Week Ten Summer Share July 21st 2015

Important information:

• Please remember all share boxes.
• The fruit growers hope to have a variety of fruit for us this week. We won’t find out until morning when we meet at the market what exactly they will have been able to harvest. Here’s hoping for lots of “goodies”!
• Our apologies for not reminding Park School members that their summer camp is in progress and runs through mid August; for expediency try to avoid their 3:15-3:45 dismissal time.

Farm News from Jane

And here they are… the first of the sweet onions; Walla Wall’s are a very mild variety of sweet onions that is great fresh on a sandwich or in a salad. They are great grilled also. They shouldn’t make you cry. And although the cucumbers are just fruiting the wet weather is causing the plants to brown off already. We will share what is available this week and we’ll see if they will continue to produce for another week’s share. There is a second planting that we hope will fare better. Last week with quite a bit of help from our worker share members, friends and family we were able to harvest all of the garlic. We were easily able to pull it up as the ground was soft and moist from the recent rains. This year for the first time we bunched it and strung it up on a hay wagon to dry. We normally lay it in tables in the greenhouse to dry down. It is harvested when the stalk is about half green so that the bulbs come out of the ground intact. Although it seems most farms hang their garlic to dry we have always had great success with drying it the greenhouse. It will be very interesting to see the outcome of the different method. The reason that we are trying an alternate method is that we have almost filled the greenhouse with trays of seeded beets. We haven’t seemed to have enough beets to get us through the entire winter share so this year we have really upped the ante! The winter carrots were planted last week and we are still anxiously awaiting the summer carrots to “pop” through the ground. I’m afraid the tiny weeds have got a jump on them at this point. It’s a good thing that we have a mechanical finger weeded to assist us in the carrot weeding process! Romanesco, broccoli, purple and orange cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts were transplanted into the field last week also. The first planting of rutabagas are growing quickly and seemed to have doubled in size over the weekend. They will be ready to transplant this week. And talk about growing quickly; we trellised the indeterminate tomatoes on Thursday and they look like they could be trellised again today. We did see a good fruit set on most of the varieties. There is even a bit of color in the cherry tomatoes. The sweet corn has ears and the beans talk (I couldn’t resist the pun). But I think it was the bright voices of all the worker shares today in the beans that all of nature heard this morning!!! There are some pretty lively discussions to be heard and there is always something new to be shared and learned. The worker shares sure have been a boost to our morale when it comes to the large volume to be harvested on Mondays and Wednesdays.

We hope that you will enjoy the first picking of blueberries. The berry set seems light probably due to winter damage. They certainly are putting on lots of new green growth however. The bushes keep getting taller regardless of the winter kill so perhaps Mother Nature knows best how to keep the berries within reach! Time will tell how the crop yield will be. Enjoy both their delicious sweet flavor and their excellent nutrition; there’ll be more next week. Until then, Jane

 

Produce:   Blueberries   Cucumbers   Walla Walla onions   Celery

                        Yellow Beans   Zucchini   Yellow Squash    Head lettuce  

Fruit Share:      Apricots   Plums   Peaches (We hope!!!)

 

Produce tips:

– Cucumbers should be refrigerated.

– Celery can be sliced and frozen without blanching first. A tip from a member: try juicing and freezing celery in ice cube trays for winter soups! (Don’t forget the leaves)

– String beans can be frozen for winter use. Blanch for approximately 1-2 minutes in small batches. Chill in cold water. Drain and then pack into freezer bags for a summer in wintertime treat!

 

Recipes

GREEN BEANS WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS

2 pounds green beans, stem ends snipped off; 2 tablespoons butter; 2 medium onions, sliced as thinly as possible; 1 cup chicken stock; 1/2 tablespoons sugar; 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar; salt and pepper to taste Cook beans in boiling salted water until crisp-tender, 2-4 minutes. Drain; immerse in ice water. Drain again and let stand to dry. Melt butter in skillet over medium flame. Stir in onions and cook them slowly until very wilted and deepened in color, about 15 minutes. Boil stock in a saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup; stir in sugar and vinegar. Stir in onions. Simmer until slightly reduced. Combine onions and green beans; heat through. Season with salt and pepper. Makes 8 servings

PASTA WITH CARAMELIZED ONION SAUCE

¼ cup olive oil; 2-3 large onions, thinly sliced; ¼ tsp salt; ½ cup dry white wine;

4 ounces spicy greens, stemmed and minced; ½ cup crumbled feta or blue cheese; 1 spaghetti squash, cooked; ½ chopped walnuts; parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil I a large skillet. Add onions and sauté over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add salt, lower heat and continue to cook for at least another 10 minutes. Add white wine, turn heat back up to medium and simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes. Add the chopped greens, stir and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the crumbled cheese. Add the spaghetti squash strands to the sauce, stir briefly in the pan before serving. Sprinkle with walnuts and parmesan cheese. Serves 2-3

 

MARINATED YELLOW BEAN, CELERY AND RADISH SALAD

1 lb. fresh yellow beans; 1 small onion, sliced; 1 cup oil; 1/2 cup cider vinegar; 1/4 cup wine or herb vinegar; 1 tsp dry mustard; 1 tablespoon dry basil; salt, pepper to taste; 2 stalks celery, finely sliced; 4 to 6 large radishes, sliced

Trim and steam yellow beans for 10 minutes, until they are tender but still very firm. Add onion to beans. Combine oil, vinegars and seasonings and pour over beans. Chill for several hours, stirring the beans at least once during the marinating process. Just before serving, combine beans with celery and radishes and serve on a bed of salad greens.

 

ROASTED SQUASH

2 small summer squash; 1 ½ cups onion, sliced; 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary plus more to garnish; 11/4 tsp salt; 11/4 tsp freshly ground pepper; 11/4 cup thinly sliced garlic

Preheat oven to 450°F. Quarter squash lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Combine the squash with sliced onion, oil, rosemary, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread the mixture evenly on a large, rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes. Stir in garlic and roast until the vegetables are tender and the fennel is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes more. Stir in extra rosemary and serve. Makes 4 servings, about 2/3 cup each;

Adapted from Eating Well magazine

 

CHEESE-SQUASH SCALLOP

4 c. yellow squash/ zucchini slices, 1/2″ thick; 1/2 c. chopped onion; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/2 tbsps. Oil; 1/2 c. grated Swiss cheese 1/4 c. cracker crumbs; 1/4 c. chopped parsley; 2 eggs; 1/2 c. milk 1 tsp. salt; 1/8 tsp. pepper

Cook squash in boiling salted water until barely tender. Drain well. Meanwhile, cook onion and garlic in oil until onion is soft. Place half of onion mixture on bottom of greased 1-qt. casserole. Top with half of cheese, cracker crumbs and parsley. Add all the squash, then remaining onion, cheese, crumbs and parsley. Beat eggs, blend in milk, salt and pepper. Pour over squash. Place casserole in pan of hot water and bake in slow oven (325°) 50 to 55 minutes, or until set.

Makes 4 servings

 

CHINESE GREEN BEANS

3 c. green beans, cut diagonally in 1/2 slices; 1 c. celery, cut diagonally in 1/4 slices; 2 oz. can sliced mushrooms,

Drained; 3 tbsps. Salad oil; 1 tbsp Cornstarch; 1 tbsp soy sauce; 1 beef bouillon cube

Cook beans in boiling salted water until tender-crisp. Do not overcook. Drain, reserving liquid. Meanwhile, cook celery and mushrooms in oil in skillet until celery is tender-crisp. Blend cornstarch with soy sauce, bean liquid, and bouillon cube. Add to celery mixture along with beans. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and bouillon cube is thoroughly dissolved. Makes 6 servings

 

WALNUT-MOZZARELLA SALAD

1/4 cup red wine vinegar; 2 teaspoons prepared Dijon, mustard; 1/4 cup walnut oil (can be found in specialty stores); 1/2 cup broken walnut pieces; 2 cups sliced fennel stalk or celery; 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped; 2 cups seeded, chopped tomatoes; 1 small onion, sliced in rings; 1 cup shredded or cubed Mozzarella cheese 1/4 cup basil, chopped

In a small bowl, combine vinegar and mustard; set aside. Heat oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add walnuts, sautéing until they begin to brown. Toss in fennel and garlic. Cook, stirring constantly until fennel begins to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat and mix in remaining ingredients. Blend in vinegar mixture and toss gently. Serve immediately on a bed of lettuce for each serving. Serves 4; Recipe from Especially Herbs

 

ORIENTAL CASSEROLE

1/4 cup butter; 2 tbsp water; 1 tsp instant chicken bouillon granules; 4 cups diagonally sliced celery; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 tsp sugar; 2 tbsp flour; 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce; 1/2 cup water; 1 ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese; 2 tbsp bread crumbs

Heat butter, 2 tbsp water and chicken bouillon granules in saucepan. Add celery and cook 10 minutes. Stir in salt, sugar and flour, then tomato sauce and ½ cup water; cook until hot. Alternate layers of celery mixture and cheese in 1 ½ qt. casserole, ending with cheese. Top with crumbs. Bake in moderate oven (350°) 30 to 35 minutes. Makes 6 servings

 

CELERY-FETA SALAD

6 oz feta cheese, crumbled; 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced; 1 small jar pimiento strips; 2 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme or oregano; 2 Tbsp vinaigrette-style salad dressing; Leaves of 1 small head leaf lettuce

Mix the feta with the celery, pimiento and chopped herbs. Sprinkle with the vinaigrette. Place lettuce leaves on four plates; top with feta and celery mixture. Recipe from Farm-Fresh Recipes; Makes 4 servings

 

CUCUMBERS IN SOUR CREAM

1 large cucumber; 1/2 cup thick sour cream; 1-1/2 tbsp cider vinegar; 1 tbsp chopped chives; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/8 tsp. white pepper; hard-cooked egg yolk

Rinse and pare cucumber. Score 1/8 inch deep by drawing tines of a fork lengthwise over entire surface. Cut into thin slices. Combine sour cream, vinegar, chives, salt and pepper. Pour over cucumber slices. Toss lightly to coat evenly. Chill thoroughly. Garnish with finely grated, hard-cooked egg yolk. Makes 4 servings

 

TUSCAN ONION SOUP

1 oz bacon, diced; 1 tbsp olive oil; 2 large, white onions, thinly sliced into rings; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 cups hot chicken or ham bouillon; 2 slices ciabatta or other Italian bread; 1 1/2 tbsp butter; 1/3 cup grated Swiss cheese or Colby cheese; salt and pepper

Cook the pancetta in a dry skillet for 3-4 minutes, or until it begins to brown. Remove the pancetta from the pan and set aside until required. Add the oil to the pan. Cook the onions and garlic over high heat for 4 minutes. Lower the heat, cover the pan, and cook for 15 minutes, or until lightly caramelized. Add the bouillon to the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer, covered, for about 10 minutes. Toast the slices of ciabatta on both sides under a preheated broiler, for about 2-3 minutes, or until golden. Spread the ciabatta with butter and top with the grated cheese. Cut the bread into bite-size pieces. Add the reserved pancetta to the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour into 2 soup bowls and top with the toasted bread.

Serves 2

 

CARAMELIZED ONION QUESADILLAS

4 tablespoons (l/2 stick) butter; 1 large onion, thinly sliced; 1 tablespoon light brown sugar; 1/4 teaspoon white wine vinegar; 4 flour tortillas, 10 inches in diameter; 1l/2 cups grated smoked Gouda cheese; Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion, brown sugar, and vinegar and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the tortillas on a work surface. Sprinkle cheese over half of each tortilla, dividing it evenly. Sprinkle the sautéed onion over the cheese. Season to taste with pepper. Fold the other half of each tortilla over the cheese mixture. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and brush the tortillas with some of it. Brush a heavy, large skillet with some of the remaining melted butter. Place over medium-high heat. Working in batches, cook the quesadillas just until brown spots appear, brushing the skillet with butter between batches, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the quesadillas to a heavy, large baking sheet. Bake for about 5 minutes, until the tortillas are golden and the cheese melts. Transfer the quesadillas to a work surface. Cut each into 6 wedges. Arrange on a platter and serve hot. Serves 4-6;

Recipe from The Big Book of Vegetarian

 

PEACHES ‘N’ CREAM SMOOTHIE

1 1/2 peaches, peeled; 1/2 cup light cream or half-and-half; 2 tablespoons orange juice; 1 teaspoon honey;

4-5 Ice cubes

Blend at low speed for 30 seconds, then at high speed for 10 seconds. Recipe from The Fruit and Vegetable Stand.

 

PEACH UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter; 11/2 cups packed brown sugar; 2 tablespoons thawed apple juice concentrate; 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted; 3 cups sliced peeled peaches (about 2 pounds); 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 11/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour; 11/2 teaspoons baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a l0-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-low heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add 1/2cup of the brown sugar and the apple juice and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar melts, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Sprinkle the sliced almonds over the brown sugar mixture. Arrange the peach slices in a spoke pattern on top of the almonds, working from the center of the skillet to the edge. In a large bowl, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons butter and 1 cup brown sugar. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until creamed, about 4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat well. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture; mix well after each addition. Spoon the batter evenly over the peaches. Bake for about 45 minutes, until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, and then invert onto a serving plate. Serves 8; Recipe from The Big Book of Vegetarian

 

BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

1 c fresh blueberries; 1 3/4 c plus 1 Tbsp flour, divided; 1/2 c sugar;’ 1 tsp baking powder; 1/2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp nutmeg; 3/4 tsp salt; 1 egg; 1 c sour cream; 1/3 c milk

Toss blueberries with 1 Tbsp flour. In separate bowl, combine remaining 1 3/4 c flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and salt; set aside. Beat egg, sour cream and milk; stir into flour mixture until just combined (batter will be lumpy). Stir in blueberries until evenly distributed. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake at 400 degrees about 20 minutes until golden. Makes 1 dozen

 

UPSIDE-DOWN BERRY CORNMEAL CAKE

2 to 2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, raspberries, and/or blackberries; 11/3 cups all-purpose flour; 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal; 1 Tbsp. finely snipped fresh basil; 2 tsp. baking powder; 1/4 tsp. salt; 2 eggs, lightly beaten; 1/2 cup sugar; 2/3 cup milk; 1/3 cup canola oil; Fresh basil and/or mint (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 8-inch round cake pan, line bottom with parchment paper, grease. Arrange 11/2 cups berries in bottom of pan; set aside. In bowl stir together flour, cornmeal, basil, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together eggs, sugar, milk, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir until combined; pour over berries. Spread evenly. 3. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool cake in pan 5 minutes. Run knife around edge of pan to loosen sides. Invert Remove parchment Top with remaining berries, basil, and mint. Makes 10 servings.

 

BLUEBERRY BUCKLE

1/4 cup butter; 1/4 cup honey; 1 egg; dash of salt; 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour; 1 teaspoon soda; 1/3 cup buttermilk or yogurt; 1 pint blueberries (2 cups fresh or frozen); 1/4 cup butter; 2 tablespoons honey; 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F and grease an 8 x 8-inch pan. Cream together butter, honey, egg, and salt. Add flour, soda, and buttermilk or yogurt. Mix well. Spread in prepared pan and cover with berries. Mix butter, honey, flour, and cinnamon into crumbs. Spread over blueberries. Bake in preheated oven for about 40 minutes. Cut into squares.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings; Recipe from Naturally Delicious Desserts and Snacks

 

PEACHES AGRODOLCE

1 cup red-wine vinegar, 3 slightly under-ripe peaches, halved, pitted, and each half sliced into quarters, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup clover honey, Salt and fresh black pepper

Bring the vinegar, water, honey, salt, and pepper to a simmer in a large high-sided sauté pan over medium heat. Add the peaches and cook, stirring once or twice until slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Remove peaches to a plate; continue cooking the liquid until slightly reduced, 5 minutes. Transfer half of the glaze to a small bowl and reserve for the Grilled Pork Tenderloin & Peaches recipe that follows; Serves 4

 

GRILLED PORK TENDERLOIN & PEACHES

Grilled Pork Tenderloin, 3 Tbsp canola oil, 2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped, 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper 1/2lbs. pork tenderloin, fat trimmed, Kosher salt

Reserved peach glaze (from above recipe) rosemary sprigs, for garnish

1. Whisk the oil, rosemary, and pepper in a baking dish. Add the pork; coat. Cover and refrigerate 1 to 8 hours. 2. Heat grill to high. Remove pork from the refrigerator 20 minutes before grilling. Season tenderloin liberally with salt and grill on all sides until golden brown and slightly charred, 2 minutes per side. Brush with peach glaze, cover, and continue grilling 5 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the pork reads 145°F. 3. Remove to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes. Slice into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Place on a platter with the peaches; drizzle with remaining glaze. Garnish with rosemary sprigs.