September is here, and it sure looks like it around the farm. What a wild weekend....Whitney and I were lucky not to have blown away at the farmer's market Saturday. I hope everyone has gotten their power restored by now....our road is definitely looking like a hurricane blew through with tree branches all over the place.
Aside from the fact that nearly all of our remay (the white floating row cover that protects the crops from insect damage) blew off, and some damage to some of the corn field, most of the crops seem to have survived the storm unscathed. I am really pleased looking at the fields to see how much food we still have out there, and all the stuff we'll have to put in your shares in the coming months.
Here's what's in this week's share:
Lettuce- At long last, I think our lettuce is back in business. The heads might be a bit small still when we pick on Thursday, but I think it'll still be nice for a few salads.
Summer squash- These could very well be the last zucchini in your share! The plants are quickly succumbing to powdery mildew, which doesn't affect the quality of the fruit immediately, but gradually weakens the leaves and slows the plants down so they become less and less productive. These plants have produced like champs all summer long, and the winter squash is already waiting in the wings...so maybe it is time to say goodbye...
Tomatoes- I was pretty worried that the wind may have damaged the trellising or the plants in the tomato field, but they look pretty good. The wind may have even helped, because after it rained quite a bit the wind really dried things out pretty quickly, and the tomato plants don't like to stay damp and soggy for too long. I have been really enjoying eating a few slices of tomatoes for breakfast every morning with some scrambled eggs! With cilantro and chili in the share this week, it may be time to make some salsa.
Leeks- Leeks are such a great crop here in the Pacific Northwest. They love our mild temperatures, they are tough and resilient, always delicious, and unlike onions, never bothered by wet weather. Bobbi and I made sushi last night and raw chopped leek was very good in it, along with grated onion, radish, chopped cucumber, cilantro, and peppers, and some other veggies. Here is a recipe for an easy to make savory leek pie...I may have to make this tonight...
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/81537/french-leek-pie/
Eggplant- Hope you have enjoyed the eggplant so far! One of my favorite vegetables. If the weather calms down, we may have another chance to do some grilling before the end of the Summer. If not, try making some baba ganoush indoors.
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/eggplant_dip_baba_ghanouj/
Cilantro- It is salsa week. See below.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/tomato-corn-and-avocado-salsa-51108410
Chili peppers- We didn't grow a lot of chilis this year, but they are doing well and are not too spicy. I'm sure some of you folks are not fans of chilis, and other people may want to choose which variety they'd like to try...so maybe we will put out a basket in the farm stand with a description of the varieties, and you can grab whichever ones you want. Our jalapenos are very very mild, and the cherry bombs, my favorite, have some serious kick, but it doesn't last long. We also have green cayenne peppers, which I believe are probably the spiciest. Salsa time!
Corn- We are on to our mid season variety, "Luscious". It has a slightly larger ear size and a great taste. Use it in the salsa recipe above, or with a mix of veggies from your share in the recipe below:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/summer-vegetable-ragout-with-exotic-curry-sauce-360673
Collard greens- Jack and Whitney and I are all very excited to have collard greens now. The plants are just getting started after being planted in early August, so we will probably just have a smallish bunch in your share this week. Try some Southern style greens! Collards are very similar to kale in how you can use them, but they tend to maintain a bit of chew where kale gets soft after being cooked. They go great with barbeque! Or try this pecan and collard pesto recipe:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/collard-and-pecan-pesto-51193030
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