This Week’s Share
- Beets
- Celery
- Corn, last week of this summer delight
- Cucumbers
- Dill
- Garlic
- Leeks
- Lettuce
- Peppers, green
- Summer Squash
- Tomatoes, heirloom & slicing
Rotations
Melons, beans, eggplants and sauce tomatoes (5 pounds) continue on rotation.
Meet the Melons
Now that melons have made their rounds through the CSA pick up locations a few times, we thought we should better acquaint you with what we are growing this year. And hopefully – despite the rain this week – we’ll be able to harvest a melon or two more before fall settles in.
Maverick
An old standard for us, Maverick is a muskmelon with a yellow-orange rind and orange flesh inside. It is the first of the melons we planted this year and ripens earlier than the others. Its slightly ribbed rind distinguished it from Galias and San Juans.
San Juans
San Juans are an Ananas type melon. The word “Ananas”, is present both in the French and Italian languages – both literally translate to mean “Pineapple” in English, so another common name for this variety is Pineapple Melon. These melons are renowned for their sweet, aromatic, and slightly spicy flavor. Medium sized, oval, and heavily netted looking rind. The melon is ripe when the skin is mostly yellow-orange and the flesh is a very pale yellow, almost white. Their more oblong shape distinguishes them from Galia.
Galia
Galia melons are similar to muskmelons, although they are slightly larger with a yellow-green flesh, surrounded by a lightly netted orange rind. These melons are particularly beautiful when ripe, they seem to glow orange making them easy to spot when harvesting.
Noir de Carmes
A few CSA members mistook this melon to be a winter squash – so if you were one – you were not alone. We apologize for not introducing you sooner. Noir des Carmes is a French heirloom named for the Carmelite monks. The smooth, ribbed skin ripens from almost black to very dark green to orange mottled with green. The orange flesh inside is sweet and very aromatic. When the melon is ripe it tends to be very soft, making it unsuitable for shipping, and therefore hard to find in the grocery store.
Recipes
Gazpacho
Gazpacho is one of my favorite foods for late summer.
Adapted from Fields of Green by Annie Somerville
Makes about 10 cups.
Cucumber – 1 medium
Tomatoes – 5 pounds
onion – 1 cup dices
Green Bell Pepper – 1 chopped
Fresh Basil – 1/4 cup chopped
Salt and pepper
Vinegar – 2 or 3 tablespoons
Fresh Lime Juice – 2 or 3 teaspoons
Peel the cucumber, cut it in half lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds; cut into small cubes and set aside.
Bring a medium-size pot of water to a boil. Core the tomatoes and drop into the water a few at a time, for about 10 seconds, just long enough to loosen their skins. Scoop the tomatoes out of the water and continue with the rest. Rinse under cold water to cool them, then slip off their skins. Place a mesh strainer over a bowl. Cut the tomatoes in half crosswise and, over the strainer, squeeze out the juice and seeds. Save the juice to add to the soup and discard the seeds.
Puree half the tomatoes in a blender or food processor and coarsely chop the rest. Combine all of the tomatoes, the onion, cucumber, pepper, and basil in a large bowl. Season with 2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 2 tablespoons vinegar, and 2 teaspoons lime juice. Refrigerate and let sit for at least 1 hour before serving, to allow the flavors to develop. Add salt, pepper, lime juice, and vinegar if needed. Serve chilled.
Sautéed Zucchini with Dill
Adapted from Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka
Serves 6 to 8 as a side dish.
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds summer squash, trimmed and cut into 1/4 inch-thick rounds
1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt to taste
Heat the butter in a 12-inch sauté pan. Add the zucchini, dill and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the zucchini is cooked but slightly crisp. Add salt to taste.
Corn & Feta Cheese Omelet
Adapted from Vegetable Love by Barbara Kafka
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups peeled, seeded & chopped tomatoes
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 cup leeks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
6 ounces feta cheese, cumbled
Melt the butter in a large skillet and add the leeks. Cook until tender. Then add tomatoes and cook over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes, or until the tomatoes begin to give off liquid. Add corn, salt and pepper and cook for 1 more minute over low heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese.
One at a time, make four 3-egg omelets in a 9-inch skillet. Befoe folding them ove, spoon in some of the filling. Slide the omelets onto plates and spoon the emaining filling over the tops.