- Head Lettuce
- Carrots
- Kale
- Beefsteak Tomatoes
- Heirloom Tomatoes
- Fresh Basil
- Arugula
- Cucumbers
- Poblano Chile Peppers (farm pickup site)
- Assorted Sweet Peppers (all other pickup sites)
This Week's Fruit Harvest:
- Nectarines
- Blueberries
- Red Heart Plums
- and two varieties of Red Grapes
Notes from the Farm Kitchen
It's been months since we've had such nice greens growing in our fields. While the hot weather in June and July contributed to our most abundant cucumber, zucchini and tomato crops ever, it sure did shut down all of our leafy greens. Thankfully temperatures have moderated, which means that lettuce, kale and chard are growing beautiful and succulent new leaves. The texture and flavor of the lettuce improves with each passing day and the new growth on the kale plants is tender and emerald green. Most members will receive the familiar curly green kale this week, but a few of you will receive either lacinato (on the left) or red kale (on the right). The are all similar in flavor.
As far as hot peppers go, poblanos are somewhere in the middle of the heat index
scale. They are not as hot as a jalapeno or a serrano. This week's poblanos are
between 3 and 5 inches long and are dark green and glossy. Roasting poblano
peppers before using them improves their flavor and allows you to remove their
waxy skin. Once you've roasted them you can put them in a freezer bag and store
them in the freezer for months. Poblanos can be used in many different
Mexican-inspired dishes from rice dishes to casseroles to the well-known chiles
rellenos. To roast them you can either put them under the broiler, use a skewer
to hold them over an open flame on your stove top, or stick them in a very hot
toaster oven. You should roast them until the skin starts to bubble and the
bubbles start to blacken. Once this starts to happen, flip them over and do the
same to the other side. Allow them to cool before pulling the skin off with your
fingers. (You might want to wear gloves.) Finally, make a slit in each one and
remove the seeds. Enjoy!
This Week's Featured Recipes
Vegetable Minestrone with Chicken Meatballs
adapted from a recipe in Bon Appétit, April 2012
6 ounces ground chicken (about 3/4 cup)
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, divided, plus more for garnish
4 garlic cloves, 2 minced, 2 thinly sliced
1 large egg, whisked to blend
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cups low-salt chicken broth
3/4 cup ditalini or other small pasta
2 cups chopped carrots
4 cups (packed) chopped kale leaves
chopped fresh basil for garnish
- Mix chicken, breadcrumbs, 3 tablespoons Parmesan, 2 minced garlic cloves, egg, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a medium bowl. Form into 1/2"-diameter meatballs (makes about 28).
- Heat oil in a small pot over medium heat. Cook meatballs until golden all over, about 3 minutes (they will finish cooking in soup). Transfer to a plate; set aside.
- Add onion to pot and cook, stirring often, until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add 2 thinly sliced garlic cloves; cook for 1 minute. Add broth and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Stir in pasta, carrots and kale; simmer until pasta is almost al dente, about 8 minutes. Add meatballs; simmer until pasta is al dente, vegetables are tender, and meatballs are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan; stir until Parmesan is melted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish with chopped basil and Parmesan.
Kenyan-Style Kale and Tomatoes
www.wholefoodsmarket.com2 teaspoons canola oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 jalapeño or poblano, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
3 ripe but firm tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 large bunch kale, ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
1/2 cup water or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeño (if using) and cook, stirring often, until softened and golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until collapsed and juicy, about 10 minutes more.
- Add kale, water, lemon juice, salt and pepper, toss once or twice, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender and flavors have come together, 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve.
Healthy Carrot-Blueberry Muffins
www.foodnetwork.com
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons wheat germ
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch fine salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
4 medium carrots, grated (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup fresh blueberries
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line twelve 1/2-cup muffin cups with paper muffin liners.
- Whisk the flours with the brown sugar, wheat germ, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. In another medium bowl lightly whisk the egg, then whisk in the vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.
- Quickly and lightly fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Stir in the carrots and pineapple just until evenly moist; the batter will be very thick. Add the blueberries and stir to distribute evenly. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted in the centers comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Turn muffins out of the tins and cool on a rack. Serve warm.
In other Farm News... Sheep Roundup!
Last week we purchased a group of sheep that will become the foundation of our new breeding flock. Our friends Bob and Beth Van De Boom had been raising St. Croix sheep for meat production, but decided to get out of the sheep business in order to focus on their grass fed beef operation. This turned out to be a happy coincidence for us, because these are just the type of sheep we were looking to purchase. The St. Croix breed is listed as endangered by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy. The ewes are excellent mothers, they do extremely well on pasture, and they produce lean, flavorful meat. The other great advantage of this breed is that St. Croix are hair sheep instead of wool sheep. A St. Croix has a short coat like a goat and doesn't ever need to be sheared.
On Friday Matt and Bob rounded up 2 rams (Chip and Dale), 7 ewes and 5 lambs and loaded them onto Bob's livestock trailer for the short trip to our farm.
The sheep took their time getting to know the barnyard. Eventually the boss ewe led them down the lane, past the big burr oak and out to their new pasture where they seemed completely at home.
Meanwhile, Burrito the Guard Donkey kept a close eye on the proceedings. He'll stay in a separate paddock for a while until he's gotten used to his new charges. It's a big responsability for him (and for us) but I'm sure we'll all do just fine!
