This Week’s Share
- Carrots
- Celery
- Corn
- Cucumbers
- Eggplant
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Peppers, hot
- Summer Squash
- Tomatoes
Carrots – Do not let summer go by without putting some carrots on the barbeque.
Celery – Because of its strong flavor this celery is best used like an herb.
Corn – This week the variety is Luscious. It is a bi-color variety.
Cucumbers – The plants that have worked so hard to bring you their crisp goodness this season are on their way out, so enjoy the last of the cucumbers.
Eggplant – Nadia and/or Orient Express will make your casseroles, sauces, and stir fries superb this week. Try roasting them in the oven with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, yum!
Leeks – They have arrived. The King Richard leeks are making their debut this week. Leeks will be in your shares often throughout the fall. As the weather turns cold a leek’s mild flavor can be perfect for warm soups.
Lettuce – Head lettuce is back, it will be on your table regularly into October.
Peppers – Hot peppers are in your share this week. Tiburon, are poblano peppers, see the recipe section for some delicious chili rellenos! There is also a cayenne and/or jalapeño this week.
Summer Squash – Like the cucumbers, the squash plants are getting tired. Enjoy the last few.
Tomatoes – The tomatoes are in full swing, trying to keep up with these productive plants can prove to be a daunting task. This week you will receive a variety of heirlooms and some slicers. The San Marzannos (great for sauces and roasting) will be coming to some of you this week and others the following week. This allows us to give out more at one time so you can make sauce.
Recipes
CHILIES RELLENOS DE QUESO
Adapted from Cooks.com
2 chilies, roasted and peeled
1 1/3 oz cheese, Monterey jack
oil, for frying
1 eggs, separated
1 cup flour, all purpose
Tomato Sauce
1 1/3 pounds (about 2 or 3) tomatoes, peeled
1 medium onion
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
pinch of cloves, ground
For the preparation of the tomato sauce, combine tomatoes, onion and garlic in blender or food processor and blend to a puree. Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add tomato mixture. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, salt, cloves and cinnamon. Simmer gently 15 minutes.
Cut a tiny slit in one side of each pepper to remove seeds, leaving stems on and then dry on paper towels. Cut cheese into long thin sticks, one for each pepper and place one stick in each. If the peppers are loose and open, wrap around cheese and fasten with a wooden toothpick.
Pour oil 1/4″ deep into large heavy pan and heat to 365 F.
Beat egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff. Beat egg yolks lightly in a small bowl and fold into the beaten egg whites, gently but thoroughly.
Roll peppers in flour, and then dip in egg mixture to coat. Fry in the hot oil until golden brown, turning with a spatula. Drain on paper towels.
Serve immediately topped with tomato sauce.
Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
Adapted from The Improvisational Cook
2lbs ripe or nearly ripe tomatoes (about 6 regular tomatoes)
Extra virgin olive oil
About ½ teaspoon sugar
About ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 325F. Slice Roma tomatoes in two lengthwise through the stem, larger tomatoes should be quartered through the stem. In a medium bowl, toss the tomatoes until coated in olive oil. Arrange cut side up on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper.
Roast for 2 ½ -3 hours until they have lost most of their liquid and are just beginning to brown. Cool to room temperature.
Serve as an hors d’oeuvre with goat cheese or side dish. They also make a great soup blended with some sautéed leeks.
Store for up to one week in the refrigerator or in the freezer up to 2 months!
Three-Tomato Salad
This recipe was sent to us by CSA member Julie Cox
http://lowfatcooking.about.com/od/salad1/r/3tomatosalad.htm
This is a simple, colorful summer salad best served at room temperature. Enjoy the classic pairing of these fruits with a balsamic vinegar dressing.
2 medium, vine-ripe red tomatoes
2 medium orange tomatoes
2 medium yellow tomatoes
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chopped basil
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Cut each tomato into eight wedges and place in a medium bowl or serving dish. Sprinkle chopped scallions and fresh basil over tomatoes.
Whisk together oil and vinegar, or place in a small jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Drizzle vinaigrette over tomatoes and toss gently.
For best tomato flavor, serve at room temperature.
From the Fields
Last week we pulled all of our storage onions out of the fields and they are now curing in the barn. In order for onions to store well they need to be harvested in a dry window. It looks like we got them out just in time!
As more crops come out of the fields we are starting to plant our winter cover crops. A cover crop is planted not to be harvested but to be tilled in. Tilling in different cover crops adds different elements to the soil. Legumes, like clover or vetch fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. Cover crops also protect nutrients from being leached from the soil, decrease erosion and keep weeds at bay by lessoning their germination. The rye, vetch, bell beans, and clover we plant September through November play a big part in bringing you your bounty each season.
Community Events
Fair Trade Trunk Show
On Tuesday, September 18th CSA hosts Kay Altman and David Browning invite you to their home for a jewelry trunk show. Stop by to be introduced to Lucina, a socially conscious jewelry business using fair trade gemstones, designed and manufactured in Portland. Their doors will be open from 5-7pm at 3411 SE Ankeny.
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.