P i c k l i s t
Roma tomatoes - carmen peppers - poblano peppers - watermelon -
onion - italian parsley - beets - eggplant - green beans - lettuce
This past week was a mix of harvest everything all the time AND party so hard. Debatably too hard (Oops). Still catching up on all the sleep missed on Saturday night- but every moment felt too important to miss. We gathered this weekend to celebrate the farm and the farmers that started it all 50 years ago. Between the four of us- Anne, Pooh, Sarah, Ray and I- we put together a loose list of folks that have come and gone throughout the years. Folks that we have sweat with, cried with, picked with, and field laughed with (which to be clear is different from a normal day to day giggle. Field laughing goes deep past the belly and into your heart and the memory sticks with ya forever, it is glorious). Anyhow, to all those we’ve farmed with and the family that surrounds us we celebrated. And with 50 years of edgewater and the bonds that were created therein, it turned into a fairly momentous affair. I’ve been a part of the farm for 16 seasons and have seen the best of the best move through the farm and through the field. Edgewater brings together great people. Just ask Anne how many tears she’s cried over the years when dearly loved employees that become buds say goodbye (at this point, I’m going to guess it would be enough to fill a 5 gallon bucket). Bottomline, 50 years of farming is community building and it is so cool to be a part of it and unbelievably beautiful to bring everyone that's got the farm in their heart together. Cheers to the next 50, sure hope we don't burn it all down via a messy quickbook computer screen and a firework gone wrong.
FARMY FOODIE PRO-TIPS:
Ripe for the grill: eggplant - green beans - roma tomato - onion - peppers - beets - watermelon (whaaat??!? Yup i said it, watermelon)
MITCHELL’S NOTES
(it’s been 15 weeks of fab recipes, he needs no introduction now)
Ratatouille For Edgewater CSA Newsletter
There are many different ways to prepare a ratatouille—the Provençal vegetable stew, not the Pixar animated film. The most traditional is to sauté all of the vegetables separately, layer them in casserole and bake them until they meld together into a meltingly delicious dish. But you don’t always have time for that. Instead, you can make a perfectly respectable ratatouille in one pot, as long as you add in the vegetables at strategic times so they don’t overcook. This is a recipe for the latter. Makes 4 to 6 servings
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
Salt
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 or 3 sweet peppers, such as Carmen or poblano, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 small hot pepper, minced, or a pinch of red pepper flakes
1 eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
1 zucchini, cut into 1-inch dice
½ quart green beans, tipped and tailed and cut into 1-inch pieces
½ quart cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup white wine
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
Large handful fresh herbs, such as parsley, basil, thyme, marjoram, or a combination,
leaves only, chopped
Freshly ground black pepper
In a wide Dutch oven or heavy saucepan, heat half the olive oil. Add the sliced onion and a pinch of salt and sauté for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic and sauté another 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the peppers, both sweet and hot, and sauté until they begin to wilt. Add the remaining olive oil, let it heat up, and then add the diced eggplant. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes until the eggplant softens a little. It will soak up all the oil at first and then release it. Add the zucchini, green beans, and cherry tomatoes, and continue sautéing until the tomatoes begin to give off their liquid. Add the white wine, tomato paste, bay leaf, a generous pinch of salt, and about ¼ cup of water to moisten the mixture. When it comes to a simmer, cover, and reduce the heat. Simmer until the eggplant is soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chopped herbs and a decent amount of black pepper. Simmer 1 minute more, taste, and adjust the seasoning with more salt, if necessary. For a dryer ratatouille, let simmer a few minutes uncovered to evaporate some of the liquid, being careful not to let it burn. Serve hot or at room temperature. —Mitchell Davis
Caponata
¼ cup olive oil
1 large large eggplant, chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ small red onion, small dice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon capers
¼ cup green olives, pitted and chopped
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
¼ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
Panzanella
4 cups torn up bread pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
⅓ cup tomatoes, chopped
extra chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the pieces of eggplant and oregano. Stir the pieces around to coat them in the oil and herb. Stir the pot here and there until the eggplant is browned on all sides. Add the red onions and garlic to the pot. Stir it up a bit, adding a bit more olive oil if necessary to avoid sticking.
Once the onions are soft and translucent, add the red wine vinegar. Scrape the bottom of the pan and stir the mix until the vinegar has evaporated. Add the capers, olives and tomatoes to the pot and stir. Allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes or so, until the eggplant is tender and the tomatoes have let out a bit of juice. Remove from the heat, stir in the parsley, season to taste, and set aside to cool.
Place the bread pieces on the parchment lined sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Slide the tray into the oven and bake until golden brown on all sides, about 12-15 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Set aside to cool.
Combine the caponata with the croutons, stirring gently until just combined. Garnish the salad with a healthy drizzle of more olive oil, the halved tomatoes and extra parsley. I also like to scatter the crouton crumb-y bits left on the pan over the top of the salad for more crunch.
Recipe Notes
It's pretty crucial to cook the eggplant until it's VERY tender, like a solid 15 minute simmer.
There's a lot of salty bits in the caponata so I recommend tasting the finished product (with bread etc) before you season with additional salt.
A flavourful mashup of tangy eggplant caponata mixed with summer tomatoes and toasted stale bread. So delicious and perfect for summer!