BGF News 8/13/2013

Volume XXI, Number 11  –  August 13, 2013

In this week’s box:

Cherry Tomatoes (Golden Rave & Juliet)

Cucumbers: Suyo Long (Asian-style, long & bumpy) or Diva (English-style, torpedo-shaped, smooth)

Edamame: Butterbean

Eggplant: Orient Express (long, thin, dark purple), Listada (purple/white striped), Ping Tung(neon                       purple) or Rosa Bianca (rounded, purple fading to white)

Garlic: hardneck

Hot Peppers: Wenk's Yellow Hots (lt yellow to bright orange) and/pr Georgia Flame (dark red)

Par-cel

Purslane

Sweet Peppers: Ace (green to red), Golden Marconi (long, pointed, green to yellow), Islander (purple to orange)

Tomatoes: asst varieties, see descriptions in the 7/30 newsletter

and one of the following:

            Beans: mix or Maxibel (green, filet-type)

            Broccoli florets

            Melon: Cream of Saskatchewan (lt green with dark green stripes) or Athena (tan cantaloupe)

            Okra: Burgundy           

            Summer Squash: Sebring (yellow zucchini),Yellow (bumpy, pear-shaped) or 8-Ball (small, round,          green)

For those with the Cheese option: Cheesemaker's Choice

For those with the Egg option [full & half]: one dozen free-range eggs (assorted colors)

For those with the Herb option: Basil: Sweet, peppermint, sorrel (excellent added to any salsa recipe!)

 Featured Recipe(s) (see below): Mezair (Cutting Board Salsa)

Pico de Gallo                                                         

Quick Tomato Salsa

Roasted Tomato Salsa

Larissa's Watermelon Salsa

Mediterranean Salsa

Finger Lickin’ Edamame with Asian Sauce 

Precipitation in the past week: 0.00”  (nada, none, zip, zilch, the big zero!)

What’s up on the farm?

As if a magic switch in the garden was flipped, the tomatoes have all decided to start ripening, so in light of that happy development… Welcome to the annual Salsa Box! This week we are going all out to set you up with all the salsa ingredients that we have on the farm, though you might have to include the onions from last week's delivery as we hate to give you onions two weeks in a row. We're also including our favorite salsa recipes, except for the BGF Fresh Garden Salsa recipe that we sent out in the 7/30 newsletter, just seems silly to give it again! Now, these truly are some of our favorites, but just in case you haven't heard, Jill HATES cilantro (devil weed) and refuses to grow it or even have it in the house. The important thing to take away from this bit of information is that we always substitute parsley or par-cel in any recipe that calls for the nasty stuff. Feel free to do the same, or follow the recipes as written. And we are aware that edamame isn't much of a salsa ingredient, but it was ready and won't wait, so we are including it this week, enjoy!

This past week had one big theme: DRY! We seem to miss out on every rain chance in the past several weeks. So we have been running the irrigation lines on a nearly non-stop rotation. It's hard to remember that we had too much moisture earlier in the season! We have been doing a few other things as well including harvesting onions, shallots and about half of the remaining potatoes and setting them all up to cure. Cleared beds have been composted and re-planted for fall crops or set aside for use next season. Newly sown or transplanted crops include head lettuce, carrots, kale, beets, spinach, kohlrabi, mustard, arugula, choi, tatsoi, mizuna, mache and salad mix.

A little detail on your produce this week:

Par-Cel: a relative of parsley and celery sometimes called cutting celery. It has flavors reminiscent of both, but its quite a bit stronger, so start with a small amount and add to taste. Store in a glass of water in the fridge, lightly covered with a plastic bag.

Edamame (vegetable or green soy beans): Store beans on or off the branches in a bag in the crisper drawer and use within 1 week.  To use, separate beans from branches and cook in salted, boiling water in the pods or shelled, depending on how you plan to use them.

Not really new this week, but know that the garlic is now fully cured, so store as you would onions and enjoy for many weeks to come.

Is a weekly newsletter not enough for you and you want to read more about our daily adventures or see pictures of the farm?  Follow us at our blog at http://beyondthebluegate.blogspot.com/ and on Facebook (just search Blue Gate Farm) and “Like” us.

That’s about it this week, if you have any questions or comments be sure to let us know. 

Best from the farm,

Jill & Sean (and Blue & Luci)

Mezair

(Cutting Board Salsa, from Kurdistan)

1 lg clove garlic

2 to 3 jalapeños, seeded (or other hot peppers)

½ c. lightly packed, chopped flat-leaf parlsey

3 to 4 tbs chopped fresh mint

1 pound ripe tomatoes

¼ tsp salt

juice of 1 lemon

On a large cutting board, mince the garlic and the peppers. Add the parsley and mint and chop. Slice and then chop the tomatoes, adding them to the other ingredients. Mix as you continue to chop by turning the salsa with the flat of your knife or cleaver. Mix in the salt. Transfer the salsa to a small serving bowl and blend in the lemon juice, The salsa will be quite runny.

Makes approximately 2 cups salsa.

Recipe source: Flatbreads and Flavors by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid

Pico de Gallo

1 Suyo Long cucumbers or whatever is available (use 4 if small)
3-4 hot peppers your choice( I've using the mix from the CSA )
1 medium onion or a large bunch of green onions (whatever is available)
4-6 cloves garlic (or more depending on how much you love garlic)
2-4 tomatoes any variety
big bunch of cilantro

 All of these should be finely chopped. A food processor works great if you have one and it's quick!

Add:

Juice of 1 large fresh lime
Cumin
Coriander
cayenne
All of this I just toss in maybe around 2-3 tsp??
Salt to taste

This is a great way to use up a lot of fresh stuff that can turn quickly, it makes about two quart jars and is great with everything and lasts awhile in the fridge!

Recipe Source: CSA member Kim H.

Quick Tomato Salsa

2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped

The kernels from 1 ear fresh raw corn

2 tbsp red onion, finely chopped

¼ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp salt

1 tbsp lime juice

1. To cut the corn from the cob, stand the corn on end in a large mixing bowl or plate and insert a sharp knife just at the bottom of the kernels. Slowly cut all the way to the other end of the corn.
2. Put the corn in a medium mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well
3. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate a couple of hours to allow flavors to blend.

Recipe Source: thehealthyfoodie.net

Roasted Tomato Salsa

(makes 2 cups)

Ingredients:
1 pound tomatoes (cut in half)
3 jalapenos
1 poblano chili
1/4 cup onion (diced)
1 clove garlic (chopped)
1 lime (juice)
1 handful cilantro (chopped)
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Roast the tomatoes in a preheated 350F oven for an hour.
2. Let the tomatoes cool and dice them.
3. Broil the chilies until blackened on all sides.
4. Let the chilies cool in a sealed container, peel the skins from them, seed them and dice them.
5. Mix everything and let sit for 20 minutes to bring out the flavours.

Recipe Source: www.closetcooking.com

Larissa's Watermelon Salsa

3c watermelon, seeded & diced

1/2 c. sweet pepper, seeded & diced

2 TBS lime juice

1 TBS cilantro, chopped

1 TBS green onion, chopped

1-2 TBS hot pepper, seeded & diced

1/2 tsp garlic, finely minced

salt, to taste

Combine all ingredients & refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Recipe Source: BGF friend, Larissa C.

Mediterranean Salsa

1          medium eggplant (about 1-1/2 pounds)

1/4       cup finely chopped onion

1          clove garlic, minced

2          tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

2          medium tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped

            Grated peel of 1 Sunkist lemon

            Juice of 1/2 Sunkist lemon

1          teaspoon Worchestershire sauce

1/4       teaspoon salt or to taste

            Freshly ground black pepper to taste

            Several drops Tabasco pepper sauce, or to taste

Place the whole unpeeled eggplant on a baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 to 50 minutes (eggplant will soften and collapse).

As eggplant bakes, in a small skillet, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until tender. Set aside.

When eggplant is finished baking, cool slightly to handle. Slice off stem end. Cut in half lengthwise and peel (the skin slips off easily); remove and discard all clumps of seeds. Chop remaining pulp finely.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggplant with remaining ingredients. Cover and chill before spooning into a medium serving bowl. Serve as a spread on toast or crackers. Garnish with lemon cartwheel slices and parsley sprigs, if desired.

Note:
For smoky flavor, grill whole eggplant in a covered grill over medium-high heat until completely softened, turning 2-3 times.

Recipe Source: unknown

Finger Lickin’ Edamame with Asian Sauce 

1 lb edamame (soybeans) in the shell                          2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbs soy sauce                                                             1 tsp honey (or brown sugar)

1 tbs each sesame oil, canola oil & rice vinegar          2 tbs sesame seeds

Boil edamame in salted water 5 – 8 minutes. Combine other ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve honey or sugar.  Toss with hot edamame. Serve immediately, letting diners pop beans out of the pod. The glaze was inspired by a recipe in The Roasted Vegetable, by Andrea Chesman. The recipe works with shelled edamame, too.

Recipe Source: Angela Tedesco, Turtle Farm