- Yellow or Red Watermelons (not from our farm. See below for more info.)
- Green-Top Beets
- Eggplant (Purple and/or Lavender)
- Assorted Varieties of Tomatoes
- Fresh Dill
- Cucumbers (off-farm pickup sites only)
- Green Cabbage
- Sweet Yellow Onions
- Red Fingerling Potatoes
- Red Raspberries
- Golden Supreme and Gala Apples
- Nectarines
I'd like to extend a heartfelt thanks to all of you who turned out on Sunday for our annual Tomato Jubilee. It was wonderful to see so many smiling, familiar faces. More than 130 families attended, and together we managed to pick almost 2,500 pounds of tomatoes! This is one of the highlights of the growing season for us. We hope you had as much fun as we did.
If you weren't able to make it out to the farm on Sunday, please consider joining us on October 4th for this year's Lake County Wellness Celebration. This is the annual event held at our farm that was formerly known as Edible Harvest Festival. The 6th Annual Lake County Wellness Celebration is hosted by Prairie Crossing Charter School, in partnership with the University of Illinois Extension. There will be delicious locally-grown foods, a petting zoo, a sheep dog demonstration, educational displays, farm tours, pumpkin painting, live music and more. Tickets are $4 for adults and $2 for kids ages 5-14. Children under 5 are free. For more information visit http://www.edibleharvest.org/.
Have a great week! -Peg
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
Our friends, Beth Kazmar and Steve Pincus, grew the watermelons for us. Their certified-organic farm, Tipi Produce, is located in Evansville, Wisconsin. Some of the melons will have red flesh and some will have yellow flesh. We hope you enjoy the surprise!
Dill is the perfect partner for a number of items in this week's share, namely potatoes, beets, and cabbage. Fresh dill will keep for a week in a plastic bag in the refrigerator.
In addition to providing the makings for cabbage rolls, minestrone, and fish tacos, a nice head of cabbage is the main ingredient in coleslaw. There are many variations. I encourage you to experiment with new flavor combinations. Here are some that I like: cabbage, dill, grated carrots, olive oil and white vinegar; cabbage, mayo, toasted walnuts, apples and cider vinegar; cabbage, onion, bacon, and white wine vinegar (served warm); cabbage, lime juice, canola oil, peanuts, cilantro and chile powder; and cabbage, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame seeds. When slicing cabbage for slaw, cut the head into 4 wedges first and then cut diagonally across the wedge.
Eggplant is related to other vegetables that thrive in late summer—tomatoes, potatoes, and peppers. There are many different varieties of eggplant, including white, purple, lavender, pink and green. Eggplant does not need to be peeled, but you may prefer to do so. Before using it in a recipe, I recommend lightly salting eggplant slices and then letting them sit in a strainer for at last 10 minutes. This helps reduce the water content in the eggplant, and improves texture and taste.
Apples are amazingly versatile in the kitchen. They are wonderful when braised with cabbage, baked in muffins and coffee cakes, and diced and added to chicken salad, vegetable salads and slaws.
This Week's Recipes:
Skillet-Browned Potatoes with Fresh Dill
Penne with Beets, Beet Greens and Goat Cheese
Balsamic and Bacon Braised Cabbage
Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... Heirloom tomatoes, garlic, carrots, beans, Italian parsley, oregano, green and red peppers, arugula, mustard greens, baking potatoes, grapes, peaches and more!
