Farm News . . .
We sometimes are asked about our organic production practices as it relates to compost, cattle, and soil amendments. We make compost here on our farm that we sell to other farmers, landscapers, and home-owners. We also use it ourselves in our organic system of crop rotation and building healthy soils. We lay out long rows of agricultural matter-mostly vegetable culls and used hay from neighboring horse farms. Once our ingredients are compiled, we begin turning our compost rows with our tractor-pulled compost turner. We monitor the temperature, carbon dioxide, and moisture of each row. Early in the process we may turn the pile daily as it heats up, later on we turn it weekly. Once finished composting, it is a stable product – entirely different than the raw ingredients we started off with. We have our compost lab tested for nutrient and microbial makeup as well as any pathogens. We spread the compost on our fields using the timetables before the next harvestable crop set out in our certified organic farm plan. We do not spread manure on any of our farm. Let us know if you want to learn more about the production or use of compost!
In Your Basket . . .
Celery – organic
This green cutting celery variety will impress you with its full flavor and crisp stalks. If you have never had fresh-picked celery you will be surprised that it can pack such a flavorful punch! The leaves are used as well as the stalk in place of fresh herbs. Stalks can be sautéed or braised or chopped finely for your salad recipes.
Carrots – organic
Enjoy these sweet carrots as a healthy snack. Though very popular they are difficult to grow for a variety of reasons. Your share of this crop survived the early drought; we expect more later in the fall. Carrots will keep in your refrigerator up to a month and are a good source of Vit. A and beta-carotene.
Red Onion – organic
These mild purplette red onions are meant to be used soon as a fresh onion rather than a storage onion. They will add a sweet flavor to any roasted veggie medley. Refrigerate as you would a green onion.
Eggplant
Included this week is either glossy black or true white eggplant. It is low in calories, high in fiber, and not a source of many vitamins or minerals. It will store refrigerated for up to a week. Cut into chunks and oven-roast with other veggies or slice for the grill. Find a recipe below.
Green Beans - organic
This week’s green beans are an heirloom variety of pole beans. These corn field beans were tradi-tionally planted along side the field corn to use the corn stalk as its trellis. You do need to remove the string along each side of the bean before cooking. Break the end and pull the string down until it snaps off the other end. Break the beans into bite-sized pieces – checking then to see if any more string needs to be pulled. If any pods are too dried out, shell out the bean and add it to your pot, then discard the pod.
Roma Tomato – organic
These meaty paste-type tomatoes are the favorite for juicing, canning, making sauce or salsa. Less juice and more solids result in more flavor. Romas can be oven roasted, oven-dried, dehydrated, or eaten fresh.
Garlic – organic
This week’s variety is a soft neck – often you may see this type braided for a decorative display. Try roasting your whole garlic head in the oven to use as a spread on crusty bread.
Sweet Corn
This week’s bi-color corn has an extra sweet flavor. The varieties of corn that we choose to grow are not genetically modified. We try to find those that are tender, delicious, and the seed is produced through traditional breeding techniques.
EXTRA Basket:
Hot Peppers
More Jalapeño and Serrano hot peppers to choose from this week.
Sweet Corn
We expect to not have a corn harvest for the next couple of weeks since the rains pushed it along to all be ready now. It is rather unusual to have this much-desired item in surplus, but we do, so enjoy some extra!
Recipes to Enjoy . . .
Broiled Eggplant with Crunchy Parmesan Crust
from Angelic Organics Kitchen
oil for greasing a baking sheet
mayonnaise
eggplant, cut into ¼ inch slices
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ C)
Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Spread mayonnaise sparingly on both sides of each eggplant slice, and then dip the slices in the grated Parmesan cheese, thoroughly coating both sides. Arrange the slices in a single layer on the oiled baking sheet and place under the broiler until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the slices and broil until golden brown and crunchy on top and the eggplant is soft, about 3 minutes more.
Garlic Aioli
This spread can be used to liven up sandwiches, wraps, dabble on fritters, or even the broiled eggplant above. Adapted from a recipe in Martha Stewart Living. that uses raw egg yolks, we suggest coddling the eggs before using.
1 small head garlic
2 C plus 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
¾ tsp coarse salt
2 T plus 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 T heavy cream
Prehat the oven to 375 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of parchment set over a piece of foil, and drizzle with 2 tsp oil. Fold and crimp to enclose. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, squeeze cloves from skins.(Put water in saucepan and heat on medium-high until boiling. Drop eggs gently into the boiling water for one minute until slightly gelled. Remove and run under cold water to cool and stop cooking. Remove egg yolks and follow recipe.)
Process garlic, egg yolks, and salt in a food processor until combined. With machine running, gradually add remaining 2 C oil, drop by drop at first and then in a slow, steady stream, until emulsified. Stir in lemon juice and cream. Aioli can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days; do not leave unrefrigerated for longer than 1 hour.
Note: A shortcut for aioli is to add the roasted garlic cloves to mayonnaise in a food processor. Continue adding a little mayonnaise until the desired flavor and consistency is reached.
Simple Tomato Sauce
Also from Martha Stewart, this recipe can be doubled easily to match your available tomatoes.
6 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T minced garlic
3 pounds ripe plum/paste tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 8 C)
coarse salt
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook 20 seconds (do not let brown). Stir in tomatoes and 2 tsp salt. Raise heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer vigorously, stirring frequently, until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. If a smoother sauce is desired, pass it through a food mill. Season with salt if desired. Let cool. Sauce can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
We sometimes are asked about our organic production practices as it relates to compost, cattle, and soil amendments. We make compost here on our farm that we sell to other farmers, landscapers, and home-owners. We also use it ourselves in our organic system of crop rotation and building healthy soils. We lay out long rows of agricultural matter-mostly vegetable culls and used hay from neighboring horse farms. Once our ingredients are compiled, we begin turning our compost rows with our tractor-pulled compost turner. We monitor the temperature, carbon dioxide, and moisture of each row. Early in the process we may turn the pile daily as it heats up, later on we turn it weekly. Once finished composting, it is a stable product – entirely different than the raw ingredients we started off with. We have our compost lab tested for nutrient and microbial makeup as well as any pathogens. We spread the compost on our fields using the timetables before the next harvestable crop set out in our certified organic farm plan. We do not spread manure on any of our farm. Let us know if you want to learn more about the production or use of compost!
In Your Basket . . .
Celery – organic
This green cutting celery variety will impress you with its full flavor and crisp stalks. If you have never had fresh-picked celery you will be surprised that it can pack such a flavorful punch! The leaves are used as well as the stalk in place of fresh herbs. Stalks can be sautéed or braised or chopped finely for your salad recipes.
Carrots – organic
Enjoy these sweet carrots as a healthy snack. Though very popular they are difficult to grow for a variety of reasons. Your share of this crop survived the early drought; we expect more later in the fall. Carrots will keep in your refrigerator up to a month and are a good source of Vit. A and beta-carotene.
Red Onion – organic
These mild purplette red onions are meant to be used soon as a fresh onion rather than a storage onion. They will add a sweet flavor to any roasted veggie medley. Refrigerate as you would a green onion.
Eggplant
Included this week is either glossy black or true white eggplant. It is low in calories, high in fiber, and not a source of many vitamins or minerals. It will store refrigerated for up to a week. Cut into chunks and oven-roast with other veggies or slice for the grill. Find a recipe below.
Green Beans - organic
This week’s green beans are an heirloom variety of pole beans. These corn field beans were tradi-tionally planted along side the field corn to use the corn stalk as its trellis. You do need to remove the string along each side of the bean before cooking. Break the end and pull the string down until it snaps off the other end. Break the beans into bite-sized pieces – checking then to see if any more string needs to be pulled. If any pods are too dried out, shell out the bean and add it to your pot, then discard the pod.
Roma Tomato – organic
These meaty paste-type tomatoes are the favorite for juicing, canning, making sauce or salsa. Less juice and more solids result in more flavor. Romas can be oven roasted, oven-dried, dehydrated, or eaten fresh.
Garlic – organic
This week’s variety is a soft neck – often you may see this type braided for a decorative display. Try roasting your whole garlic head in the oven to use as a spread on crusty bread.
Sweet Corn
This week’s bi-color corn has an extra sweet flavor. The varieties of corn that we choose to grow are not genetically modified. We try to find those that are tender, delicious, and the seed is produced through traditional breeding techniques.
EXTRA Basket:
Hot Peppers
More Jalapeño and Serrano hot peppers to choose from this week.
Sweet Corn
We expect to not have a corn harvest for the next couple of weeks since the rains pushed it along to all be ready now. It is rather unusual to have this much-desired item in surplus, but we do, so enjoy some extra!
Recipes to Enjoy . . .
Broiled Eggplant with Crunchy Parmesan Crust
from Angelic Organics Kitchen
oil for greasing a baking sheet
mayonnaise
eggplant, cut into ¼ inch slices
freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about ½ C)
Preheat the broiler. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Spread mayonnaise sparingly on both sides of each eggplant slice, and then dip the slices in the grated Parmesan cheese, thoroughly coating both sides. Arrange the slices in a single layer on the oiled baking sheet and place under the broiler until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Flip the slices and broil until golden brown and crunchy on top and the eggplant is soft, about 3 minutes more.
Garlic Aioli
This spread can be used to liven up sandwiches, wraps, dabble on fritters, or even the broiled eggplant above. Adapted from a recipe in Martha Stewart Living. that uses raw egg yolks, we suggest coddling the eggs before using.
1 small head garlic
2 C plus 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
¾ tsp coarse salt
2 T plus 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 T heavy cream
Prehat the oven to 375 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of parchment set over a piece of foil, and drizzle with 2 tsp oil. Fold and crimp to enclose. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. When cool enough to handle, squeeze cloves from skins.(Put water in saucepan and heat on medium-high until boiling. Drop eggs gently into the boiling water for one minute until slightly gelled. Remove and run under cold water to cool and stop cooking. Remove egg yolks and follow recipe.)
Process garlic, egg yolks, and salt in a food processor until combined. With machine running, gradually add remaining 2 C oil, drop by drop at first and then in a slow, steady stream, until emulsified. Stir in lemon juice and cream. Aioli can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days; do not leave unrefrigerated for longer than 1 hour.
Note: A shortcut for aioli is to add the roasted garlic cloves to mayonnaise in a food processor. Continue adding a little mayonnaise until the desired flavor and consistency is reached.
Simple Tomato Sauce
Also from Martha Stewart, this recipe can be doubled easily to match your available tomatoes.
6 T extra virgin olive oil
1 T minced garlic
3 pounds ripe plum/paste tomatoes, coarsely chopped (about 8 C)
coarse salt
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook 20 seconds (do not let brown). Stir in tomatoes and 2 tsp salt. Raise heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer vigorously, stirring frequently, until sauce has reduced and thickened slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. If a smoother sauce is desired, pass it through a food mill. Season with salt if desired. Let cool. Sauce can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
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