Recipes

Big Woods Fresh Tomato Salsa
Gazpacho (cold tomato soup)
Grilled Vegetables

Farm Report

The garden continues to catch up, a good thing since the temp hit a low of 40ºF here last night.   Tomatoes and melons play a large role in today’s share, with peppers and eggplant still mostly waiting in the wings.  We have a great crop of melons right now, and the tomatoes are really coming in .  At the moment we have a mix of  cherry, slicers and canning types.  Canning, aka cooking or processing, tomatoes have a lower water content (less juice down your chin) and so are great for fresh sauce/salsa.  We are also preparing fall crops:  hundreds of lettuce seedlings have been transplanted, turnips and other greens are growing under row cover (a thin blanket, to keep of flea beetles and keep temperatures up), the next crop of carrots is looking good, and fall spinach is germinating.  These fall crops like cool weather, and aren’t as bothered by the pesky frosts of the later fall.

U-pick tomatoes:

Canning tomatoes are available for u-pick this Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  There is enough for a couple households to pick a 1/2 bushel basket (a little less than the size of the brown box your share has been coming in) each of these days.  We would like to be here when you come, to show you to the tomatoes, so let us know when you would like to arrive and we’ll plan accordingly.  They are a bit of a jungle, so you may want long sleeves and pants.

David’s mom and dad are visiting from Gainesville, Florida.  While here, they enjoy cooking with the fresh produce from the garden,  and we enjoy the results.   We have had fresh tomato sauce, fennel au gratin, squash blossoms simply fried, made into soup and stuffed with ricotta cheese.   Would you like to try squash blossoms?  If we hear “yes!”  from a few of you, we’ll include them in next week’s share.  Squash plants produce both male and female flowers: the female flowers have a little round swelling at the base that, if pollinated by our honey bees or wild bees, develop into fruit – the squash.  The male flowers are the ones we pick and eat.

Hoophouse raising party postponed till further notice

Our hoophouse will not arrive until next week, so we will have to postpone the hoophouse raising party until the hoophouse parts arrive.  He have high hopes for the hoophouse once it arrives – we will be growing tomatoes in it next year (most of the nicer tomatoes in your last few produce shares are from our smaller hoophouse).  And it should help us weather inclement weather in the spring and fall.

Harvest Festival on Saturday, September 24

Come to take a wagon ride out to the winter squash field, help harvest the winter squash, pick a jack-o-lantern, and then partake of one of the best potlucks around!  More details will follow closer to the date, but put it on your calendar now!  The rain date will be Sunday, Sept. 25.

See full newsletter for more deta

General Vegetable-grilling Tips:
* Most vegetables should be liberally brushed with oil (ideally olive oil) or any oil-based marinade before grilling to help lock in the juices. The oil can cause a flash flare-up – just put the lid on tightly or sprinkle on water to extinguish it.
* Charcoal users should build a two-zone fire. Pile the coals so that there is a cooler edge on one side of the grill.
* Grill on high heat. If you need to move a vegetable to lower heat, move it to the side of the grill or turn one gas burner down.
* Cook peppers, beets, garlic, and onions. They don’t need to be watched too closely or turned frequently. Grill the zucchini and eggplant together since the need to be check every minute or so.
* Don’t undercook vegetables. The great flavor of vegetables comes from their juices caramelizing at high heat.

Zucchini and Summer Squash:
To prepare: Trim off both ends. Make either lengthwise slices or cut on diagonal to make oval-shaped pieces – all slices should be about 1/4 to 3/8 inch thick. Brush both sides of each piece with olive oil and season with salt just before grilling.
To grill: Place squash pieces on the grill at a 45-degree angel to the grates and grill, covered, until well-browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Move slices around as necessary so that they brown evenly – don’t undercook them.

Eggplant:
To prepare: All eggplant can be grilled, though oriental varieties (long and skinny) are particularly well-suited. Cut stem end off eggplants. For oriental varieties, slice in half. For other round varieties, cut crosswise into rounds about 3/8 inch thick. You can also use a vegetable peeler to peel lengthwise strips off the round eggplants (they’ll look striped) to eliminate some of the tough skin.
To grill: Put eggplant pieces on the grill and cover. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, until well-browned and limp. Check occasionally and move if necessary so that all pieces are browned evenly. Move the slices from the heat and stack them to finish cooking – either on a cooler upper deck in your grill or wrap with foil off the grill. Let sit 15-20 minutes (thicker eggplant pieces will often still be raw in the middle without this last step of letting the residual heat steam the flesh).

Onions:
To prepare: Trim off both ends, peel off outer skin, and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices. Thread slices on metal skewers or soaked wooden skewers. Brush liberally with olive oil and season with salt.
To grill: Put onion skewers on grates and cook until slices are well-browned on both sides, about 15 minutes total. Move the slices from the heat and stack them to finish cooking – either on a cooler upper deck in your grill or wrap with foil off the grill. Leave them sit for about 10 minutes to finish cooking.

Tomatoes:
To prepare: Make sure to use “plum” or “processing” tomatoes. These tomatoes have a lower water content and are best for grilling (as well as sauce and salsa). Cut each tomato in half and gently remove the seeds with your fingers. Rub lightly with olive oil and salt cut sides.
To grill: Grill on medium heat with cut sides down for 7-9 minutes. Then carefully turn over and move them to the lowest heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes more, until most of the moisture is gone. With a spatula, press them gently to flatten and help release moisture. You can let them cook as long as possible – the longer the better.

Sweet Peppers:
To prepare: Red peppers are best, but can also use Italian frying peppers (long, pointy pungent peppers). Red peppers should be left whole and dry. For frying peppers, cut in half and remove seeds and thin dividers (membranes).
To blacken red peppers: Put the peppers on the grated, cover, and cook until the skins are blackened on all sides. Turn peppers several times to make sure all sides of pepper are charred and black, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from grill and put all peppers into a single brown paper bag (such as a grocery bag) to cool completely. When cool, peel off blackened skin under running water. Then remove stems and seeds, reserving the flesh and juices. (Note that this method also works for Anaheim hot peppers)
To grill green peppers: Put oiled pieces on grill and cover. Cook until browned and tender.

Garlic:
To prepare: Clean off all dirt (remove a layer of skin if necessary) and cut off tip. Brush liberally with oil.
To grill: Grill on high heat for 10-15 minutes. When done, the cloves should be very soft – the inner flesh should squeeze out when head is compressed. If not soft, return to grill until done. We love to eat the garlic spread on small pieces of toast or crackers.

Beets:
To prepare: Clean off all dirt, and cut of the leaves, leaving 1/4″ of leaf stems. Do not peel the beet. Brush liberally with oil.
To grill: Grill on high heat for 10-15 minutes. When done, the beet should be tender – you should be able to easily spear with a fork or knife. When done, the skins become loose – when eating you can slide off the skins, and slice if you like.

2 cups dried black beans, or 2 15 ounce cans of black beans
4 tomatillos
olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 jalapeno pepper
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion

1. Soak beans overnight (if using uncooked beans).  When you are ready to prepare the soup, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Peel the husk from the tomatillos, cut them into fourths, and then toss lightly with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place the quartered tomatillos into an oven-proof dish that is heavy-bottomed and is just big enough to hold them in a single layer.  Roast them in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes, until they are soft.

3. Saute the onions, thinly sliced, and garlic and jalapeno in in a soup pot with the olive oil, salt, and pepper until they are translucent.  If you are cooking raw beans, add the drained beans, 3 quarts of water, and simmer beans until they are very tender (2-3 hours). Otherwise, add canned beans to the onions and garlic, and heat on stove.

4. Pass the soup through a food mill or purée in batches in a blender or food processor until smooth. Alternatively (this is our favorite method), use a hand held blender to purée the soup in the pot. Add more water, if needed, to make a good soup consistency.

5. When the tomatillos are roasted, puree them in a blender or food processor until smooth. Reheat soup and serve garnished with chopped cilantro leaves.

Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Cover and set aside for several hours to allow flavors to blend.  Before serving, drain off excess liquid.

Makes 2-3 cups

1 large cucumber (peeled and seeded if very mature)
1 medium sweet onion
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
1 hot pepper, such as jalapeño, with seeds removed
6 large ripe tomatoes
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 tsp salt

Blend together all ingredients for 2 or 3 minutes, making sure that the garlic and pepper, especially, are well blended.  Chill in refrigerator.  Serve over several ice cubes (optional) in a bowl and garnish with crisp, seasoned croutons (also optional).

Serves 6