Summer Recipes…
Around the Farm:
Yesterday was a perfect day to hitch the
tractor to the discs and continue preparing the soil for fall transplants. Lettuce and scallions are already planted in
the garden. The kale, collards, and
Swiss chard plants will have a place in the garden in just a couple of days. And there are so many seeds to sow including
radishes, turnips, beets, carrots, and arugula.
The tomatoes are glowing with beautiful shades
of crimson, scarlet, deep rose, burgundy, and gold. They are finally ripening- a full month
late! They really are solar
powered. Did you know that tomatoes are
close to impossible to grow in the Pacific Northwest because it is too cloudy
and cool?
 |
| Lush countryside |
The other day William rode his bike up to the
Broughton Hospital Reservoir, which is along the Salem side of the South Mountains,
and is now a part of the South Mountains State Park. When he returned, he had realized something
that both of us knew, but hadn’t thought or talked about very much…The grass is
still so rich and lush in August. The
trees, hillsides, and pastures are all so verdant. Typically our grass starts to grow slowly and
the countryside has more golden and brown colors in it starting in mid June. There is still even a covering of clover all
across the pastures.
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| Hannah in the cucumber patch |
Farm Fresh Harvest
Tomatoes- The tomatoes have full ripe flavors since we grow them
under the hoophouse, which keeps the rain from watering the flavor down.
Basil- Store your basil in a little glass of
water on the kitchen counter. Basil does
not like to be refrigerated. What a
welcome fresh, aromatic bunch of basil.
We won’t have very much basil this year unless the weather dries out a
bit. Make sure to rinse it well before
using- the rains are splashing sand on the leaves. Chop it up and sprinkle it over your summer
dishes that include peppers, squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumbers. The flavor is so fresh and aromatic.
Bush Beans- The same
plants are still producing! These tender bean are tender and juicy. You can eat them raw too since they’re so
sweet. We sauté them in olive oil with
some garlic and onion for about 10 minutes.
Then I add a splash of lemon juice and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.
Bell peppers- Crunchy!
Summer squash and Zucchini- We’ve got a beautiful harvest this week. The green and yellow squashes are called
Zephyr and they have a nutty flavor that is somewhere between squash and
zucchini. Zephyr is well known for its
unusual appearance and its great taste.
Cucumbers- Cucumbers come in all shapes and sizes. We grow little mini cucumbers, large crisp
American slicers, and delicate slender European cucumbers.
Heirloom garlic
Eggplant- Our long,
slender Asian eggplants are very tender and never bitter. They cook very quickly.
>>>Check out this photo story about building our tomato hoophouse.<<<
>>>Check out this photo story about building our tomato hoophouse.<<<
Recipes
Sweet Basil, Tomato, and Summer Peach Salsa
1.
Mix equal parts chopped slicing tomatoes and
chopped fresh peaches in non-reactive bowl. (no metal bowls, they can make it
taste funny)
2.
Finely chop approximately 4 big leaves of
basil or 8 small leaves of basil for every peach that you use.
3. Measure out
approximately ½ teaspoon lime juice for every peach that you use.
4. Sprinkle basil and lime juice over tomatoes and
peaches. Add salt to taste. Let salsa
rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Keeps about 2 days in the fridge.
Greek
Style Green Beans
This recipe is a new favorite here at the
farm. The dish does take a while to
cook, but requires hardly any attention.
Try this eggplant recipe! At the very
least, let it inspire you to find another recipe with eggplant.
Baked
Eggplant with Sweet Peppers and Rice
Hearty and comforting, baked eggplants in a casserole are a pleasing late
summer dish.
1 eggplant
(about 1 or 1.25 pounds, you can use 3-5 long, slender Asian eggplants)
2
tablespoons butter
1 onion,
chopped fine
1 large
sweet red pepper or 4 small ones, diced
1 cup cooked
rice
2 Roma
tomatoes, chopped
Oregano, 1 tablespoon dried or 2 tablespoons
fresh, crumbled or chopped
1 bunch
parsley, chopped fine
12 basil
leaves, chopped
Salt
Freshly
ground pepper
1 egg, well
beaten
Preheat the
oven to 375 F. Cube the eggplant and
steam for 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile saute
the onion and red peppers in the butter until soft. Gently mix the eggplant, onion, red pepper,
rice, and tomatoes, herbs, and egg together. Add salt and pepper to
preference. Spoon into a buttered baking
dish and bake for 35-40 minutes. Add
grated Parmesan if you’d like.
We like to serve
spiced lentils with this dish to provide protein for a balanced meal without
meat.
Grilled Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad (from From Asparagus to Zucchini: A guide to
Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce)
This great pasta salad recipe can be made with a variety of
summer vegetables. It is easy to mix and
match ingredients based on seasonal availability.
1 zucchini
1 yellow
squash
1 eggplant
4 tomatoes
4 portobello
mushrooms
1 red bell
pepper
Olive oil
spray
2 cloves
garlic, minced
Salt and
pepper to taste
1 pound
penne, cooked, rinsed, and cooled
4 oz.
mozzarella, sliced
3
tablespoons toasted pine nuts
3
tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Approximately
1 cup vinaigrette made with balsamic vinegar
Heat/prepare
an outdoor grill. Slice zucchini,
squash, and eggplant into long ½ inch thick “planks.” Cut tomatoes in half. Remove stems from mushrooms. Cut pepper into quarters; discard core and
seeds. Spray veggies with light coating
of oil. Sprinkle with minced garlic;
season with salt and pepper. Grill until
lightly charred and barely tender. Chop
and place in large bowl with pasta, cheese, nuts, and basil. Toss with vinaigrette. Season with salt and pepper. 6-8 servings.
Late Summer
Bruschetta
(from From
Asparagus to Zucchini: A guide to Cooking Farm-Fresh Seasonal Produce)
2-3 large
tomatoes
1 crunchy
sweet pepper
1 medium
sweet onion
2-3 cloves
garlic, minced
Olive oil
Small
handful fresh basil, chopped (optional)
Crusty bread
(like baguette)
Shredded
mozzarella or grated parmesan (optional)
Chop the
vegetables into a midsize dice. Combine
with garlic 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, and optional basil. Slice baguette down the middle and lay the
two sides cut side up. Brush with
additional 1-2 tablespoons oil and sprinkle on cheese, if using. Broil bread for several minutes until bread
or cheese browns a bit. Top the sections
(you may cut them smaller, if desired) with some of the vegetable mixture. Makes 4 servings
Mediterranean
Salsa
Fresh flavor! This is a great salsa, salad or pita
stuffing.
1 medium cucumber, diced
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
1 jalapeno pepper, finely diced, remove as much of the
spicy ribs and seeds as needed
1 bell pepper, diced
1 bunch parsley, finely diced
2/3 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 cloves garlic, pressed
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup pitted kalamata olives
Juice from 1-2 fresh lemons
Combine all ingredients and toss well. Let marinate at room temperature for at least
15 minutes.
How about some green
bean recipe ideas? Martha Stewart provides inspiration again…
Healthy
Green Bean Recipes
Three
Bean Salad with Honey Mustard Vinaigrette
If you don’t have watercress or mache on hand (and you won’t, because
mache doesn’t grow here when green beans grow), you can use arugula, lettuce,
or any other salad green,
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