Tomato Day: Washing the tomatoes
The weather is keeping us guessing these days. It was cool and windy over the weekend, but it’s supposed to get warm again this week. Out at the Community Farm on Saturday, Farmer Anne was watching as the wind knocked over the tall, heavy sunflowers one at a time. She was also anticipating a cold night that might nip the basil and other tender plants. She said that they would bounce back, but they wouldn’t be quite the way they were before. On the other hand, the cool weather should be enough to sweeten the kale and encourage the fall crops. So it goes at the Farm: as the seasons turn, some crops come to an end, and others step forward. I hope you’ll enjoy the upcoming fall veggie treats, including Asian greens, winter squash, root crops and more.
Tomato Day: Cooking the tomatoes
In the kitchen we’ve had a busy week. We’re beginning to feel like squirrels, putting things away for the winter. The height of this was last Thursday, “Tomato Day”. We bought the tomatoes for our winter shares from Tantre Farm and Goetz farm. We put away around 350 qts of tomatoes, and we’re less than halfway done with what we need to put away. It was a busy, busy morning, with every burner on the stove running full blast and every pot and sink and bowl full of tomatoes at some stage of being processed. We had a mini crisis over the ice we needed to cool the tomatoes–campus on Thursday of welcome
Purple green beans!
week is not the place to try to find ice! Michelle ended up making 5 stops before she found any! Finally we had finished the tomatoes and packed them into the car to go to the freezer. We’ll repeat the process this Thursday!
In the mean time, we have loads of delicious, seasonal treats in store for this week. Read more after the jump!
This week’s farm bounty:
Hot peppers – 4
Eggplant – 1
Vibrant Purple-and-Green beans
Napa cabbage – 1 lb
Swiss chard – 1 plant
Basil – 2 branches
Summer squash – 4
Sweet peppers – 3
Winter squash – 1 (store for later use so it will become sweeter)
Parsley – 1 bunch
Garlic – 1 head
Arugula – 1 bunch
With that inspiration, here’s the Menu:
Baba Ganouj - Always a favorite thing to do with eggplant, get your pita ready for dipping in this Middle Eastern eggplant spread. We like the recipe from Moosewood.
Green Beans with Tomatoes and Herbs from last week
Pesto – We don’t usually repeat recipes, but pesto is an exception. It stores well, tastes great, and is just about the best thing you can do with basil. Enjoy!
Napa Cabbage Stir Fry – This tender Asian green makes a spectacular stir fry, especially when dressed with a bit of sesame oil and lots of ginger. Recipe found in Greens, Glorious Greens
Michelle’s Summer Squash Casserole with Chard – Another of Michelle’s crowd pleasing recipes. It’s full of awesome cheese and Calder Dairy sour cream, so even the pickiest eaters should enjoy it!
Arugula Walnut Salad – Kind of a fancy-pants salad with Balsamic and Orange dressing. Another find in Greens, Glorious Greens.
I guess we can see the seasons changing right here on our plates, can’t we! Enjoy!
Mary
