p i c k l i s t
roma tomatoes - Thai Basil - corn - shishito peppers -
edamame (young soy beans!) - melon - cabbage - new potatoes - garlic
The weather is certainly shifting. It can still shift back to hot summer days, but for now the cooler nights slow down the summer vining crops. Our cucumbers and squash have slowed production considerably and pretty soon we will start bringing in our fall crops. I am crossing my fingers this moment is just a Fall teaser and not the beginning of flannel on flannel. Ick, ick, ick, not ready.. We only just bit into our first watermelon over here!
On the topic of Fall, soon we will put info out there regarding our Fall CSA. Stay tuned for that, and dream up winter squash recipes while chowing on sweet corn and tomatoes.
This week at edgewater we continue to harvest everything all the time while simultaneously getting pumped for fair season. Though we never have our shit together to actually enter a veg for blue ribbon status, there are many times in the field when I come across (what I deem as) the largest eggplant on the planet, or the perfect tomato. These are all tiny glory moments that are sprinkled throughout my everyday, often declaring blue ribbons all around! This weekend we make time to leave the fields and head to our home-town-Cornish-fairgrounds. I am very pumped to wander, play some games, eat a corn dog and take in some prize winning animals, vegetables, quilts, and queens- love it all, see ya there!
Also at edgewater this week, we dipped into the bean field and got yall some edamame! These beans are such a treat and true labor of love. We grow them because we love to eat them. No other reason. No big profits coming in from these baddies and we should never run the numbers on whether they make sense or not, because as a business- they take entirely too much time. BUT it is glorious to grow, pick, boil, salt and eat your own. We cut the plants low and bunch them, as the pods are a real pain in butt to pick. Luckily for you, the CSAer, we left the pods on, so you too can experience the ummmm, errr “delight” of real time picking. Enjoy!
FARMY FOODIE PRO-TIPS:
Ripe for the grill: corn - shishito peppers! - roma tomato - onion - potatoes (if you have the patience)
Shishito peppers EXCELLENT on grill OR fry pan. Shmear your shishitos with olive oil - toss them on grill/or in pan. Cook until blistered, remove from heat, sprinkle with salt, and devour immediately. So good.
Edamame: When eaten at this young stage soy beans are called Edamame (perhaps you are familiar? )
To eat: 1) Pick bean pods off plant
2) Boil in water for 7ish minutes, followed by icebath
3) Drain water, salt pods, devour immediately
Fried garlic chips
from my one of my fave cook books:
BURMA SUPERSTAR: ADDICTIVE RECIPES FROM THE CROSSROADS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA
by Desmond Tan and Kate Leahy
Makes about ⅓ cup fried garlic and about ½ cup garlic oil (perfect as a salad topper)
Ingredients:
½ cup thinly sliced fresh garlic
½ cup canola oil (though i used olive oil and it turned out great)
Line a heat proof bowl with a strainer. Line a plate with paper towels. In a wok or small saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat for a minute or two (the oil shouldnt be scorching hot). Add the garlic and gently stir into the oil. When bubbles start to form rapidly around the garlic, decrease the heat to low and cook, stirring often, until the garlic is an even golden color and nearly completely crisp, about 3 minutes. If the garlic starts to darken too quickly, remove it from the heat and let it continue to fry in the oil. If the garlic needs more time to fry, return the wok to low heat and continue to fry.
Pour the contents of the wok into the strainer lined bowl. Lift the strainer up and shake off of the excess oil. Scatter the garlic onto the lined plate. The garlic should crisp up as it cools. The chips can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 month. Store the oil in the fridge for up to 6 months.
Yes, you can (and should) make salad in a mortar. When hardy vegetables, like cabbage, are lightly crushed in a tall Thai-style clay mortar with a long wooden pestle, they are tenderized just enough to yield a pleasing soft crunch. Bruised Thai basil, cilantro, and mint permeate this dish, with a dressing of fish sauce and lime, pounded chiles, garlic, and ginger. Serve it alongside grilled or roasted fish or chicken and steamed jasmine rice.
By Andrea Slonecker/ Updated on July 26, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen
3 thin slices (about the size of a quarter) peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves
1 fresh Thai chile or 1/2 serrano chile, stemmed, seeded, and sliced
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
6 cups packed shredded cabbage (from 1 medium head)
1 cup loosely packed soft fresh herbs (such as Thai basil, cilantro, and mint)
2 tablespoons Vietnamese fish sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Fried garlic, for serving
Directions
Using a kruk, pound ginger, garlic, chile, and sugar to a fine paste, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cabbage and herbs; pound until cabbage is slightly softened and crushed and flavor of herbs is released, about 30 seconds. Add fish sauce and lime juice, and toss with pestle and a spoon until evenly combined. Let mixture stand at room temperature for 15 minutes. Serve salad topped with peanuts and fried garlic chips!.
Originally appeared: May 2020
Thai Stir-Fried Cabbage
recipes is from Mitchell Davis, our beloved up the road nearly resident chef…
I’m writing this week from Bangkok so I’ve got fish sauce on my mind. This quick Thai stir fry is an easy, fragrant way to cook just-harvested summer cabbage. Don’t cook it too long; you want to keep the leaves a little crisp and refreshing.
1 tablespoon peanut or vegetable oil
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ small head green cabbage, cored, leaves separated and cut into uneven 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon Thai of Vietnamese fish sauce (nam plah)
Freshly ground white pepper
Salt to taste
Have a small dish of water at the ready. Heat a large cast-iron pan or carbon-steel wok over high heat until smoking hot. Remove from the heat and immediately add the oil and garlic, stirring to lightly brown the garlic without burning. Return the pan to the heat and add the cabbage, stirring and tossing to distribute the garlic, making sure it doesn’t burn, and to wilt the cabbage ever so slightly. Add droplets of water to the pan to steam-cook the cabbage, waiting each time for it to evaporate before adding more, until the cabbage is crisp but tender, about 2 minutes, depending on how hot your pan is. Add the fish sauce by spooning it around the edge of the pan, not directly onto the cabbage, so that it fries and evaporates as it blends in. The aroma will be strong but then dissipate into deep umami flavor. Keep tossing. Season with white pepper and salt to taste.