Week Eight summer Share July 7th 2015

Important Information:

• Please remember to bring your fruit share box as well as produce boxes and egg cartons to distribution.
• Due to the volume of rain last week the sweet cherries split before they could be picked. The grower did have tart cherries and we were able to connect with another grower further west for a variety of sweet cherries; hope that you enjoy…

Farm News from Jane

Beautifully trellised and weeded tomatoes; that’s what is remarkable on the farm this week. Andrew so amazingly and single handed trellised all but two rows of tomatoes by himself last Thursday. He literally worked circles around me three times as I trellised one row. I only felt badly for a short while until I realized that the job was all done! (At least for now!) This is the second time through and we will continue to trellis them as they grow taller. Every year I can never believe just how quickly the tomatoes plants grow. Some of them already have sizeable fruit. We are trailing San Marzano tomatoes this season. They are an heirloom variety that has become very popular in the local food scene. They are a paste tomato noted for their dense flesh and minimal seeds. I’ve always wanted to include paste tomatoes in the share but we never seemed to have enough ripe ones at one time to share. Perhaps this is the year…

With the help of some very hard working and encouraging friends we have almost completed the removal of one of the collapsed high tunnels and also have begun to prepare the soil for a new crop. How wonderful it is when someone else comes alongside you and gives you the much needed assistance and encouragement to “get the job done”! Thank you!

This week’s new item is celery. Please add the leaves to your salad for a delicious taste treat. One of the restaurants we partner with serves an herb salad and I thought what a most delicious and nutritious combination of flavors and textures.

The cucumbers are beginning to blossom so they will appear in shares soon. The cucumbers like the summer squash were set back by the late freezing temperatures in May and so not only are they later they will be prolific as well! And the green beans are getting size and will be ready to pick next week; soo tender and tasty! I’ll probably snitch a few of the bigger ones this week. That’s one of the luxuries of farm life! We hope that everyone enjoyed some relaxing social time over the weekend; we all had some fun after the work was done. I especially enjoyed the little ones at the parade and in their great grandparent’s pool! Until next week, enjoy your peas and cherries, Jane

 

Produce:   Celery   Zucchini   Yellow squash   Shelling peas   Purple bunching onions   Head lettuce

 

Fruit Share:      Sweet cherries      Tart cherries

 

Produce tips:

– Celery should be bagged in plastic before refrigerating to keep crisp. It is much more flavorful than out of state celery so please do save the leaves for soups or salads or freeze for winter use.

– Shelling peas do not have edible pods. To “string” them pull the stem end down back towards the pod to unzip.

–  If you are overwhelmed with head lettuce try the wilted lettuce recipe; the greens disappear quickly with that recipe!!!

 

Recipes

Sour Cherry Corn Cakes

2 cups fresh or canned pitted sour cherries, drained; 1/4 cup sugar; 2 tablespoon Chambord liqueur; 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest; 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix; 1 large egg; 3/4 cup milk; 2 tablespoons melted butter, plus additional butter for cooking the cakes

Combine the cherries, sugar, Chambord, and lemon zest. Let sit for about an hour or longer. Combine the muffin mix, egg, milk, and melted butter. The batter will be thick. In a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium heat, heat about 1 tablespoon butter until the butter is bubbling. Drop about 4 cup of the batter into the skillet for each corn cake. Spoon the cherries onto the wet side of the corn cakes. The corn batter is a little thicker than pancake batter and will not bubble through as much when it is ready to be flipped. Lift up an edge and peek underneath; when it is golden brown, flip it over. Make sure the batter is cooked all the way through, particularly around the cherries. The fruit will burn easily, so you may have to flip the cakes back and forth until they are done. Serves 2; Recipe from The Café Pongo Cookbook.

 

Cherry Cobbler

3 c pitted sour cherries; 1/2 c sugar; 1 Tbsp cooking tapioca; 1 Tbsp butter, melted;

For topping: 1 c flour; 1 c sugar; 1/2 tsp salt; 1 egg; 4 Tbsp butter, softened

In bowl, combine cherries, sugar, tapioca and butter. Stir until well-blended. Spoon into buttered 71/2- by 11 3/4-inch baking dish. Prepare topping: Stir together flour, sugar, salt, egg and butter until crumbly. If desired, use pastry blender to blend in butter. Distribute over top of fruit. Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes, or until fruit is tender and topping is lightly browned. Makes 8-10 servings; recipe from Farm-Fresh Recipes.

 

Cherry Soup

1 lb pitted sour cherries; 2 c water; 1 c dry red wine; 1/4 c sugar; 1/2 tsp grated orange rind; 1 tsp arrowroot

Place cherries in non-reactive pan and cover with water and wine. Cook over medium heat until cherries are soft, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in sugar and rind until sugar is dissolved. Puree cherries and return to pan. Mix arrowroot with 1/4 c cooled syrup. Stir into mixture and cook until slightly thickened. Serve hot or cold as first or last course. Makes 4 cups Recipe from Farm-Fresh Recipes.

 

Cherry-Almond Loaf Cake

1 cup blanched almonds; 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt; 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature; 3/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar 3 eggs, at room temperature; 1/4 teaspoon almond extract; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 1/2 cups pitted cherries; confectioners’ sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter and flour a 5×8-inch loaf pan. Coarsely chop the almonds in a food processor. Remove 1.4 cup and set it aside. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt to the remaining almonds and process until the mixture is smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Cream the butter with the 3/4 cup sugar in the food processor, then add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one fully as you go. Add the flavorings, then half the flour-almond mixture. Pulse several times to incorporate. Add the remainder and pulse until smooth. Scrape into the prepared pan and cover with the cherries. Mix the reserved almonds with the teaspoon of sugar and sprinkle over the top of the cake. Bake the cake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a tester comes out clean. Let cool in the pan, then turn it out and transfer to a cake plate. Dust with confectioners’ sugar just before serving. Serves 8; Recipes from Local Flavors.

 

Braised Celery Hearts

1 bunch celery; 1 cup chicken stock; 1 tbsp whole wheat flour; 1 tbsp water; salt to taste;  1/8 tsp pepper; 2 tbsp dry whole grain bread crumbs; 1 tbsp unhulled sesame seeds

Remove some of the tops and leaves. Cut remaining hearts in half lengthwise. Put into a skillet, add the stock, cover tightly and cook until celery is tender (approximately 20 minutes). Preheat oven to 350°F. Take out the celery and place in a buttered shallow baking dish. Make paste of flour and water and stir into the juices in the skillet. Add salt and pepper and cook until sauce is slightly thick. Pour sauce over celery in the casserole, top with crumbs and sesame seeds and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Yield: 4 servings

 

Sweet-Sour Celery

3 c. sliced celery; 1 egg, beaten; 2 tbsps. Flour; 2 T.; sugar; 3/4 tsp. salt; 1/8 tsp. pepper; 2 T. vinegar; 1 c. water;

1/4 c. dairy sour cream

Cook celery in boiling salted water until tender; drain. Meanwhile, blend together egg, flour, sugar, salt and pepper in saucepan. Blend in vinegar and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and add sour cream. Add to drained celery. Makes 6 servings; recipe from America’s Best Vegetable Recipes.

 

Celery and Water chestnut Casserole

2 chicken bouillon cubes; 1 3/4 c. boiling water; 1 bunch celery, bias cut in 3/4″ pieces; 1/2 tsp. salt; Dash pepper; 1/2 tsp. crushed basil leaves; 2 tbsps. cornstarch; 2 tbsps. cold water; 2 (5 oz.) cans water chestnuts, drained and sliced; 1/2 c. sliced almonds; 1/3 c. fine dry bread crumbs; 2 tbsps. melted butter or margarine

Dissolve bouillon cubes in boiling water. Combine celery with bouillon and seasonings, cover and cook until celery is tender-crisp, about 10 minutes. Blend cornstarch with cold water; gradually stir into celery mixture. Cook and stir until thickened. Add water chestnuts and almonds. Turn into 2-qt. casserole. Toss crumbs with melted butter; sprinkle over top of celery. Bake, uncovered, in moderate oven (350°) about 25 minutes. Makes 5 to 6 servings.

Recipe from America’s Best Vegetable Recipes.

 

Layered Salad

Layered salad is pretty self-explanatory; the idea of layering whatever veggies over greens and topping with cheese or even julienne strips of meat garnish with olives or hard boiled eggs. So be creative and if you’re also entertaining start with a glass bowl. Start with your greens then layer with shelled raw peas, zucchini, and celery if it’s on hand, and green onions. Add a layer of Swiss cheese or meat julienned or finely chopped. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of sugar. Mix together 1/4 cup mayo, 1/4 cup sour cream and 1 T. of horseradish if desired until well blended. Spread evenly over the top. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of Romano cheese. Cover and chill overnight. Serve with the following Vinaigrette dressing if desired. 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil 3 T. wine vinegar, 1/2 tsp. salt. Pepper to taste (freshly ground is always a nice touch), and 1/2 tsp. of dry mustard. Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend well. Serve over layered salad. Garnish with black olives and sieved hard-boiled eggs. You may always substitute yogurt for some of the mayo or sour cream if you’re watching your fat intake.

 

French Peas

3 Tbsp olive oil; 1/4 c finely chopped romaine lettuce; 1 1/2 lbs shelled fresh peas; 1/4 c minced shallots or white part of green onion; 1 large sprig parsley; 2 tsp sugar; 1 tsp salt; 1/8 tsp white pepper

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add lettuce, peas, shallots, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, 10-15 minutes, or until peas are just tender. Stir occasionally- Remove parsley sprig before serving. Makes 6 servings

 

Garden Peas

4 lettuce leaves, shredded; 1 cup shelled fresh peas; 1/6 cup sliced green onions; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/8 cup heavy cream; 1/2 teaspoon cream-style horseradish; 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley; 1 tablespoon real butter, melted

Place moist lettuce leaves in bottom of l0-inch skillet or heavy saucepan. Sprinkle peas over lettuce and top with green onions, sugar, sprinkle of salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer 10 to 12 minutes or until peas are tender. Raise heat and reduce any moisture from pan, being careful not to scorch peas. Remove lettuce if desired. Whip cream; add horseradish and parsley. Fold in butter and mix with peas. Serve immediately. Serves 3

 

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. Serves 4

 

Shaved Summer Squash Salad

Roast 3 T. whole almonds and coarsely crush. Meanwhile, trim the ends off 1 lb. summer squash (a mix of green and yellow). Using a vegetable peeler, thinly slice the squash lengthwise into strips and transfer to a large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 ½ ^T. extra-virgin olive oil, 2T. fresh lemon juice, 1 minced garlic clove, and kosher salt to taste. Pour dressing over squash. Let stand a few minutes, then add a few handfuls of baby arugula. Shave a little Pecorino over the squash and toss. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with crushed almonds. Serves 4. Recipe from Bon appétit magazine.

 

Wilted Lettuce Salad

Makes 3 servings

3 slices bacon; 1 1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar; 1/2 T lemon juice; 1 Tbsp water; 1 tsp sugar; 1/4 tsp ground black pepper; 4 c leaf lettuce – washed, dried and torn into bite-sized pieces; 3 green onions, thinly sliced; 1 hard-cooked egg (optional)

Cook bacon over medium high heat until evenly brown. Remove from skillet, crumble and set aside. Reserve drippings. Combine lettuce and green onions in large bowl. To the hot bacon drippings, add vinegar, lemon juice, water, sugar and pepper. Stir over medium heat until hot and sugar is dissolved.  Add warm dressing and toss to evenly coat. Sprinkle with bacon. If desired, garnish with egg. Serve immediately.