It is officially August. It feels like it, too, with all the Summer crops up and running at full speed. There are so many great things to eat right now it is hard to narrow it down and decide what to put in the share. Here's what I'm leaning towards.
Tomato- We are growing a lot of tomatoes this year. I think somewhere between 200 and 300 plants! Tomatoes take a lot of work all through the Spring and Summer, but they are definitely worth it when they start producing heavily, as they are doing now. We planted a mix of several heirloom varieties and standard red slicer that also has a delicious heirloom like flavor. The heirlooms come in a variety of sizes, shapes and colors, so some are ripe when they are yellow or purple or orange. If the tomatoes still seem a bit firm and under ripe when you unpack your share, just let them sit at room temperature for a day or so and they should ripen quickly. Don't put tomatoes in the fridge!
Cilantro- The theme of the share this week is salsa! It is finally salsa season. Our earlier plantings of cilantro germinated poorly and were quickly and completely overwhelmed by quack grass, a weed that we have been having to wage war against for the first time this year. But now that we have tomatoes, corn, and peppers, it seems like the cilantro is right on time and it was meant to be.
Here is a recipe for vegetable quesadillas with a fresh salsa...you can modify this recipe and throw in any veggies taking up space in the fridge! I would use the carrots, pole beans, corn and pepper from this week's share, and the tomato, garlic, and cilantro can go into the salsa.
Peppers- The peppers are just starting to ripen and change colors....we mostly have two types, one that changes from green to red that is similar to a bell pepper, and one that changes from pale yellow to coral pink, my personal favorite named "Gypsy". They are delicious before they are fully changed, though. Most green peppers are just red or orange peppers that are picked a bit earlier, so they are slightly less sweet and more tangy. Enjoy these ones now, and we will hopefully have ripe sweet peppers soon! By picking some early, it makes is easier for the plants to ripen the remaining fruits.
Corn- More corn in the share this week! The warm weather has been so great for the corn this Summer, and it seems like we are going to have the best yields we've ever had. Knock on wood. Aside from just the sweet corn, we have a ton of dent corn planted, a different type of corn that we will dry down for use as polenta or cornmeal. Vincent asked us to grow this for use in the Orchard Kitchen in the winter months, when there isn't as much fresh food in the field. The plants are much taller than sweet corn stalks.....right now I think they may be 8 or 9 feet tall!
Pole beans- We grew a pole bean mix from Fedco Seeds that seems really nice. There is a beautiful variety of purple, speckled, yellow, green, and other colored beans. Pole beans have a really great flavor, as the plants are so much bigger than bush beans they are able to photosynthesize a lot more. Use these beans the same way you would use any green beans...they are just a bit more flavorful.
Squash- The summer squash plants continue to produce, although they are starting to slow noticably from their peak a few weeks ago. That is fine with me! The fruit all needs to be picked, three times a week, so it is a lot easier when there isn't quite so much of it!
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/zucchini-fritters-with-herbs-and-cheese-106460
Carrots- The carrots have been so great this year. I hope you're not getting tired of them, I kind of assume that people can always use a few carrots, as they are so easy to use in so many different ways. I haven't been eating enough carrots myself, I think I'll take some home this afternoon.
Turnips- It has been a while since we put salad turnips in the share, and we have a lot right now. These turnips are still tasty and great raw. They could actually go great with raw carrots, beans and pepper slices. Don't forget, you can saute and eat the tops! With no other braising greens in the share this week, the time is now! Here is a simple looking recipe:
http://addapinch.com/cooking/spicy-skillet-turnip-greens-recipe/
Garlic- It's been a while, so I thought you might be ready for another head of garlic.
Lettuce- Our Summer lettuce struggles continue. First it was the deer, then a timing of planting mistake on my part, and now we are have issues with wire worms, an annoying pest that has killed some of our new planting. I have to say, though, lettuce has been the only crop we've really struggled with this year, and it isn't so heart breaking to not have lettuce. Our next planting is coming in and may be ready by Thursday, so if possible we'll put a head of lettuce in your share.
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