This Weeks Share
- Beans
- Carrots
- Corn
- Eggplant
- Garlic
- Herbs
- Lettuce
- Onions
- Peppers
- Spinach
- Tomatoes
Beans- Romano beans, a flat snap bean, are eaten the same way but be careful not to over cook or these tasty treats will become mushy.
Carrots- Ever the staple, these tasty little treats are crisp and flavorful. Great for a quick snack or add to soups and stews for the up coming winter comfort foods.
Corn- This is the second-to-last week of corn being in the share, a sure sign that fall is here. Enjoy the last of the summer vegetables. Corn on the grill is a sweet treat everyone can enjoy.
Eggplant- With complex and elegant flavor eggplant is capable of absorbing a lot of cooking fats and sauces allowing for very rich dishes. See recipes for how to make Baba Ghanoush.
Garlic- Silverskin is a soft neck garlic variety with a rich and pungent flavor great for your homemade salsa.
Herbs- This week members will be receiving one of the following: dill, parsley, or cilantro.
Lettuce- Lettuce is back in the share again this week and will be a staple into October.
Onions- Red Bull onions have a strikingly deep red appearance and delicious flavor. These jumbo sized storage onions have a great record for keeping long into the winter months but can certainly be enjoyed now too.
Peppers- We are growing quite a variety of peppers this year. You’ll get to see some of the following varieties:
Gypsies have an intense sweetness and complex flavor unmatched by supermarket bell peppers.
Ace peppers are an old standby variety because of its early ripening and highly productive habit.
Flavio has a short and blocky fruiting habit maturing from a deep green to a deep red. Flavio matures early and has a beautiful fruit.
Gourmet is a thick heavy pepper with a block shape and a sweet flavor maturing from green to orange.
The Red Ruffled Pimento is a very attractive thick walled pepper that is great for fresh eating and has an excellent flavor.
The Sunray is a fruity tasting blocky shaped pepper maturing to a light yellow.
Spinach- With cooler weather comes the much anticipated arrival of spinach to the share. Be sure to eat these tender leaves quickly because spinach can loose up to half of its nutrients in the first few days after harvest. See recipes for a great wilted spinach salad.
Tomatoes- Still producing like crazy but our tomatoes are showing signs of slowing. Tomatoes are going to be in the share once again this week with a variety of slicing and heirlooms. People picking up at the farm and folks picking up at the Ladds edition pick up site will also be enjoying some of our sauce tomatoes.
Recipes
Baba Ghanoush
Adapted from Recipezaar.com
1 large eggplant
1/4 cup tahini, plus more as needed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice plus more as needed
1 pinch ground cumin
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup brine-cured black olives, such as kalamata
1. Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill.
2. Preheat an oven to 375°F.
3. Prick the eggplant with a fork in several places and place on the grill rack 4 to 5 inches from the fire.
4. Grill, turning frequently, until the skin blackens and blisters and the flesh just begins to feel soft, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Transfer the eggplant to a baking sheet and bake until very soft, 15 to 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven, let cool slightly, and peel off and discard the skin.
7. Place the eggplant flesh in a bowl.
8. Using a fork, mash the eggplant to a paste.
9. Add the 1/4 cup tahini, the garlic, the 1/4 cup lemon juice and the cumin and mix well.
10. Season with salt, then taste and add more tahini and/or lemon juice, if needed.
11. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and spread with the back of a spoon to form a shallow well.
12. Drizzle the olive oil over the top and sprinkle with the parsley.
13. Place the olives around the sides.
14. Serve at room temperature.
Wilted spinach Salad
3 cups spinach
1/4 tbsp extra virgin olive
1/4 to 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1. Wash spinach in plenty of cold water, and then spin dry.
2. Heat oil in large sauté pan over medium-heat.
3. Add garlic and lemon juice.
4. Sauté for 1 minute.
5. Turn heat to high.
6. Add spinach, 1/4 tsp salt and a few pinches of pepper.
7. Wilt spinach, tossing with tongs to coat leaves with hot oil and garlic.
8. Toss in pine nuts.
9. Add more salt and pepper if desired.
10. Serve immediately.
To toast pine nuts: The nuts can burn quickly, so keep eye on the pan. Place nuts in dry skillet and toast them over very low heat, stirring or shaking the pan as needed until they’re golden and fragrant, about 5 minutes.
Notes From the Field
Fall is making its presents known with tell tale signs of yellowing leaves and cool nights and mornings. This feeling of transition is really being felt on the farm right now with our second-year interns making their departures and the crops summer vigor starting to fall off. Not a bad thing just a general feeling of transition.
This week we will be clipping our winter squash and getting them into storage so they will last through-out the winter.
Community Events
Sauvie Island Center Fundraiser at Vindalho (2038 SE Clinton St)
On Sunday, October 7th, Cory Schreiber will team up with the crew at Vindalho to create a four course, sit down feast that benefits the Sauvie Island Center. The Center is a non profit that focuses on bringing kids k-5 out to Sauvie Island to teach them about food, farming and the land.
Tickets are $90 per person and include wine and gratuity. A portion of the cost is tax deductible. This will be a small gathering so please purchase your tickets right away. Do so by contacting Shari Raider at 503-621-6921 or siorganics@aol.com. Make a reservation by phone or email. You’ll receive confirmation after sending your check to Sauvie Island Center Vindalho Fundraiser, 20233 NW Sauvie Island Road, Portland, Oregon 97231.
And the menu: pickled pumpkin with cumin and cider, spiced black bean puree on fennel seed cracker, roasted beet and sprouted dal chaat salad, cauliflower and onion pakoras with chutney, pan-fried shrimp with Goan green coconut curry and shaved radishes, braised Ford Farm Highland Beef with Ayers Creek Farms red flint polenta and coastal artichokes with red chiles, roasted fall vegetable Korma and baked Sauvie Island Apple with warm spiced rice pudding and walnuts.