Pick List:
plum tomatoes - cherry tomatoes - savoy cabbage - onion - carmen peppers -
eggplant - raspberries - parsley - summer squash - ZINNIAS!
KITCHEN CSA:
Golden relish - hot pepper mustard - enchilada sauce
Holy September! If I said it before, I really mean it now- we are DEEP into harvest season. Our days no longer consist of picking in the morning, weeding/ planting in the afternoon. Rather, it’s pick from Sun up to Sun down. This week we find ourselves swimming in a sea of raspberries and cherry tomatoes. Our brand spanking new pack-shed, that once had SO MUCH ROOM is currently filled with stacks on stacks of cherry tomatoes making me question how we ever made do in the old barn. Also noteworthy are the MASSIVE industrial size fans running on full boar at all hours of the day and night in an attempt to keep fruit flies at bay.
While there is something so insane about the hours spent picking strawberries in June- there is an equal level of insanity that goes into the September Harvest. As September begins to cool off (believe it or not 70’s this weekend) we all feel the need to not only pick but also preserve and put up food for the winter. Seeing how the high today was in the 90’s it makes zero sense to mention the impending frost- but look out folks, she is sure to arrive. So with that said, If you have any urge to get crops in bulk for your own winter eats- think sauces, salsas, chimichurri, roasted peppers, etc..- now would be the ideal time to start making your lists, and calling in special orders of bulk crops into the farmstand (603-298-5764) or email farmstand@edgewaterfarm.com . We sell things like tomatoes, green-beans, peppers, onions, potatoes, carrots, beets, by the bushel or half bushel and berries by the flat. If you want to speak to me further about thoughts on putting up the harvest you can email me any time- I will check it in between the picking and preserving. This weekend’s activity: make then freeze a ton of babaganoush, because so-much-eggplant.
And lastly, please oh please do not judge your cabbage by its color! While we are familiar with green curly leaves on the outer part of our savoy cabbage, you will find this cabbage more white than usual. Do not be alarmed- your cabbage was peeled back leaf after leaf so you would not be discouraged by any scavenging invertebrate in your kitchen. In other words, the bugs were hitting the cabbage pretty hard, so in an effort to clean them up, many outer leaves were lost- And while I am certain that there were some invertebrate casualties, the chickens were certainly pumped for supper.
TIPS - TRICKS - RECIPES:
[Moutabbal or Babaganoush] Adapted from David Lebovitz‘s My Paris Kitchen
Makes about 2 cups
2 medium eggplants (about 1 pound each)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 teaspoon coarse or kosher salt, or to taste
6 tablespoons tahini (sesame seed paste), well-stirred if a new container
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced or pressed Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste, if desired
Pinch of cayenne or aleppo pepper Pinch or two of ground cumin
2 tablespoons well-chopped flat-leaf parsley, divided Toasted sesame seeds or za’atar for garnish
Heat oven to 375°F. Brush a baking sheet or roasting pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Prick eggplants a few times with a fork or tip of a knife. Over a gas flame, grill or under a broiler, evenly char the skin of your eggplants. I like mine quite smoky and like to leave no purple visible. Transfer to a cutting board, and when cool enough to handle, trim off stem and cut lengthwise. Place cut side down on prepared baking sheet and roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until very, very tender when pressed. Let cool to room temperature.
In a blender or food processor: Scrape eggplant flesh from skin and into the work bowl. Add tahini, lemon, cayenne, cumin and 1 tablespoon parsley. Blend in short bursts (pulses) until combined but still coarsely chopped.
By hand: Scrape eggplant flesh from skin and onto a cutting board. Finely chop the eggplant, leaving some bits closer to pea-sized. In a bowl, whisk together tahini, garlic, lemon, cayenne, cumin and half the parsley. Add chopped eggplant and stir to combine.
Both methods: Taste and adjust ingredients if needed. I usually need more salt and lemon.
To serve: Spoon into a bowl and drizzle with remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Scatter with second tablespoon of parsley, and some toasted sesame seeds or za’atar, if desired. Serve with pita wedges.
For a big delicious summer meal, you could serve this with a tomato-cucumber salad, ethereally smooth hummus and pita wedges. If you’d like to be fancy, grilled or pan-roasted lamb chops are wonderful here too.
FOR NEXT LEVEL CHERRY TOMATOES SEE THEN MAKE THE FOLLOWING:
2 pints cherry tomatoes
A few sprigs thyme or rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
RECIPE PREPARATION: Preheat oven to 450°. Toss cherry tomatoes with thyme and oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until tomatoes are blistered and beginning to burst, 20–25 minutes. Let cool.
If you decide to put any cherry tomatoes up for later months, this is the simplest recipe to follow- if you have room in your freezer, then by all means, freeze! But if you do not, then can… and to can check out ball jar canning guide for step by step