Week 10

Hi everybody!

I hope you all are doing well. It was great to see some of you out at the farm on Saturday for Open Farm Day. We had pretty decent weather, with only a light sprinkle or two, and we had about 330 people out to see the farm. Thanks for coming! But now the crowds have left, and we're back to our usual combination of planting, harvesting, and weeding.

We'll be digging the garlic this week, and we got just enough rain that the bulbs sized up pretty well! Tomatoes are coming in steadily from both the greenhouse and our outdoor planting. The peppers are loaded and the eggplant are sizing up in the greenhouse. Also, Claude dug the first potatoes today, and they look great! It bodes well for the rest of the potato harvest.

Here's what's in your bags:

Salad Mix

Green & Yellow (Wax) Beans

Summer Squash (assorted kinds)

Red Bunching Onions

New Potatoes

Tomatoes & Cherry Tomatoes

Basil

Green/Purple Bell Peppers (both taste like green peppers)

Large shares only:

Spinach

Eggplant

People are often surprised by the purple peppers that we grow. Our two main varieties are Islander and Purple Beauty. Both produce bell peppers that are purple in the "green" stage.

Peppers form after the flowers are pollinated, and start growing to their mature size. At any point before they are full size, they are green (or in this case, purple). Once they are full size, they slowly turn from their "green" stage to their ripe color. Generally, that is red, orange or yellow, depending on the variety.

The same is true for the hot peppers. Luckily, we don't have to wait until they are fully ripe before we can enjoy them. Sometimes it can be a long wait, in our climate! But all green peppers, if left on the plant and the weather is warm enough, eventually turn a different color. Even jalapenos and poblanos turn red, eventually.

I'm trying to post useful recipes every week to help you plan some meals with the veggies you receive. But I'd love it if any of you have a recipe or a cooking method that you'd like to share with the rest of the CSA! I really enjoy learning how you all use your vegetables, so feel free to send an email with suggestions if you have a chance.

Here are some to try this week: This one came from a CSA member. They said "Here's a really good simple recipe! Had it tonight with burgers and a side of sliced cold beets"

1) Marinated Green Beans with Cilantro and Garlic Serves:4-8 servings Prep time:4 hours 15 mins Cook time:5 mins Total time:4 hours 20 mins For the best flavor, this recipe requires at least 4 hours of marinating time so be sure to leave yourself enough time to prepare this easy dish before serving! Ingredients

2 tablespoons minced garlic

⅔ cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 pounds tender young fresh green beans, trimmed and washed

Salted water to boil

5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Place minced garlic and chopped cilantro in a large bowl and set aside.
Bring water to a boil and plunge in green beans. Cook just until tender, about 5-10 minutes, do not overcook. Drain well and place beans back in hot pan, turn on stove burner and shake for 30 seconds to dry the beans out. Pour hot beans in the bowl with the garlic and cilantro mixture and stir briefly, then let sit untouched for ten full minutes. Add olive oil, toss and place in refrigerator overnight or for at least 4 hours.
Before you are ready to serve, remove beans from refrigeration and let sit for 45 minutes at room temperature. Add lemon juice, vinegar and pepper. Toss, taste for seasoning and serve.

And this is what I made for dinner the other night- it was incredible...

2) Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Potatoes

3) Summer Squash Pizza (and Jim Lahey's Basic Pizza Dough)

And from Smitten Kitchen this looks like a great way to eat up a bunch of squash!

Enjoy!

Sarah VanNorstrand

for Lucky Moon Farm