BGF CSA - Newsletter Week 12
Posted 8/24/2010 3:55pm by Scott Farabaugh.
Greetings BGF CSA Members,
What happened to the sun!? The cooler weather feels nice, but the dampness with it isn't good for our crops...especially the carrots. They are coming, we just don't know when. This weather affects them as do the deer that have found our carrot stash. Not good!
You'll be receiving another large dose of tomatoes this week. Enjoy them as they are coming to the end of their season. Our crops seem to have been about 1-2 weeks ahead of normal schedule - due to our good, hot summer. So instead of spreading out the amount of tomatoes over a longer span, they seem to have ripened in a shorter time frame. We appreciate you keeping up with us and our unpredictable veggies.
We have a number of yummy recipes this week, so be sure to read to the end!
We have a good number of members who are involved in education as some level - teachers, staff, students - and as they return for another year, we wish them all a safe and productive school year. Thank you for what you do.
What you can expect to find in your box this week...
corn
onion
beets (no tops)
green peppers
hot green/red peppers
golden tomatoes
red tomatoes (with a spash of orange and purple for color!)
cantelope OR eggplant
Culinary Corner
...in the Kitchen
Tomato Salsa
1-1/2 C tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 C onion, diced
1/2 C green pepper, diced
1 T olive oil
2 t lime juice (add rind peelings for additional flavor)
1 t hot pepper with seeds (jalepeno, corno di toro, habenaro, etc.)
2 T cilantro
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Salsa tastes best if you let the mixture sit at room temperature for an hour or so just after making it to let flavors meld. then yo umay refrigeratie it if necessary. Drain juices in a seive before serving.
NOTE - to speed up the process, but all veggies undiced with other ingredients into a food processor and pulse several times to preferred consistency.
Borscht (NY Deli Style)
3 C water (can also use vegetable or beef broth)
2-3 C beets, peeled and cut into strips
1 carrot, peeled and cut into strips
1 garlic clove
2 T lemon juice
1-1/2 t salt
1 t black pepper
sour cream
dill
Combine first four ingredients in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beets are tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Tranfer to a food processor or blender and add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse to create a creamy texture. Serve warm or cold in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a dash of dill.
NOTE - to make a heartier version, add bite-sized potatoes. You can add potatoes to soup pot and cook with the beets and carrots, then into the food processor for the puree OR you can add potatoes to the finished product for a chunkier version.
Spicy Pickled Summer Veggies (modified from version in Cottage Living, 2006)
2 C white vinegar (apple or red wine vinegars are also good to try for different flavors)
1/2 C sugar
1-1/2 T sea salt
2 t dill seed
1 t mustard seed
2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 t ground black pepper
12 whole cloves
4 bay leaves
3-4 C veggies - use any of the following individually or combined:cucumber, zucchini, onion, peppers (hot or sweet), green beans, radishes, beets (will turn liquid purplish in color)
Combine all ingredients except veggies into a quart jar. Cover with lid, and shake until sugar dissolves. Add veggies to jar. Cover and shake again. Chill for at least 4 hours, best if overnight. Be sure to shake jar occasionally. Will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Enjoy the waning days of summer!
Scott & Chrissy
814-948-7188
sctfab@yahoo.com
What happened to the sun!? The cooler weather feels nice, but the dampness with it isn't good for our crops...especially the carrots. They are coming, we just don't know when. This weather affects them as do the deer that have found our carrot stash. Not good!
You'll be receiving another large dose of tomatoes this week. Enjoy them as they are coming to the end of their season. Our crops seem to have been about 1-2 weeks ahead of normal schedule - due to our good, hot summer. So instead of spreading out the amount of tomatoes over a longer span, they seem to have ripened in a shorter time frame. We appreciate you keeping up with us and our unpredictable veggies.
We have a number of yummy recipes this week, so be sure to read to the end!
We have a good number of members who are involved in education as some level - teachers, staff, students - and as they return for another year, we wish them all a safe and productive school year. Thank you for what you do.
What you can expect to find in your box this week...
corn
onion
beets (no tops)
green peppers
hot green/red peppers
golden tomatoes
red tomatoes (with a spash of orange and purple for color!)
cantelope OR eggplant
Culinary Corner
- Always wash your produce!
- The hot pepper in your box is indeed HOT! Beware. Scott was in the field on afternoon, and picked a few to test. Taking a bite of one was caught off guard and ran for the spring water. These particular peppers are an Italian gourmet pepper called Corno di Toro. Though most descriptions claim they are sweet Italian peppers, we find them not to be so.
- This is a good week to create a delicious, home-made salsa with the amount of tomatoes, peppers, and onion you receive. Have fun!
- If you're not a fan of beets but wan tthe nutritional value of them, try adding a beet puree to a chocolate cake recipe. The flavor is undetected while you still gain the "health" benefits. (To create a beet puree - simply boil them until very tender; peel their skins, and toss them into a food processor. Voila! This can be frozen for future use.)
...in the Kitchen
Tomato Salsa
1-1/2 C tomatoes, finely diced
1/2 C onion, diced
1/2 C green pepper, diced
1 T olive oil
2 t lime juice (add rind peelings for additional flavor)
1 t hot pepper with seeds (jalepeno, corno di toro, habenaro, etc.)
2 T cilantro
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Salsa tastes best if you let the mixture sit at room temperature for an hour or so just after making it to let flavors meld. then yo umay refrigeratie it if necessary. Drain juices in a seive before serving.
NOTE - to speed up the process, but all veggies undiced with other ingredients into a food processor and pulse several times to preferred consistency.
Borscht (NY Deli Style)
3 C water (can also use vegetable or beef broth)
2-3 C beets, peeled and cut into strips
1 carrot, peeled and cut into strips
1 garlic clove
2 T lemon juice
1-1/2 t salt
1 t black pepper
sour cream
dill
Combine first four ingredients in a soup pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beets are tender, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Tranfer to a food processor or blender and add lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse to create a creamy texture. Serve warm or cold in bowls with a dollop of sour cream and a dash of dill.
NOTE - to make a heartier version, add bite-sized potatoes. You can add potatoes to soup pot and cook with the beets and carrots, then into the food processor for the puree OR you can add potatoes to the finished product for a chunkier version.
Spicy Pickled Summer Veggies (modified from version in Cottage Living, 2006)
2 C white vinegar (apple or red wine vinegars are also good to try for different flavors)
1/2 C sugar
1-1/2 T sea salt
2 t dill seed
1 t mustard seed
2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1 t ground black pepper
12 whole cloves
4 bay leaves
3-4 C veggies - use any of the following individually or combined:cucumber, zucchini, onion, peppers (hot or sweet), green beans, radishes, beets (will turn liquid purplish in color)
Combine all ingredients except veggies into a quart jar. Cover with lid, and shake until sugar dissolves. Add veggies to jar. Cover and shake again. Chill for at least 4 hours, best if overnight. Be sure to shake jar occasionally. Will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Enjoy the waning days of summer!
Scott & Chrissy
814-948-7188
sctfab@yahoo.com
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