Hi everyone! We are down to the last 2 deliveries in our summer CSA program! Where has summer gone?! The last delivery will be September 16. The fall CSA program will begin on Sep 23 for those who are signing on for that (slots still available) and the fall share runs Sep 23 - Nov 25.
Your share will be delivered to your home on Friday afternoon between 12-2 pm unless you scheduled otherwise.
Your share this week:
-Cilantro - New crop! Are you ready for the best fresh salsa of your life? Now that it's cool enough for the cilantro to grow well again, you can include it in your fresh salsa. You can also use cilantro in this week's 3 bean salad recipe. Recipes below. Refrigerate.
-Basil - Maybe. If the plants have recovered enough from the last picking, I'll include it in your shares this week. Have you ever made a toasted tomato basil sandwich? So good & easy! Simply take 2 slices of bread, Italian cheese of your choice (mozzarella, provolone, etc), tomatoes, and basil. Stack all on a sandwich and then toast it (I make a bunch at once on a baking sheet and toast by coating slices lightly with extra virgin olive oil, then placing in 400 degree oven for about 10 minutes). Refrigerate basil.
-Hot Peppers - Can be used in your fresh salsa. Don't forget, if it's too hot, you can cut the pepper in half and scoop out the seeds & white membranes (use gloves if you're sensitive to the heat). This is where most of the heat is located in a hot pepper. You'll get a mix this week of jalapeno, chile, banana or carrot pepper, and some larger ones like poblano and paprika. Refrigerate.
-Sweet Peppers - The peppers are peaking now, just beautiful! Can be used in your fresh salsa recipe, 3 bean salad recipe, this week's soup recipe, your favorite recipe, or you can even chop and freeze them for winter. Refrigerate.
-Tomatoes - Ripe red tomatoes as well as heirlooms of various colors. There will be at least one "Stuffer Tomato" in each of your shares. This looks like a bell pepper, but don't be fooled, it's really a hollow tomato! Stuffer tomatoes are such fun to cook with. Simply cut off the very top and scoop the seed cavity out with your fingers (careful not to rip). The hollow cavity can now be stuffed - try chicken or tuna salad in a raw stuffer, or bake them in muffin tins or on a cookie sheet stuffed with Italian or Mexican ingredients (would be good stuffed with this week's ratatoullie recipe, topped with cheese, and baked for 30 minutes). Tomatoes should not be refrigerated. Keep on counter.
-Arugula - Great on top of a lettuce salad or on a sandwich. Refrigerate.
-Cherry & Pear Tomatoes - Maybe. I hope to be able to harvest the cherry tomatoes this week. However, they're nearing the end of their season. Hopefully you'll get some, but if not I'll include extra Roma tomatoes. No refrigeration.
-Yellow Wax beans AND Italian Flat green beans - You'll get both beans this week as they are peaking & so perfect right now. How about a 3 bean salad? A current shareholder made this recently & as I love this salad too I'll include a recipe below. Also this week is a soup recipe that uses the beans. Most recipes call for canned green beans, you can just substitute your fresh cooked ones instead. If you want to freeze fresh beans for winter, it's easy to do. Simply snap the ends off, blanch the beans for about 3 minutes (blanching just means you cook them in boiling water, then get them out quickly & cool either in ice water or under cold running water), then freeze them in a freezer bag. Refrigerate fresh beans.
-Radishes - refrigerate.
-Squash - I won't overwhelm you with squash, but I'll include enough for you so you can use it in the fresh salsa, this week's soup, or other recipe of your choice. You could even chop it and include it in the 3 bean salad recipe!
-Lettuce Mix - salad mix this week (lettuce and New Zealand spinach). Refrigerate.
-Cucumbers - Refrigerate.
-Garlic - Garlic may be left out on your counter for several weeks.
-Brown Eggs or extra vegetables, depending upon your option upon signup.
And here are some recipe ideas for all those delicious organic veggies!
3 Bean Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound green beans, cooked
- 1 pound yellow wax beans, cooked.
- 1 (15.25 ounce) can red kidney beans, drained
- Optional: 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
- Optional: 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained
- Optional: 1 cup chopped summer squash
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- Optional: 3/4 teaspoon ground dry mustard
- Optional: 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
- Optional: 2 tablespoons cilantro
- In a large bowl, layer the beans, onion and green pepper. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, mix the vinegar, sugar, oil, mustard, tarragon and cilantro. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and pour over bean mixture. Stir until all ingredients are coated. This is best if it is left to marinate for a few hours in the refrigerator, and stirred occasionally.
Toasted Tomato Basil Sandwich
Recipe above, under "Tomato" section in CSA share list
Fresh Salsa with this week's CSA Ingredients (Fresh Salsa in this style is also known as Pico de Gallo)
-4 tomatoes, chopped
-4 small hot peppers, chopped
-1 sweet pepper (optional), chopped
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 cup chopped cilantro
-1/2 sweet onion (if you have any left from prior CSA weeks, can be omitted)
-1/2 cup chopped summer squash (optional, a good way to sneak in squash if desired)
Chop all ingredients & stir together lightly in a bowl. Add salt & pepper to taste.
Vegetable Beef Soup
Here you go! Another one of those "clean out the fridge" CSA ingredient recipes. This recipe is easily adaptable, you can toss in different vegetables, leave some out, etc. This recipe would make a big batch. You could freeze leftovers, or cut the recipe down in half or to suit you.
- 1 gallon beef stock (to easily make a beef stock for this recipe, toss a beef bone into a crockpot, fill the crockpot with water, and allow to cook overnight. Like magic, instant stock. :-)
- 1 pound fresh green or yellow wax beans
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 sweet green pepper, chopped
- 4 tomatoes, chopped
- 1 summer squash, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1-2 cups brown rice (or grain of your choice)
- salt & pepper
Toss all into a soup pot and simmer for an hour or so. Season with salt & pepper. Alternatively, this could all be made in a crockpot.
Thanks, everyone! Hope to see you soon.
Penny
Wishful Acres Farm
http://wishfulacres.blogspot.
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