- Lettuce
- Carrots
- Beefsteak Tomatoes
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Purple Potatoes
- Yellow Potatoes
- Green Beans
- Cilantro or Dill
- Sweet Peppers or Eggplant
- Garlic Chives with Flower Buds
- Raspberries
- Blueberries
- Peaches
- Purple Grapes
- Golden Grapes
CSA Potluck this Sunday--There's Still Time to RSVP!
When: Sunday, August 19th, 3 to 6 p.m.
Where: 32140 Harris Road in Grayslake. Feel free to call Peg's cell (847-406-9301) if you have any trouble with directions.
Schedule:
- 3-4 p.m. Pick your own tomatoes. CSA members may pick up to 10 pounds of free tomatoes (heirlooms, hybrids or cherry tomatoes) per family. If you would like more than that, we will have pre-picked 20 lb cases of beefsteaks and romas available at the potluck. Beefsteaks are $25 per case and romas are $32. There is no limit on pre-picked cases. Please email me if you'd like to reserve a case.
- 4-5 p.m. Potluck. Please bring a main dish or a vegetable salad to pass, as well as your own plates and utensils. You might also want to bring lawn chairs or a blanket to sit on. We will provide dessert, lemonade and water.
- 5-6 p.m. Walking tour of the farm
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
In our fields garlic
chives grow alongside our regular chives. They're easy to tell apart due to the fact that garlic chives have a rather flat leaf compared to their more familiar cousin. This week the plants
have formed beautiful little buds on long, cylindrical flower stalks. Your share
contains a bunch of these beauties. Leaf, stalk and bud are entirely edible and
have a wondefully pungent garlic flavor. In my opinion, the stalks and buds are not tender
enough to use raw, but they are delicious when sauteed for a minute or two in a
little olive oil or butter. Use sauteed chives and buds to flavor tomato salads
and potato salads or use as a topping for baked or roasted potatoes. The possiblities are
endless!
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Potatoes are members of the nightshade family which means they are related to tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. All of these crops are growing up at our Wisconsin farm, and all have done quite well this year, despite the drought. On Sunday we harvested about 1,500 pounds--just enough for this week's CSA delivery. Your share contains both Carola, a golden yellow variety with great flavor and a creamy texture, and Adirondack Blue, a purple variety with a slightly drier texture that works great for roasting and for potato salads.
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| I heart purple potatoes! |
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We've been harvesting green beans in prodigious amounts throughout July and August. (Perhaps you have noticed?) This week's share contains about a pound of beans and there will probably be a similar amount in next week's share. After that it looks like bean harvesting will come to an end for the season. It's hard to believe, but we'll soon begin the transition to fall crops, starting with one of my favorites--winter squash!
This Week's Recipes
Fresh Peach Chutney
from Gourmet magazine, July 1995
This chutney is fantastic served with sliced ham, grilled chicken or shrimp, or warm cornbread.
2 firm-ripe peaches
1/4 cup golden raisins, chopped fine
1 fresh serrano or jalapeño chili, seeded and chopped fine (wear rubber gloves)
1 tablespoon finely chopped, peeled fresh gingerroot
1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped shallot or onion
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Halve and pit peaches and cut into 1/8-inch dice. In a bowl, combine peaches, raisins, chili, gingerroot, shallot and cumin. Chill chutney, covered, at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. About 1 hour before serving, stir in sugar, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve chutney at room temperature.
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Ginger, Carrot and Sesame Green Beans
from Ching's Everyday Easy Chinese by Ching-He Huang
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon peeled and
grated ginger
3 small carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
12 ounces green beans, trimmed
1
tablespoon
light soy sauce
1
teaspoon
rice vinegar
Toasted sesame oil, for drizzling
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
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Heat a wok over high heat, and then add the vegetable oil. Add the ginger and
cook for 30 seconds. Add the carrots and green beans and stir-fry for 2 minutes (adding a splash of water if necessary to
facilitate cooking). Season the vegetables with the light soy, rice vinegar and
a drizzle of toasted sesame oil. Garnish with a sprinkling of the toasted sesame seeds.
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Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Garlic Chives
2 tablespoons chopped garlic chives and buds
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium tomatoes, cut into 1-inch dice
1 ball fresh mozzarella, cut into 1-inch cubes
splash of balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Sauté garlic chives in olive oil over medium heat for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Place tomatoes and in a medium bowl and drizzle with the garlic chives and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and add a splash of balsamic vinegar if desired. This salad is best if you let it sit for 1 hour before eating.
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Fun Farm Photo of the Week: Sunflower Field
Can you spot your farmer in this sunflower field? Matt planted a whole field of sunflowers as a cover crop and also just for fun. I have a great view of this field from the window over the kitchen sink. Makes washing dishes a little more pleasant!
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Next Week's Harvest (our best guess)... carrots, watermelons, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant, poblano peppers, Italian frying peppers, beets, nectarines, raspberries and more!
